Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development

Contact Information
City: 
Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt
e-mail: 
alshehabcenter@hotmail.com
Web site: 
http://www.shehabinstitution.org
network: 
No
Description
Presentation, history and objectives: 

Al-Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development is an Egyptian NGO that started its activities in Ezbet Al-Haggana, a slum area of Cairo, in January 2001.

It was founded as a Civil Non-profit Company, named Al-Shehab Center for Comprehensive Development, whose goal was to develop the local community in different disciplines.

According to Law No. 84 for the year 2002 and its executive bylaw, Al Shehab applied to be registered as a Foundation. The registration was granted and its name became Al-Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development. The Registration No. is 5186 on 11/6/2003.

Who Are We?

We are a group of youths, volunteers and activists that are interested in social work based on local communities within Egyptian society, established Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development. The foundation works in marginalized and slum areas of Greater Cairo and aims at empowering marginalized groups without discriminating sex, religion or color, such as women, children and youth.

Our Vision

A democratic society where every human being is able to enjoy his/her social, economic and political rights according to the international conventions of human rights. We wish to empower people so that they are able to exercise their rights to help achieve social justice and monitoring.

Our Message

To promote and develop slum areas and empower the residents of these areas to use their resources in order to help them to defend their rights. To provide a developmental model through implementing projects that tackle the local community needs and create local cadres to achieve community participation.

Our Principles

To work in a partnership with the local communities through:

1- Decentralizing the decision making

2- Transparency

3- Community participation and social monitoring

4- Team work

5- The spirit of volunteerism

The Strategic Goals

1- To empower the most marginalized groups within the poor and slum areas.

2- To alleviate all forms of discrimination and violence against minorities and to achieve cooperation between the individuals within the local communities.

3- To provide the residents of the poor and slum areas access to infrastructure.

4- To enhance community participation of the residents within the poor and slum areas.

Achievements: 

A legal aid unit was established and among its achievements stood the following:

•Raised two collective cases for the population of Ezbet Al-Haggana before the court. First, demanding a sanitary sewage network and network of drinking water, and second, calling for proper electricity.
•Monitored and defended several human and legal rights violations against child workers exerted by either the state or the employers.
•Held awareness sessions for child workers, their parents and workshops owners. Labour laws in addition to international conventions were discussed and a focus was placed on the prohibition of child labour and how to protect them in case they are required to work.
•Offered legal aid and consultation to women who needed to apply for their legal documents, i.e. personal identification cards, birth certificates and raising court cases.

Programme: 

Sewage Network at EL-Hagana Area
Connecting houses to a Governmental Sewage Network in EL-Hagana area
Funded by the embassy of Japan February 2004
Specific objectives:
- To connect a number of households within local community to a governmental sewage network.
- To promote the active participation of local members and leaders in addressing the health and environmental problems facing the community.
- Active participation will be encouraged in the form of local community leaders and members participation in the needs assessment process, project planning, monitoring and implementation as well as partial contribution to the costs.
- To raise the awareness of local community members on the importance of clean water, good sanitation and sewage system as key-determinants of health standards of the local community.

Women empowerment
Developing Ezbet Al-Haggana and Enhancing the Social and Economical Standards of Female-Headed Families
Funded by Arab Women League September 2003

Areas of Activity:
- Surveying women who were the heads of their families to identify their social and economic conditions as well as their individual needs.
- Develop the skills of Ezbet Al-Haggana’s women through teaching them income generating skills i.e. sewing.
- Making available small loans to help women start up productive projects in order to alleviate their socio-economic conditions.
- Establishing literacy classes for women.
- Convening awareness sessions in the areas of environment, health and law

Training Jobless Boys and Girls
Training Project of Jobless Boys and Girls at Ezbet El Hagana for Painting, Printing and Dyeing on Fabrics
Funded by German Embassy in Cairo July 2004

This project aims to empower jobless boys and girls through informing them about safe occupations in Cairo and safety standards so that they are able to choose their work wisely and improve the standard of living of themselves and their family.

Children: Our Future
Literacy Program
A literacy unit was established in 2001 that served men, women and children who were unable to complete their schooling. Although the chlidren who attended the sessions were eager to continue learning, the men and women on the other hand were not as willing. One of the reasons being is that men usually have unusual working hours which are not compatible with the times that the literacy classes are in session. As for the women, due to their low socio-economic status they are forced to use their time participating in income generating activities rather than spending their time improving their reading and writing skills.

Developing the Skills and Behavior of Children through Art
This program is self-funded and based on voluntary work by the staff.

Specific Objective:
- To enhance children’s cultural, social and psychological skills with the aims of integrating them into the local community to help to improve the community’s resources and potential.
- Develop the children’s skills through artistic activities such as theater, drawing, singing, clay work and collage.
- Encourage the teamwork spirit and promote the acceptance of one another.
- Organizing recreational and educational trips for both school and working children.

Appling for Birth Certificates for Children
Unfortunately many children of Ezbet El Hagana lack birth certificates which has potential to impede on their ability to enroll in school and participate in other activities that would keep a normal childhood on track. Therefore, Al Shehab Insitituion took the initiative to help the children directly to obtain proper documentation of their birth.