Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEgypt are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000people to teach them about children’searly years and highlight the importanceof early learning and nursery schools

• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets

• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their familiesby offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving

• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts,enabling them to express their views on community issues.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

EGY

Plan is helping to bring clean water and improvedsanitation to poor communities in Egypt

p

Challenge and change in EgyptEgypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year.Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.

Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare,sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rightsare our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violenceagainst children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birthregistration.

Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, otherdevelopment agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting

Country Director says, these“support our developmentinitiatives towards enablingchildren to realise their potential.”

In this Country Progress Report welook at one project where we havebeen successful in doing just that.

Egypt country factsPopulation: 76.5 million

Capital: Cairo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 111th (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 3%

People without adequate sanitation: 42%

Women who cannot read or write: 41%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Children’s parliaments like this one in Cairo are an excellent way forchildren to become aware and lobby for their rights

p

Country ProgressReport 2007

Egypt

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Egypt13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEgypt are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000people to teach them about children’searly years and highlight the importanceof early learning and nursery schools

• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets

• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their familiesby offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving

• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts,enabling them to express their views on community issues.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

EGY

Plan is helping to bring clean water and improvedsanitation to poor communities in Egypt

p

Challenge and change in EgyptEgypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year.Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.

Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare,sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rightsare our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violenceagainst children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birthregistration.

Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, otherdevelopment agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting

Country Director says, these“support our developmentinitiatives towards enablingchildren to realise their potential.”

In this Country Progress Report welook at one project where we havebeen successful in doing just that.

Egypt country factsPopulation: 76.5 million

Capital: Cairo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 111th (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 3%

People without adequate sanitation: 42%

Women who cannot read or write: 41%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Children’s parliaments like this one in Cairo are an excellent way forchildren to become aware and lobby for their rights

p

Country ProgressReport 2007

Egypt

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Egypt13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

children with disabilities are best caredfor and encouraged to thrive withintheir own families and communities.

Funded by Plan and the EuropeanCommission and run in partnership withexpert agencies, CBR promotesintegration, following the belief thatcommunities are stronger and moresuccessful when they include everyone– even their most vulnerable members– in their long-term progress.

The project is managed by a committedteam of local people, including mothersof disabled children and healthprofessionals, who are trained to workwith families affected by disability andtheir neighbours to bring disabledchildren back into the heart of thecommunity.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannotafford. For others, disabilitybrings shame and exclusion fromtheir community.

To achieve this, the team offers a rangeof services, from physical and speechtherapy to help disabled children live asindependently as possible, to organisingsocial events like camps so that childrencan play together and get to know eachother, whether disabled or not.

Reda joined the team two years ago. “Iwanted to share my knowledge withother mothers who are in the samesituation as me,” she explains. Like theother team members, she combines awealth of personal experience with theadvantage of being a familiar face tomany families in the neighbourhood, abalance that has won acceptance andrespect from the community.

Gradually, the barriers between familiescoping with disability and theirneighbours are breaking down. Lastyear, the team organised its first annualcampaign, an event on the theme of“accessibility.” Working with localvolunteers, mothers and disabledchildren, team members planned anumber of activities for the day,including a puppet show, drawing,singing and dancing.

Around 350 people from the local andneighbouring community came to joinin the fun and share their thoughts onthe event’s theme.

For Reda, the day was a fantasticopportunity for children and adults,disabled or not to mix and work togetherto plan a more inclusive future. “It was awonderful experience,” she says. “I hadthe chance to learn so much.”

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Reda has more reason than mostmothers to take pride in Ahmed’sachievements; he is deaf and hascerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four,a doctor treating him said the onlything he would be able to do was eatand sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve yearslater, he is happy to be proving thedoctor wrong.

Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo,Egypt’s capital. Many families here areliving below the poverty line. Childrenare extremely vulnerable, and thosewith disabilities even more so.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannot afford.For others, disability brings shame andexclusion from their community. Everyyear, children are abandoned in thestreets or locked away, out of sight at home.

Reda knows what it feels like to beostracised. She remembers: “Ourneighbours didn’t greet us or allowtheir children to play with Ahmed.”

Equal opportunitiesFor years, it seemed as if nothing wouldchange. Then, in 2003, Plan began towork with Reda’s community on a long-term project to break down the stigmasurrounding disability and help thecommunity give disabled children thesame opportunities as their peers.

Unlike more traditional medical orinstitutional approaches to disability inEgypt, Child-Focused Community-BasedRehabilitation – or CBR as the project isknown – is based on the premise that

Learning for thefutureLearning is at the heart of theCBR project, and it’s anapproach Plan strongly believesin. Experience shows us thatpeople living in the world’spoorest areas want to be taughthow to develop theircommunities for themselves. As Reda comments: “We needto help our children to ask for theirrights and never expect charity. It’s likethe saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda

are learning the skills they need to take

their ideas forward. This year the team

has attended training courses on

developing new business opportunities.

With some of the local mothers, theyhave chosen jam-making and dryingvegetables as a way of earning extraincome. Disabled children have beeninvolved from the start, accompanyingthe team to market to buy materials.“They really enjoy being taken intoconsideration and being included in thecommunity,” says Reda.

“We need to help our children toask for their rights and neverexpect charity. It’s like thesaying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

For Reda, seeing the change in hercommunity is incentive enough to keepthe project going. She’s seen parentswho would have abandoned theirchildren decide to care for theminstead. She’s seen the fear and stigmaattached to disability slowly vanish, andmost importantly, she’s seen childrenlike Ahmed achieve beyond allexpectations.

“Now he is treated like any other boy,”she says proudly.

Some names have been changed for child protection andprivacy reasons.

An animated discussion between Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)

p

Acceptance and respect in CairoLike 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than beingwith his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fondof practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.

Drawing is one of the activities the CBR project promotes fordisabled children

p

children with disabilities are best caredfor and encouraged to thrive withintheir own families and communities.

Funded by Plan and the EuropeanCommission and run in partnership withexpert agencies, CBR promotesintegration, following the belief thatcommunities are stronger and moresuccessful when they include everyone– even their most vulnerable members– in their long-term progress.

The project is managed by a committedteam of local people, including mothersof disabled children and healthprofessionals, who are trained to workwith families affected by disability andtheir neighbours to bring disabledchildren back into the heart of thecommunity.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannotafford. For others, disabilitybrings shame and exclusion fromtheir community.

To achieve this, the team offers a rangeof services, from physical and speechtherapy to help disabled children live asindependently as possible, to organisingsocial events like camps so that childrencan play together and get to know eachother, whether disabled or not.

Reda joined the team two years ago. “Iwanted to share my knowledge withother mothers who are in the samesituation as me,” she explains. Like theother team members, she combines awealth of personal experience with theadvantage of being a familiar face tomany families in the neighbourhood, abalance that has won acceptance andrespect from the community.

Gradually, the barriers between familiescoping with disability and theirneighbours are breaking down. Lastyear, the team organised its first annualcampaign, an event on the theme of“accessibility.” Working with localvolunteers, mothers and disabledchildren, team members planned anumber of activities for the day,including a puppet show, drawing,singing and dancing.

Around 350 people from the local andneighbouring community came to joinin the fun and share their thoughts onthe event’s theme.

For Reda, the day was a fantasticopportunity for children and adults,disabled or not to mix and work togetherto plan a more inclusive future. “It was awonderful experience,” she says. “I hadthe chance to learn so much.”

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Reda has more reason than mostmothers to take pride in Ahmed’sachievements; he is deaf and hascerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four,a doctor treating him said the onlything he would be able to do was eatand sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve yearslater, he is happy to be proving thedoctor wrong.

Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo,Egypt’s capital. Many families here areliving below the poverty line. Childrenare extremely vulnerable, and thosewith disabilities even more so.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannot afford.For others, disability brings shame andexclusion from their community. Everyyear, children are abandoned in thestreets or locked away, out of sight at home.

Reda knows what it feels like to beostracised. She remembers: “Ourneighbours didn’t greet us or allowtheir children to play with Ahmed.”

Equal opportunitiesFor years, it seemed as if nothing wouldchange. Then, in 2003, Plan began towork with Reda’s community on a long-term project to break down the stigmasurrounding disability and help thecommunity give disabled children thesame opportunities as their peers.

Unlike more traditional medical orinstitutional approaches to disability inEgypt, Child-Focused Community-BasedRehabilitation – or CBR as the project isknown – is based on the premise that

Learning for thefutureLearning is at the heart of theCBR project, and it’s anapproach Plan strongly believesin. Experience shows us thatpeople living in the world’spoorest areas want to be taughthow to develop theircommunities for themselves. As Reda comments: “We needto help our children to ask for theirrights and never expect charity. It’s likethe saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda

are learning the skills they need to take

their ideas forward. This year the team

has attended training courses on

developing new business opportunities.

With some of the local mothers, theyhave chosen jam-making and dryingvegetables as a way of earning extraincome. Disabled children have beeninvolved from the start, accompanyingthe team to market to buy materials.“They really enjoy being taken intoconsideration and being included in thecommunity,” says Reda.

“We need to help our children toask for their rights and neverexpect charity. It’s like thesaying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

For Reda, seeing the change in hercommunity is incentive enough to keepthe project going. She’s seen parentswho would have abandoned theirchildren decide to care for theminstead. She’s seen the fear and stigmaattached to disability slowly vanish, andmost importantly, she’s seen childrenlike Ahmed achieve beyond allexpectations.

“Now he is treated like any other boy,”she says proudly.

Some names have been changed for child protection andprivacy reasons.

An animated discussion between Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)

p

Acceptance and respect in CairoLike 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than beingwith his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fondof practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.

Drawing is one of the activities the CBR project promotes fordisabled children

p

children with disabilities are best caredfor and encouraged to thrive withintheir own families and communities.

Funded by Plan and the EuropeanCommission and run in partnership withexpert agencies, CBR promotesintegration, following the belief thatcommunities are stronger and moresuccessful when they include everyone– even their most vulnerable members– in their long-term progress.

The project is managed by a committedteam of local people, including mothersof disabled children and healthprofessionals, who are trained to workwith families affected by disability andtheir neighbours to bring disabledchildren back into the heart of thecommunity.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannotafford. For others, disabilitybrings shame and exclusion fromtheir community.

To achieve this, the team offers a rangeof services, from physical and speechtherapy to help disabled children live asindependently as possible, to organisingsocial events like camps so that childrencan play together and get to know eachother, whether disabled or not.

Reda joined the team two years ago. “Iwanted to share my knowledge withother mothers who are in the samesituation as me,” she explains. Like theother team members, she combines awealth of personal experience with theadvantage of being a familiar face tomany families in the neighbourhood, abalance that has won acceptance andrespect from the community.

Gradually, the barriers between familiescoping with disability and theirneighbours are breaking down. Lastyear, the team organised its first annualcampaign, an event on the theme of“accessibility.” Working with localvolunteers, mothers and disabledchildren, team members planned anumber of activities for the day,including a puppet show, drawing,singing and dancing.

Around 350 people from the local andneighbouring community came to joinin the fun and share their thoughts onthe event’s theme.

For Reda, the day was a fantasticopportunity for children and adults,disabled or not to mix and work togetherto plan a more inclusive future. “It was awonderful experience,” she says. “I hadthe chance to learn so much.”

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

Reda has more reason than mostmothers to take pride in Ahmed’sachievements; he is deaf and hascerebral palsy. “When Ahmed was four,a doctor treating him said the onlything he would be able to do was eatand sleep,” recalls Reda. Twelve yearslater, he is happy to be proving thedoctor wrong.

Ahmed and Reda live in Eastern Cairo,Egypt’s capital. Many families here areliving below the poverty line. Childrenare extremely vulnerable, and thosewith disabilities even more so.

For some families, a child with adisability is a burden they cannot afford.For others, disability brings shame andexclusion from their community. Everyyear, children are abandoned in thestreets or locked away, out of sight at home.

Reda knows what it feels like to beostracised. She remembers: “Ourneighbours didn’t greet us or allowtheir children to play with Ahmed.”

Equal opportunitiesFor years, it seemed as if nothing wouldchange. Then, in 2003, Plan began towork with Reda’s community on a long-term project to break down the stigmasurrounding disability and help thecommunity give disabled children thesame opportunities as their peers.

Unlike more traditional medical orinstitutional approaches to disability inEgypt, Child-Focused Community-BasedRehabilitation – or CBR as the project isknown – is based on the premise that

Learning for thefutureLearning is at the heart of theCBR project, and it’s anapproach Plan strongly believesin. Experience shows us thatpeople living in the world’spoorest areas want to be taughthow to develop theircommunities for themselves. As Reda comments: “We needto help our children to ask for theirrights and never expect charity. It’s likethe saying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

With Plan’s support, mothers like Reda

are learning the skills they need to take

their ideas forward. This year the team

has attended training courses on

developing new business opportunities.

With some of the local mothers, theyhave chosen jam-making and dryingvegetables as a way of earning extraincome. Disabled children have beeninvolved from the start, accompanyingthe team to market to buy materials.“They really enjoy being taken intoconsideration and being included in thecommunity,” says Reda.

“We need to help our children toask for their rights and neverexpect charity. It’s like thesaying: ‘Don’t give me a fish, butteach me how to fish.’”

For Reda, seeing the change in hercommunity is incentive enough to keepthe project going. She’s seen parentswho would have abandoned theirchildren decide to care for theminstead. She’s seen the fear and stigmaattached to disability slowly vanish, andmost importantly, she’s seen childrenlike Ahmed achieve beyond allexpectations.

“Now he is treated like any other boy,”she says proudly.

Some names have been changed for child protection andprivacy reasons.

An animated discussion between Ahmed and his mother (in sign language!)

p

Acceptance and respect in CairoLike 16-year-old boys the world over, Ahmed likes nothing more than beingwith his mates, chasing a football around a makeshift pitch. “He’s very fondof practising sports, especially soccer,” says Reda, his mother, proudly.

Drawing is one of the activities the CBR project promotes fordisabled children

p

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inEgypt are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year our work included:

• Holding awareness sessions for over 9,000people to teach them about children’searly years and highlight the importanceof early learning and nursery schools

• Improving sanitation for over 1,000 families by upgrading or constructing domestic toilets

• Giving over 760 women the opportunity to earn extra income for their familiesby offering vocational training in activities like hairdressing and weaving

• Supporting children in producing over 200 newsletters and wall-charts,enabling them to express their views on community issues.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

EGY

Plan is helping to bring clean water and improvedsanitation to poor communities in Egypt

p

Challenge and change in EgyptEgypt has been going through a process of constitutional reform over the last year.Plan is waiting to see how the reforms will affect the communities where we work.

Together, families and Plan are striving to improve children’s education, healthcare,sanitation, access to clean water and to training in skills for the future. Children’s rightsare our priority, and we took part in successful initiatives this year to prevent violenceagainst children – particularly female genital cutting – and to promote birthregistration.

Our achievements result from our partnerships – with government, otherdevelopment agencies, families, children and sponsors. As Amir Abdelfattah, Acting

Country Director says, these“support our developmentinitiatives towards enablingchildren to realise their potential.”

In this Country Progress Report welook at one project where we havebeen successful in doing just that.

Egypt country factsPopulation: 76.5 million

Capital: Cairo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 111th (of 177 countries)

People living on less than 1 US dollara day: 3%

People without adequate sanitation: 42%

Women who cannot read or write: 41%

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Children’s parliaments like this one in Cairo are an excellent way forchildren to become aware and lobby for their rights

p

Country ProgressReport 2007

Egypt

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Egypt13.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT