As a dancer and a trustee for 'Just Because', putting something back into the country that has given me so much, is something very important. I think we, as dancers, have a responsibility to give back where we can and to help and support the wonderful people of Egypt.
Today I met a wonderful woman, with a heart the size of Egypt and with a mission - to help the garbage children of Cairo. Let me tell you a little bit about the garbage children. They are born into a life of poverty and difficult living conditions but they have honour, pride and integrity. Day by day they struggle as they send out horse drawn carts to collect the rubbish thrown away by their fellow citizens. They sort through the refuse, recycling what they can and keeping anything that may be of value. They do all of this for a pittance and life is a daily struggle.
The lady i met today is called Julie Flavell. Julie runs a charity called 'Welcome St Georges' which gives these beautiful children of Cairo the opportunity for a break away from their daily struggles. She offers them hope and raises the expectations by showing them that life can be better. She has watched them grow over the years and has been present at their family christenings, weddings and other important life events. She has visited Cairo year after year to help the children of Mottamodia and is considered by the village as part of their extended family.
'Welcome St Georges' provides education to help them beat the poverty that their parents have experienced throughout their whole lives. Centering around St Georges church which is in the heart of the garbage village in Mottamodia, this amazing charity has been raising funds since 2010 to help build toilets and classrooms as well as paying for educational materials and most importantly running summer camps in the Red Sea areas to offer these children respite from garbage collection. They swim, play, learn, create and generally be children, which is so different from their daily life.
I have been so inspired by this charity and I want to help in whichever way I can. My first job is to support them by performing with my wonderful students at a charity ball on March 5th which will raise funds for this charity as well as an important brain cancer charity.
So if this has peaked your interest, you are probably wondering how you can help? Well, there are a number of ways. You can make a donation through their website here either through making a single donation or by sponsoring a child.
I asked Julie what they needed in terms of materials as I am happy to be a collection point. She said that the children love to be creative so the charity uses a lot of pencils, crayons, PVA glue, sequins, beads, children's scissors, elasticated wire (to make beaded jewellery) and wooden puzzles. If you can get your hands on any of these things, let me know and I will happily help them get to Julie and her fellow charity trustees.
You can also donate your time by becoming a team member for the summer camps. If you have been to Cairo before on a dance trip, you will likely have stayed in a plush hotel with air conditioning, eaten good food from clean plates before accessing running water and flushing toilets. How about going on a trip to help the children of Egypt, namely those seemingly forgotten garbage children of Cairo. To find out more information, visit the website at www.welcomestgeorges.com
How about putting something back into the country that has given us rich music, dancing and culture? How about enriching the lives of children to give them hope and determination to change how their future looks.
Photo courtesy of Omar Garcia.
Today I met a wonderful woman, with a heart the size of Egypt and with a mission - to help the garbage children of Cairo. Let me tell you a little bit about the garbage children. They are born into a life of poverty and difficult living conditions but they have honour, pride and integrity. Day by day they struggle as they send out horse drawn carts to collect the rubbish thrown away by their fellow citizens. They sort through the refuse, recycling what they can and keeping anything that may be of value. They do all of this for a pittance and life is a daily struggle.
The lady i met today is called Julie Flavell. Julie runs a charity called 'Welcome St Georges' which gives these beautiful children of Cairo the opportunity for a break away from their daily struggles. She offers them hope and raises the expectations by showing them that life can be better. She has watched them grow over the years and has been present at their family christenings, weddings and other important life events. She has visited Cairo year after year to help the children of Mottamodia and is considered by the village as part of their extended family.
'Welcome St Georges' provides education to help them beat the poverty that their parents have experienced throughout their whole lives. Centering around St Georges church which is in the heart of the garbage village in Mottamodia, this amazing charity has been raising funds since 2010 to help build toilets and classrooms as well as paying for educational materials and most importantly running summer camps in the Red Sea areas to offer these children respite from garbage collection. They swim, play, learn, create and generally be children, which is so different from their daily life.
I have been so inspired by this charity and I want to help in whichever way I can. My first job is to support them by performing with my wonderful students at a charity ball on March 5th which will raise funds for this charity as well as an important brain cancer charity.
So if this has peaked your interest, you are probably wondering how you can help? Well, there are a number of ways. You can make a donation through their website here either through making a single donation or by sponsoring a child.
I asked Julie what they needed in terms of materials as I am happy to be a collection point. She said that the children love to be creative so the charity uses a lot of pencils, crayons, PVA glue, sequins, beads, children's scissors, elasticated wire (to make beaded jewellery) and wooden puzzles. If you can get your hands on any of these things, let me know and I will happily help them get to Julie and her fellow charity trustees.
You can also donate your time by becoming a team member for the summer camps. If you have been to Cairo before on a dance trip, you will likely have stayed in a plush hotel with air conditioning, eaten good food from clean plates before accessing running water and flushing toilets. How about going on a trip to help the children of Egypt, namely those seemingly forgotten garbage children of Cairo. To find out more information, visit the website at www.welcomestgeorges.com
How about putting something back into the country that has given us rich music, dancing and culture? How about enriching the lives of children to give them hope and determination to change how their future looks.
Photo courtesy of Omar Garcia.