Supports for Young Children and their Families in Darb al- Ahmar, Cairo, Egypt

 [Narrator:] In old Cairo, there is a remarkable neighborhood. Through the spectacular Al Azhar Park behind an 800 year old wall, lies the beautiful, dense, and colorful community of Darb al-Ahmar.

Home to many traditional artisans, this architecturally and culturally-rich neighborhood once flourished, but in recent decades, has become one of the poorest in Egypt. Since 2003, the Aga Khan Development Network, or AKDN, has been working with partners to revitalize this neighborhood. First developing the park, a peaceful green oasis in the busy city. Soon, other community revitalization activities followed. These included excavating and restoring the 12th century wall and other historic monuments. Rehabilitating homes and streets. And developing much needed infrastructure. AKDN also collaborates with the community to create and strengthen social, health, and education programmes. These programmes all seek to improve the quality of life for the people of Darb al- Ahmar for all of life’s stages, from pre-birth to adulthood.

Health programmes

 [Narrator:] Health programmes are targeted towards the most vulneralbe members of the community, women of reproductive age, and children under five years. Health promotion, disease prevention, antenatal and neonatal care, and essential maternal and child health are some of the services provided. The convenient location and hours of operation make the clinics very accessible. In this evening class, mothers and grandmothers are learning about good maternal, antenatal, and post natal nutrition. Active participation is encouraged in the sessions as women learn from the facilitator as well as each other.

Education programmes 

[Narrator:] The education programmes implemented in Darb al-Ahmar are extensive and diverse, reaching community members from early childhood to adulthood. For young children, aged three to six years old, AKDN has worked with local civil society organizations to support their early childhood development initiatives, such as the Kindergarten, or KG, programmes.

 [Abeer Dergham, ECD Officer, Aga Khan Foundation (Egypt):] We started as a pilot project in 2005. It took one year-and-a-half to see what the community needs but not with a study for the community, but with real work with them.

 [Narrator:] (Programme name – AL ASHIRA AL MOHAMMADIA) is a KG programme located in a historic building. Parents walk their children to the KG every weekday morning and pick them up at lunch time. The programme is highly valued by the families and welcomes their involvement. This KG has been long established in the neighborhood but is also part of the ECD renewal.

 [Adel Ahmed Abdel-Latif:] I as a Muslim, I like my child to be in a place that teaches him something, that will; relatively, help me with it. In a place that has a religious touch so it can help him memorize the ‘Holy Quran’ in addition to the other activities. With people here who are very good people fron Darb al-Ahmar. They are very interested in the children and have the background on how to deal with young children, three or four years old. This is a good place and people are very respected. So I take him to the place that will prepare him, and set his mind to enter a [new] very important stage. The nursery is very important, it is the stage to strengthen the foundations of the young child.

 [Eman Abdel-Fatah Hassanain Darweesh, Grandmother:] I used to bring my children and now my grandchildren. Their reputation is good and they are teaching the children. The children are responding to them. With me is Mahmood, who is four years old and Mohammed who is three years old. They are teaching them, and in fact they are excellent. I brought my daughter here, she is thirty years old now. I am bringing her children now. Of course it is very important to go to nursery. They learn how to write their names, learn alphabets, and things like that to be ready to go to school. The nursery is nice for the children.

 [Marwa Mohamed Ibraheeqm, Mother:] Of course, a young child can absorb more and can develop his thinking and intelligence. When he is young he is learning, when he grows up he will learn bigger things. Yes, his thoughts started to grow and he absorbs more. He is memorizing things and knows them. He memorizes many things here in the nursery and he tells me about them when he comes back home.

Reading for Children Programmes

[Narrator:] The Reading for Children programme is a new component of the ECD initiatives in Darb al-Ahmar. Both parents and children are involved in supporting literacy through community mini libraries, parent workshops, playful activities, and conversational reading.

 [Abeer Dergham:] We started with the teachers in the KG, to start it to make like a story telling for the children and for their parents who are involved [in] it from the beginning. We try also to think to involve the different kinds of workshops which support this, this programme. Marionette workshop, shadow puppet workshop, not just marionette and puppet workshop, but there is different kinds of puppet, will help the parents and the caregivers and also the teacher to have different materials and different methods to use with the children and to support the reading of children.

 [Dalia, Sayed Abideen, Mother:] His name is Mohammed Walled. He is four years old. I bring him here so he can learn more and more new things. The training that I received benefitted me in many ways. Like how to teach my children, not to make them memorize things. Not to accumulate information that are not clear to them. Yes, it makes a big difference… if all the children or three quarters of them learn like that, the educational level will be better and good.

Evening Programmes for Children at Risk

[Narrator:] It is not unusual for children in Darb al-Ahmar to drop out of school early and begin to work to support the family. Another education initiative in the community works with children at risk of dropping out of school by engaging them in learning and encouraging them to stay in school.

 [Marwa Ezzat, Life Skills, Senior Officer, Aga Khan Foundation (Egypt):] According to studies that focused on this area [Darb al-Ahmar] from the year of 2000 until now, we found that the main reasons for dropping out from schools are: low economic situation, the second thing is, violence in schools, and the teaching method itself or how teaching is done.  [As an example] the idea of indoctrination, where the child does not understand the subjects, he instead, memorizes them. Then he has to take the test at the end of the year. Therefore as a result of all that, the child hated school. Especially when we started to use a special way in nurseries. Then when the child started to interact with the school environment [went to primary school] where the only method used is indoctrination. All of that affected him. The child started to say, “I don’t like school, I only go to school to memorize and then I pass at the end of the year”. This made us notice that there must be a stop. How can we attract those children to school again? How can we use the methods and the means to make them like school?

 [Narrator:] The programme was designed with these questions in mind and is delivered in the early evening, a time when the streets are busy and children are free. The emphasis is on fun, active learning activities.

 [Marwa Ezzat:] You will see today, how we deal with them with inductive teaching methods. We make them think, distinguish and choose the things that they are doing. For example, we use with them the method “Drama in learning.” The basis in the “Drama in learning” is that, we teach the children through art, through theatre, through singing, through story, writing stories. All of that makes them always brain storming that they have to think. He is not just sitting [in the class] as a receiver.

Never Back to Illiteracy Again programmes

[Narrator:] A third component of the vibrant educational landscape in Darb al-Ahmar is the Never Back to Illiteracy Again Programmes, aimed at adults who were unable to complete schooling for a variety of reasons.

 [Doa’a Salim, Prep Class Supervisor:] Thank God, we are working in this project for six years now and it is very good. We graduated many batches, some or most of them continued in secondary schools. Some entered general secondary schools, or diploma schools [Technical or vocational], Thank God, people are not returning back [to illiteracy] they are improving.

 [Fatma Izzat, Prep Class Supervisor:] First the educated person has a special way of talking, special manners and a special way of raising his children. Most of the women who joined us here, their goal was to raise their child in a good way and help him study like the other mothers do. The educated mother will follow-up with her child and tells him what to do, how to write in the right way and follow-up with the teacher, this is the best model.

 [Jihan Hassan Al-Sayed, Student, Literacy class:] Illiteracy must be eliminated totally here, people here embarrass illiterates by telling them, “You don’t understand anything.” If, for example, a woman wanted to go somewhere, and she doesn’t know how to read, she won’t be able to take a ride. She won’t be able to teach her children when they go to school.

 [Fathy Al-Sayed, Student, Literacy class:] Yes, I entered primary school until grade six. After that I quit, then continued here at prep school. I want to be a person that is respected in the community, because the educated person is valuable in his community. I want to be something good, a lawyer, accountant. I want to have a respected certificate.

 [Mariam Mohammed, Student, Literacy class:] I want to be literate, and become someone good in my community, like an educated person and a person with a certificate. I didn’t want anyone to say that I am illiterate. I wanted to erase all that and to have a future and goal in life.

[Narrator:] The transformation of Darb al-Ahmar is ongoing. But the essence of this neighborhood does not rest only in the richness of its beauty, culture, history and architectural landscape. It is the spirit, commitment, and skills of the people that are the true heart of the community. And will lead the way as Darb al-Ahmar continues to evolve.

[On screen]

Thank you to all the children, families, teachers and community members for their participation, comments and helpfulness in developing this video programme.

Thank you to the Aga Khan Development Network for organizing our visits to the various programmes and introducing us to the vibrant community of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar.