New hope in Old Cairo

These photographs were taken in Ein El Sira, a poor neighbourhood built in the 1960s in Cairo’s historic area Masr el-Qadima, located only a few kilometres away from Maadi, which is one of the richest areas in the capital. Many residents are underprivileged and suffer from social and environmental problems like pollution and a lack of basic infrastructure and services.

Egyptian NGO Alashanek Ya Balady for Sustainable Development (AYB-SD) has been working in Ein El Sira for several years. Started in 2002 by Raghda El Ebrashi, a student at the American University in Cairo, it became an officially registered NGO three years later. AYB-SD has an outlook that differs from the typical charity concept of giving money and distributing food and old clothes to those in need.

“We believe in the power of the civic sector to create innovative opportunities for the poor that sustain their lives, and activate the effective engagement of youth in solving society’s problems. We believe in the necessity of involving the private and public sector in the course of social change. We are not trying to enforce temporary solutions.”

The key is to help people in vulnerable positions help themselves. Instead of offering set solutions, AYB-SD wants to provide tools with which people themselves can reach their own goals. The images show people taking part in the NGO’s activities: a woman in a training programme for sewing, and kids in an education initiative with private tutoring for improving their chances to succeed in school.