Egyptian project Expands

12 March 2010

A unique centre for people with disabilities in Egypt will undergo vital expansion of its work thanks to help from an international Catholic charity, writes John Newton.

Magdi Asham Henein, from the Al-Fulk community in Minia, upper Egypt, thanked Aid to the Church in Need for its support for the project. He explained how the project would be able to leave its current house in the desert and move to the nearby city.

He said: “We cannot integrate people into society if we are living in the desert – and with the help of ACN we have bought the land for the new community building.”

Aid to the Church in Need has already given more than £13,500 (€15,000) and promised further support for the construction of the new premises. According to Mr Henein the Al-Fulk community began because of the great need to support people with mental disabilities in Egypt. Mr Henein said: “Ten years ago people were rejected in society; nobody understood the nature of mental handicap – it was seen as a punishment from God.”

He explained how the families of people with mental disabilities rejected them and threw them out.

“Mentally handicapped people were suffering a lot in society,” he said. “Many were living in the streets, and passers-by would make fun of them. They were completely marginalised.” Then one of the members of Faith and Light, an international association of people supporting those with learning difficulties, went to live with L’Arche in Guise, France and on his return set up Al-Fulk in Egypt in 2002.

The community in Minia has a workshop where people with mental disabilities make candles, and receive a salary at the end of the week for their work.

Al-Fulk is affiliated to L’Arche Internationale but under the care of the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Minia. Like L’Arche, Al-Fulk means “the ark”. Mr Henein said: “Al-Fulk means the ship, the ship of Noah, so this is the ark.”

Jean Vanier. the founder of L’Arche, spoke of community as a place of resurrection, and Mr Henein said this was also the case in Egypt. He said: “The changes in their lives are a sign of resurrection, they were completely marginalised but now they have changed, a resurrection has taken place for them and for their families.”