Well the communities are smaller, and the pace is definitely more laid-back, but to me that's part of the charm of Upper Egypt... at least what I've seen of it so far. Though I was only in Aswan for a little over two days, I'll be honest, I became quite smitten with the place. First of all there's less pollution, the people are generally jovial (even during Ramadan when tempers may be shorter), there's less congestion (traffic/people/buildings), and it's gorgeous! There are, in fact, many touristy things to do: the Isis temple is close by, there's a lively market, felucca cruises aplenty, and a great Nubian Museum.
But I didn't have a chance to see many of 'the sights' on this trip. Richard and I were there on business... meeting with the EACID Director to discuss project developments and research I'll be helping with in the coming months, visiting loan clients and their child labourers (mostly in the context of family-run businesses), and interacting with children who regularly drop in at the educational centre to play Ba'alty or participate in classes.
The focus of our whole first day was Ba'alty: an amazing computer game that was designed by Canadian Andrew Dempsy to teach children business ethics as they open and manage shops. The youth here are crazy about it, spending hours pouring over the screens and comparing scores!
Andrew came up from Cairo for the day as well, and we spoke with EACID staff and children about what was working well, what the best strategies were for 'winning' (thus discerning whether the subtle ethical elements are balanced right) and what could be improved in the future. We also ran a competition for the boys to see who could get the most shops going in ten minutes.
The whole purpose of the game is to make learning as interactive, realistic, and fun as possible, and from what I could see, it is certainly accomplishing this well!
For me the highlight of the Aswan trip was the connection with children.. both at the EACID office, and during our businesses visits. Even with language barriers we were able to communicate the basics, and that made all the difference.
During our visits to the businesses we were warmly welcomed into one family's home. Apparently there's quite a tradition of hospitality in Egypt, and we absolutely couldn't leave without being served drinks and sweets. During our time with them we learned that the father and two of his daughters, Christina and Margareta, run a sweets business from their home. They cannot afford to rent out a shop, so he has a big stand on wheels that he sometimes carts around, or the daughters help him sell in front of the house. He told us that with the help of a loan from EACID, he has been able to purchase a large oven for the business. Before, they had to take the treats to another business and pay to have them cooked. That was problematic because sometimes they would get burned in the business' oven because the owner didn't watch them carefully enough. Now, Hamdallah, things are going better, and hopefully in the future the family can begin renting a space!
From what I've seen so far, EACID's loans really target the poor, helping them to bring themselves up out of poverty with dignity, accountability, and a little hard work. And, of course, people like this father are happy to let their children participate in EACID's social/rights-based programming... they are grateful for their children to be getting more of an education, and working in a safer environment. There's a positive mutuality there that's important to build on.
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