Newsletter #14 - 6 June, 2004
Hi there,
'You've been back two weeks, the Weetbix has been eaten and you're
running out of Ginger Nut biscuits. Has the sparkle of your return to
Cairo gone?' I think not, for there are still new things to
experience and all the while it's somehow familiar, that we're in our
local city.
Take yesterday afternoon. We visited the flat of a Sudanese friend of
ours. His family is priveleged unlike most Sudanese, which has
contributed to his broad education and our ability to understand his
English and empathise with his wider world view. With some visiting
relatives, we went to Carrefour, the largest, most Western
supermarket in Cairo!
With a food court and expensive clothes shops, we could tell there
was money around. Yet, it was still Egypt. Aside from our group, of
the approx 500 people I saw in the afternoon, only one other couple
were non-Egyptian in appearance.
When I thought there would be no more 'exotic' transport experiences
since the donkey cart ride, the trip to Carrefour with thirteen in
the one station wagon taxi was the icing on the cake. Or so I thought
until we returned home. After missing the exit off the main road, our
taxi - only carrying five with the rest in another cab - did a nine
point turn on the shoulder of a three lane highway so we could then
drive the wrong way back down the main road to get to the off ramp!
Tukul Crafts has managed to have record sales for both April and May.
Almost 20,000LE per month, twice our budget for each month for which
I can take no credit being overseas. During this time Aban has also
managed to complete a deal with a group in Finland for a 7,000LE
order. It is a great encouragement to me, despite the hardships many
Sudanese face, that these guys can get it together to grow Tukul
Crafts. May God continue to grow and encourage this group.
I've also starting spending time with an Egyptian graphic designer to
work on a web site for the diocese. This will be the major focus of
my remaining time here and I hope to teach him enough to be able to
maintain the web site in the future.
Jo's been attending an alpha course on Tuesday mornings. She's also
helping Liza Hazelton, another expatriate volunteer here, with the
cleaning course run by Refuge Egypt. This course aims to train
refugees with domestic cleaning skills to enable them to get jobs in
Cairo. 'Why do we teach people how to clean?' Jo's been asked. For
many who have lived in houses with dirt or concrete floors, mopping
is a new experience as is the use of a dishwasher, vacuum cleaner and
washing machine. The course also teaches employee rights and
responsibilities for their protection. The two Sudanese ladies who
are currently the course trainers are being resettled, two more are
about to be hired. Please pray that they may be suitable for the work
and train adequately.
Since returning, we've realised the number of friends we've made and
how we'll miss them once we leave again. So we're trying to catch up
with as many of them as possible before we go. Also, there seem to be
many expatriates we've come to know who are also leaving Cairo,
either for the summer or for good. This will leave the English
Speaking Congregation at the cathedral substantially smaller over
summer.
Lastly, a very unscientific survey fact, from a few minutes sitting
in a cafe watching one side of the main road in Zamalek, the suburb
we live in. During two changes of the traffic lights down the road,
of the 125 vehicles that went by, there were 2 bikes, 2 motorbikes, 4
small trucks/utes, 6 buses, 54 private cars and 57 taxis.
Please pray for:
- The next interim Dean who will be at the cathedral for a six month
locum starting next week.
- For the many Sudanese asylum seekers in Cairo, particularly as the
UNHCR has decided to stop conducting all interviews for anyone from
Sudan.
- Sudan, especially since yesterday a ceremony for the signing of
peace between the government and the southern rebels from the SPLA (a
large rebel army) was conducted in Kenya.
- Sudan, where there is terrible fighting in the Western area, around
Darfur. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, used the term "ethnic
cleansing" when he spoke about Darfur on a speech marking the 10th
anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. He likened the two conflicts,
saying the reports of atrocities in Sudan left him "with a deep sense
of foreboding." (From UN news site)
"With one million people driven from their homes and more than
100,000 others fleeing across borders, the situation for the people
of Darfur in western Sudan is one of the worst humanitarian crises in
the world and is particularly devastating to women and girls, senior
United Nations officials said today." (From UN news site, dated 4th
May, 2004)
Thanks,
Josh'n'Jo
Email me - joshua at kuswadi dot com
|
