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That is one of the amendments in the package which the National Council of Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), the council responsible for developing legislation supporting child rights, sent to Egyptian parliament. Additional amendments raise from 7 to 12 the age at which street children can be arrested and jailed, raise girl’s marriage age from 16 to 18, and approve paternity testing for children born out of wedlock- unfortunately an increasing phenomenon in Egypt. Without a recognized father, Egyptian children cannot obtain a birth certificate and thus are unable to obtain any of the services and rights- including education and health insurance- available to Egyptian citizens.

TFD is cooperating with NCCM, UNICEF and international NGOs such as Plan International and Save the Children UK to organize round table discussions about the amendments for parliamentarians in each Egyptian governorate. Contacting and educating parliamentarians is a new learning curve for the network. TFD-organized events held in Cairo on 15 January and 26 February were well received. The format of the events is straightforward- a presentation of the amendments and an opportunity for those attending to voice their reactions- positive and negative. In this way, NCCM is able to prepare to address any objections that might be raised when discussions begin in parliament.

The amendment package has been sent to the Egyptian Parliament. The speaker of the People’s Assembly, Mr. Ahmed Fathi Sonour, is responsible for determining the order and subjects of discussion in the Assembly. We do not yet know when the Child Law amendments will be introduced for debate and vote.

	Parliamentarians Round Table of 26 February

Des Moines Delegation visits TFD Projects

by Nancy Collins, Companionship Facilitator

Des Moines Presbytery’s Coordinating Team sponsored a delegation to Egypt which coincided with the Together for Family Development – Joining Hands workshop held in Cairo on February 15th and 16th. Two Team members attended the workshop and then all seven delegation members visited three of the network members’ short term projects designed to educate their constituencies about the importance and possibility of inclusive education. The delegation was invited to go see projects near Minia, in Maghagha, and in Alexandria and the three visits were reported in the group’s journal:

“The highlight of Monday Feb 18 was time spent at the primary school in Abu Korkas, Minia, the site of an inclusion project of New Vision Association in El Minia for special needs students. The classes emphasize creativity through arts and drama for the 25+ students that attend. New Vision’s pilot project devoted much of its resources to educating parents and local schools that integration of children with disabilities is a basic right. They provide both health and educational assessments, information about legal services and benefits, and support with filling out required documents. Pastor Kate Stangl and Mr. Tom Nelson distribute certificates and gifts to children of Abu Korkas School. The children in the lively, but well-behaved classroom exhibited the range from physical to mental impairments. Our joy was in participating in conferring certificates of completion to the students and teachers. Each child gleefully rose and accepted a diploma and gift from a delegation member, with a big smile and handshake. Speeches of gratitude were ready by two of the older girls in the classroom. It was an afternoon of great celebration and accomplishment.” -Marcia Justice, Ankeny Presbyterian Church, Ankeny, Iowa

"On Tuesday Feb 19, our delegation visited the office of network member Nor El Omman in Maghagha where we met the principal, vice principal, training manager, and a teacher from the primary school. The association members advised us that for their project, they met with staff and teachers of the school and held a two day training on inclusion. We learned that some of the teachers did not believe that inclusion was a good approach, but after the training most of them had changed their thinking. The four school administrators seemed firmly convinced of the benefits—not only for children with disabilities but for the schools and communities as well. They related that inclusion would raise the standards of the schools, would positively affect attitudes of all students, and would bring positive publicity to the schools and communities. The delegation was able to witness an important moment when the head of the district education department arrived to sign a document guaranteeing that 5% of each class would be reserved for students with disabilities in the coming year, with a goal of 10% inclusion in five years. He also stated that if students couldn’t pay school fees, the department would assist them. He agreed the department would provide more training for teachers, and that they would immediately begin changing the infrastructure of the schools to provide accessibility. It was truly a wonderful experience to see such caring, loving attitudes for special needs students.” -Sue Nelson, Ankeny Presbyterian Church, Ankeny, Iowa The principal, assistant principal and teacher from the Maghagha primary school. The director from the local ministry of education office who signed the protocol agreement to reserve 5% of places in the primary school for children with disability.

“On Wednesday Feb 20 we went to Alexandria University to learn about the shadow teacher project sponsored by Village of Hope. We heard from the student teachers trained to work one on one with handicapped children. They learned to reach each child by using picture books, homemade musical instruments, and other tools, all created by the teachers themselves. The children may be challenged in so many ways, but they inspired the teachers to discover new ways to teach them. We saw open hearts, unconditional love, and acceptance of the students just as they were.” -Lori Funk, Ottumwa East End Presbyterian Church, Ottumwa, Iowa Shadow teachers from Village of Hope project conducted with University of Alexandria Faculty of Education << Faculty from University of Alexandria (standing) with Nada Thabet of Village of Hope and Marcia Justice from Des Moines.

Global Education For All Campaign
In February, the Board of Directors of Together for Family Development Network (TFD) sent a letter inviting “its Joining Hands partners in the Presbytery of Des Moines to participate with TFD in a global campaign of Education for All (EFA). TFD will continue its campaign for inclusive education for Egyptian children with special focus on children with disability. The Des Moines partners are invited to 1) educate Des Moines congregations about Education for All goals, progress, and implementation mechanisms and 2) join with other civil society organizations in North America to maintain pressure on G8 countries to fulfill their promises to provide the funds that will make Education for All a reality.” The joint campaign was confirmed during the February Global Organizing for Social Change Workshop conducted in Cairo by Lionel and Alexa.

Global Organizing for Social Change-Comments

UN Day Celebration
December 3, 2007 was International Day for Persons with Disability. TFD Network decided to recognize the day with a celebration to put a smile on the faces of children with disability. All TFD member organizations participated in planning the occasion. We discovered that the Children’s Cultural Park in Sayeda Zeinab, a section of Cairo, would organize a whole program of activities including reading stories in the “library,” drawing, working with modeling clay, and watching cartoons- all at no charge to the Network. TFD hired a magician and a puppeteer to round out the program. KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken!!) provided lunch boxes and toys at a discounted price. 400 children participated. They arrived by bus from Minia, Beni Suef, Cairo and Alexandria. They spent a full day in the fresh air, enjoying all the activities.

For 2008, the Together for Family Development network are inviting all Joining Hands communities to observe this day with them. TFD will be developing and sending liturgies for use in the church and perhaps in the mosque. Please put this on your calendar.

New Member Organization
At its January Board meeting, TFD approved membership of the Association for Education Support and Development (AESD). AESD Director Mr. Adel Badre previously served as representative to TFD from member organization Women and Society. After he organized and registered AESD in June 2007, Adel, who is strongly committed to advocacy, applied for TFD membership. We are pleased to welcome his organization.