Al Shehab Institution for Comprehensive Development

Call for election of NGOs and People Living with Diseases in CCM-Egypt-2011

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-11-17T17:51:37Z

Dear colleagues and partners

In the frame of restructuring Country Coordinating Mechanism-CCM-Egypt of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development in collaboration with Task Force Committee of CCM-Egypt and technical of CSAT-MENA and ICASO, organized two orientation days to mobilize civil society organizations to engage with CCM and to mobilize and promote Egyptian civil society awareness about CCM and its sought roles and responsibilities. Different NGOs working with Key Affected Populations and TB patients, youth and People Living with Diseases participated in the two days. The participants actively formulated criteria for electing the representative of NGOs and people living with diseases within CCM-Egypt and the eligibility criteria for the constituency who has the right to vote. Also, the participants determined transparent, inclusive and democratic process to organize the election as well as, the electoral agenda. In the frame of the identified criteria and requirements of the election of NGOs representatives, call for election by independent electoral committee is launched call for election. The opening day of receiving applications for voting and interested candidates is November 19th and deadline is November 23rd. More information about the eligibility criteria and election process could be accessed via this web-site: http://csatmena.org/cs-ccmegypt/?lang=ar Please disseminate the website and information to your contact list and wider NGOs who could be interested and eligible for the election to represent NGOs in CCM-Egypt

The eligibility criteria and election process is attached

: Final_Criteria-Arabic

: Election_Procedures-Arabic

Egyptian Civil Society Organizations condemn the violations practiced against NGOs

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-07-25T14:43:30Z

Cairo, July 25 2011

Egyptian Civil Society Organizations condemn the violations practiced against NGOs

The undersigning organizations express their extreme worry about the governmental attitude towards the Civil Society while it was expected that the Ministry of Social Justice and Solidarity – as well as the whole cabinet – would take the initiative of opening the channels of dialogue with this important sector and supporting its role during the transitory period. However, the reality contradicts these expectations and proves that the current government is pursuing the same bureaucratic and oppressive policies against these organizations. Moreover, the government is seeking to implement additional barriers in front of the freedom of association, besides marginalizing the participation of CSOs in all the circles of dialogue that were established after January 25 by responsible bodies in the country. This is backed by a fierce media campaign against the sources of funding of NGOs.

Egyptian Civil Society Organizations have played an important role for over twenty years under a quite authoritarian, oppressive and undemocratic regime in raising the awareness of citizens about their socio-economic, political, cultural and citizenship rights denouncing the violation of these rights as well as adopting a firm stand against the American hegemony over Egyptian policies and the Zionist occupation and practices in Palestine as was clearly worded by its representatives during Durban Conference on Racism in 2001.

Despite the obstacles they remain confronted to, Civil Society Organizations are still attempting to build bridges of interaction with the current government while the later did not respond up to date to the request for a meeting addressed by over 70 NGOs to the Minister of Social Justice and Solidarity over two months ago. The only response to this request was the establishment of a commission by the Ministry in order to introduce additional constraints in the law regulating NGOs under the pretext of improving this law. Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice has created another commission in order to open an inquiry about the means of funding of these organizations.

In this context, it is worth mentioning that the commissions cited above are totally similar in their formation to the practices witnessed under the “previous regime” towards NGOs, i.e., no clear terms of reference about their roles, mandate, mechanisms and authorities.

Several tangible violations were perpetrated lately including the refusal of registration for new organizations, infinite delays in granting authorizations to receive funds and the recent objection of the Ministry on the terms of the Nelson Mandela award granted by the World Alliance for Citizens (CIVICUS) to the New Woman Foundation for its activities related to the freedom of association since 2007.

Accordingly, the undersigning organizations request that the government removes the restrictions imposed to CSOs and human rights activists in order to enable these actors contributing in operating the change called for by the revolution and implementing a peaceful transition of power towards a civil government freely elected by the people. We also request freedom for the Egyptian Civil Society Organizations impeded in their march by the so many administrative constraints included in Law 84/2002 and we reconfirm here that any negative or more repressive amendments to this Law will represent a recession and a backlash in the process of democratic change.

Signatories:

The Arab Organization for Human Rights

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

The Association of Researchers in Egyptian Universities and research Centers.

The Egyptian Association for Democratic Development

The Egyptian Association for the Enhancement of Community Participation.

Our Society Organization for Development and Human Rights.

“Maakom” Association for Social Services.

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

The Association of Alternative Development.

Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development in Mynia.

“El Shehab” Foundation for Comprehensive Development

The Arab Foundation in Support of the Civil Society and Human Rights.

The New Woman Foundation.

Women and Memory Foundation.

The Egyptian Foundation for Family Enhancement.

The Egyptian Foundation for the Enhancement of Childhood.

“Awlad El Ard” Foundation for Human Rights.

The Foundation for the Freedom of Thinking and Expression.

Helwan Foundation for Community Development (Bashayer)

The Arrow of Trust Foundation in Ismailiah

“Ishraka” Center for Women's Rights.

The Union Center for Development and Human Rights.

The Land Center for Human Rights.

The Arab European Center for Human Rights and International Law – Regional Office/Cairo

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Cairo Center for Development

“El Nadeem” Center for the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence.

“El Andalus” Center for the Studies of Tolerance and Fight Against Violence

“Habi” Center for Environmental Rights

The Center of United Journalists

“Hisham Mubarak” Center for Law and Legal Aid

The Center for Appropriate Communication Technologies (ACT)

Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination

The Arab Association for Criminological Reform

“Nazra” for Feminist Studies

The Association for the Enlightenment and Enhancement of Education

The Egyptian Association for Refugees

The Arab Coalition in Support of Darfour

The Association of the Team of Article 57 for Human Rights

The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists

The Foundation for Egyptian Women Legal Aid (CEWLA)

The Egyptian Center for Socio-Economic Rights

Eliminating the stigma of AIDS

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-06-05T12:01:52Z

The Forum to Fight Stigma and Discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) held a press conference at the Flamenco Hotel yesterday to launch a study on combating stigmas about the diseases in Egypt.

The study sheds light on society's negative perception of PLHA and aims to provide recommendations promote the rights of patients living with the virus.

According to a UNAIDS 2009 report, an estimated 11,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Egypt. As of the end of 2009, 1078 of the 3919 people infected with HIV were found to be developing AIDS.

The study launched Wednesday is based on the results of a report titled “Situation of Research on Stigma and Discrimination against PLHA in Egypt” by the Egyptian society for Population Studies and Reproductive Health. Additional published reports as well as unpublished research based on focus-group discussions with people infected with HIV/AIDS in Egypt are among the information sources included in the study.

“Patients' participation contributed considerably to filling the information gap we faced while collecting data,” said Amani Massoud, forum coordinator and deputy director of the Right to Health Program, an Egyptian initiative for personal rights.

During the conference, speakers explained the main obstacles to ending stigma and discrimination in Egypt.

Massoud cited media and the health care system as two of the most important influences on perception of infected populations.

“We plan to provide health care facilities with improved infection-control programs and training sessions on medical ethics with the aim of establishing effective anti-stigma policies,” she said.

“Press spreads a negative image for the virus through employing words such as ‘victims,' ‘sinners,' and ‘criminals' to portray PLHA in print media,” she added.

Massoud pointed out that during the eighties, movies used to tackle HIV/AIDS from a faulty perspective, portraying them as diseases that primarily afflicted drug addicts, promiscuous people and sex workers.

“Media is not only increasing the stigma, but also spreading misleading ideology about methods of disease transmission,” she said.

Maged al-Rabeiy, managing director of the forum, who herself is infected with the disease, said that there is a misconception that AIDS patients are sinners.

“Not all patients are infected because of committing taboos. A pregnant mother can pass the disease to her child or a husband can pass it to his wife or it can be transmitted through blood transfusion,” she said.

“People are afraid of getting close to patients despite knowing that they won't be infected through day-to-day activities,” said Sani Kuzman, forum spokesman.

He added that the sense of personal blame often prevents people living with HIV or AIDS from seeking treatment or even getting tested, thereby increasing the disease's spread in society.

The workplace represents another source of stigma, according to a study conducted in 15 companies, which revealed that 53 percent of participants would not feel comfortable working with someone they knew to be HIV-positive. Only 35 percent believed that PLHA should be allowed to work, while 36 percent said they would share a room with a colleague who was HIV-positive.

Massoud pointed out that in eastern societies women are more vulnerable to stigma and discrimination than men. “Women are always blamed for their behavior that led them to get infected while men can be forgiven,” she said.

The study also includes a booklet of testimony from HIV/AIDS patients about their experiences with discrimination.

“The aim of the booklet was to raise the awareness about the suffering patients face from medical professionals, religious leaders, family and the police,” said Ashraf Amin, a forum member and deputy head of the science department at Al-Ahram newspaper.

Ashraf added that the forum members intended not only to tackle negative stories. The booklet also includes examples of people who were able to overcome their problems and recover.

Khaled Montasser, physician and writer, strongly condemned physicians for promoting the AIDS stigma instead of combating it.

“Physicians are the missing part in the equation of fighting AIDS,” he said.

“The terror is not that of HIV and AIDS, but that of stone walls we've built around our consciences, the cement fortress that we built in our minds, and the silence and ignorance slowly turning into a bomb that… slaughters everyone, not only PLHA,” Montasser said.

Kuzman expressed his optimism that the forum was breaking the silence around the disease and grabbing the public's attention.

“Now is the time to speak up; we don't have to waste anymore time keeping silent in order to save others from getting infected,” concluded Rabeiy.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/nod...

Press release - Social and economic situation of female domestic workers in Egypt study

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-05-03T13:49:03Z

In the context of the project “ Improving public policies to protect female domestic workers in Egypt” that Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development in partnership with Egyptian Association for Economic and Social Rights funded by UN-Women “ United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women”

The project aim at improving socio-economic situation of domestic workers through empowering them and facilitating their accessibility to available social services in the society. In addition, to enhance the participation of the relevant stakeholders (government and civil society), to create protective policies for domestic women on the national level.

The project main activities are: providing legal aid and psychological support for domestic workers in Ezbet El Haggana- Cairo and within some marginalized communities in Helwan, work with the key stakeholders to formulate policies to protect and promote the human rights of domestic workers in Egypt, as well as, mobilize and organize female domestic workers to advocate and struggle for their essential human rights.

In this frame of this project a study to determine the social and economic situation of domestic workers as well as the major problems they are facing was conducted. The implementing organizations are attempting to open dialogue with the key players and stakeholders to reach out priorities of policies to protect domestic workers in Egypt.

Thus, Al Shehab foundation and Egyptian Association have the pleasure to invite you to media conference to present the results of the study and discuss its findings on Thursday May 5th from 11:00 to 13:00 in Shebard Hotel- Cairo. We are looking forward to seeing you

Press release - Social and economic situation of female domestic workers in Egypt study

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-05-03T13:36:44Z

In this frame of this project a study to determine the social and economic situation of domestic workers as well as the major problems they are facing was conducted.

The implementing organizations are attempting to open dialogue with the key players and stakeholders to reach out priorities of policies to protect domestic workers in Egypt.

Social Justice and freedom

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2011-05-02T10:49:27Z

Social justice and freedom are the practical basis for the development of any society and are considered as cornerstone demands for all forces and movements that struggle for progress and freedom throughout the human history.

Freedom with all the rights attributed such as right to expression, association, mobility etc… for all the classes and the different groups of the society such as farmers, workers as well as most marginalized groups from one side, and the effective existence of mechanisms, institutions and laws to protect those rights from the other side, both in our point of view, represent the main pillars that any society respects human rights as mean for development relies upon.

If respecting human rights is a manifestation of freedom and democracy in a political sense, yet, if it is not associated with achieving the greatest economic and social justice among the people, it is imperfect freedom. We cannot build a house on a single column or walk with one foot without the other.

Having a quick look on the revolution of January 25 is not enough to emphasize on this sense they were not a revolution for democracy and political sense only, but the public nature of the participant, and where the majority was of the young people expressing the frustration of millions of them from the conditions of Egypt before the revolution where millions are unemployed with no hope for change.

The Egyptian revolution that lifted in its first day a slogan saying (We need to work Mr. president) and all that it carries of a desire to find jobs and a decent life which shows the level of awareness of the rebels and the failure of the system to achieve this dream as this system was based on its rule on the repression and political despotism in return for giving fragments of the health and education services and employment for the majority of the people. But that in recent years and because of the policies of corruption and application blind orders of international institutions in the privatization of state enterprises and sold cheaply for kickbacks to the regime eventually led to the collapse of almost complete for all state institutions and industrial health and education, there is no work, no health, no education, inability of the system for providing crumbs and remained with injustice and tyranny as the only tool for the continuation of this system until the revolution was dropped in the January 25 on February 11, 2011.

The January 25th revolution had proved that the change comes from bottom to top and not vice versa This theory guided our work when we started to establish Al-Shehab about 10 years ago that was created as non-profit organization and selected Ezbet El Haggana to work. Al Haggana known as one of the largest slums in Egypt, where about a million individuals living there, It was our start point to the world of slums which represents a population of about 20% of the population of Egypt (16 million) suffer from multiplied discrimination compared to the total of suffering of the Egyptian people.

In Ezbet El Haggana, There is no hospital, no preparatory or secondary school, no electricity, no clean water or sanitation, add to this exposure of slum dwellers to persecution by the police as the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

A man is a son of his or her environment, that is why the slum environment is fertile for the production of unemployment, chronic disease, child labor, domestic violence and the spread of religious movements extremist. We did not hear about the sectarian strife in the neighborhood of Al-Hussein or neighborhood Al Sayeda, but in (Manshiet Nasser and Al Zawia Hamra, Ain Shams). At the beginning of our work we suffered from threats because of our work on defending the most vulnerable groups within the slums, such as women, children and refugees.

However, we did not walk away or limit our work to office work, but we continue to work with the people of the community, based on the knowledge and confidence in human beings and their potential. So we conducted a comprehensive study on the problems and needs of the area, that resulted in the lack of the whole all the services and high unemployment compared to official areas, we decided to work as an association of community work on community empowerment and raising consciousness through the combination of service and human rights and not to solve the problem of slums in Egypt, because the solution lies In political will, but only to give an alternative model for dealing with the problems of slums, we were one of the first associations that have formed committees of local community (the committees on Health - Education - Environment and cleaner) negotiation and pressure and suggests that the officials of alternatives to improve the conditions of their lives.

Because our work focuses on social justice as a fundamental human right called for by all international laws and conventions, therefore, our interventions work toward promoting those rights through the implementation of a number of projects such as the right to health, the right to adequate housing, the right to education, the right to clean water, the right in the presence of employment opportunities, and we proposed a model in practical application of those rights, we have succeeded in many of them and we failed in some in fact, we were not alone in this work, but there were individuals. Groups from outside the community provides us with the knowledge and financial expertise in many of these projects.

The question now how do we as institutions of civil society have contributed to the current change to contribute to the future expressed by the revolution in the January 25 of justice and freedom. The answer from our point of view is the link between economic, social and political dimensions benefiting of the experiences of other countries in this area (such as Brazil, China, Canada) That the free man who eats the man who commits suicide and the man who s and does not have freedom becomes an animal.

By Yasser Shukry

Al- Shehab Institution For Comprehensive Development

General Assembly declares access to clean water and sanitation is a human right

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2010-07-29T12:58:58Z

28 July 2010 – Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared today, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water.

The 192-member Assembly also called on United Nations Member States and international organizations to offer funding, technology and other resources to help poorer countries scale up their efforts to provide clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for everyone.

The Assembly resolution received 122 votes in favour and zero votes against, while 41 countries abstained from voting.

The text of the resolution expresses deep concern that an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and a total of more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. Studies also indicate about 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year and 443 million school days are lost because of water- and sanitation-related diseases.

Today's resolution also welcomes the UN Human Rights Council's request that Catarina de Albuquerque, the UN Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, report annually to the General Assembly as well.

Ms. de Albuquerque's report will focus on the principal challenges to achieving the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation, as well as on progress towards the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs, a series of targets for reducing social and economic ills, all by 2015, includes the goals of halving the proportion of people who cannot reach or afford safe drinking water and halving the number who do not have basic sanitation.

In a related development, Ms. de Albuquerque issued a statement today after wrapping up a nine-day official visit to Japan in which she praised the country for its nearly universal access to water and sanitation and for its use of innovative technologies to promote hygiene and treat wastewater.

But the Independent Expert said she was shocked that some members of the Utoro community near Kyoto, where Koreans have been living for several generations, still do not have access to water from the public network.

“People are also not connected to the sewage network, despite the fact that the surrounding area is largely covered by sewage service,” she said. “When floods occur, as happened one year ago, the lack of sewage and proper evacuation of grey water result in contamination of the environment, including with human faeces, posing serious health concerns.

“I am also worried that water and sanitation are extremely expensive for some people living in Utoro, who reportedly do not have a right to receive a pension.”

The source continued UN News Centre

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.a...

Street Children is a Society's Responsibility 23 of February is a National Day for Street Children

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2010-03-02T13:37:44Z

Street Children is a Society's Responsibility 23 of February is a National Day for Street Children

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2010-03-01T12:47:30Z

Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development is taking the role general coordinator for organizing the celebration of street children's day in collaboration with other 90 Egyptian civil society organizations that are interested in children's issues, as well as, a group of individuals and artists. The celebration of street children's day is taking place for the forth year in row under slogan “Street Children is a Society's Responsibility” in the Cultural Garden for Child (AL Sayida Zeinab , Kadrey Street) from 11:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M.

The day includes artistic activities such as drawings on faces and wood, theatre shows, cartoon movies as well as, organizing drawings and photos exhibitions that represent children's work.

The history of the celebration started when more than 15 Egyptian NGOs met, and Al Shehab was one of them, to establish a joint working group and its goal was to share experiences between NGOs and to work collectively on solving specific community's problem. During the discussions about community's problems a case that shacked the Egyptian public opinion that is a issue of “Al Turbieni” the Assassin who killed and raped number of street children and hence the issue of street children was the common issue that the joint working group agreed to tackle. The idea was organizing a day in solidarity with street children and the day is self-funded by the participating NGOs. The group chose 23rd of February in 2007 to organize the first celebration day and invited about 30 NGOs to join this celebration.

Today, 23rd of February 2010, the number of participating NGOs exceeded 90 organizations and the objective of the day is to highlight the magnitude of the problem with exceeded more million street children, discuss in public its causes and the different means of solving it and to declare February 23 as a National Day for Street Children

A new experience “Farha”

Al Shehab institution for Comprehensive Development — 2010-02-17T13:29:56Z

A new experience

between Egyptian Civil Society and the Egyptian Radio Station is being launched, using drama as a mean of raising public awareness about violence against women and the importance of alleviating it.

The Egyptian Radio Station is currently broadcasting a drama series titled “Farha”,

which highlights the different forms of violence Egyptian women are facing, its causes and the different ways of confronting it.

This series is one of the activities Al Shehab Institution is implementing within the project “Combating domestic violence against women” in partnership with United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.

To listen to the series tune in to FM 107.04

Or visit http://ertu.org/radio/livestream.asp?n=1

at 8:40 starting from February 15th till March 13th 2010.