Dear Family and Friends,

The summer has gone by and Cairo is beginning to cool off. June and July were overwhelmingly busy for me. There was a deluge of proposals to write at CEOSS (the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services). The frantic pace was accompanied by noise and dirt from construction in the CEOSS building across the hall from my office and by multiple malfunctions in my apartment: the telephone didn’t work, the toilet stopped flushing, the washing machine stopped spinning, the shower hose came disconnected from the shower head, water was turned off for hours on multiple occasions. In the midst of all these challenges, the words "partnership" and "accompaniment" took on a new meaning for me!

Charles started school in the middle of September. The school bus picks him up at 6:30 a.m. and drops him back at home at 4:15 p.m. As a first-grader he is studying Arabic, English, French, science, math, and religion. On his first day of school he brought home a homework assignment. It was small but still it seemed way too much according to my concept of what should be expected of a 6-year-old. Maybe the school is a bigger struggle for me than for Charles! I hope that will be the case.

CEOSS is best known for its "partnership with communities" strategy. Under this approach, CEOSS staff members reside in targeted impoverished communities and act as catalysts at the community level to raise awareness among leaders and people regarding solutions to community problems.

However, more recently, CEOSS has begun implementing a "partnership with non-governmental organizations." Under this approach, CEOSS works to build the skills and abilities of NGOs so they can more effectively impact the communities in which they are working.

Although there are several thousand NGOs registered with Egypt’s Ministry of Social Affairs, the great majority operate in a very limited capacity. For the most part, the NGO board members, directors, and managers do not have a grasp of development concepts, and they lack effective management and organizational skills. They do not have contacts with governmental organizations and institutions that can provide resources for problem resolution. They do not know how to involve community members in activities that will allow them to gain control over their lives and build their self-esteem. As a result, they are very limited in their ability to contribute to solving the problems facing Egyptian society.

Efforts currently underway in the destitute western district of Minia, in Upper Egypt, illustrate what can happen when NGOs, governmental authorities, and business leaders work together to identify and address community problems. CEOSS spearheaded the formation of a "high committee" responsible for developing a strategic plan. The committee consists of the heads of the boards of directors of four local NGOs; under-secretaries of local health, education, and social services departments; and the head of the Minia City Council. The high committee established subcommittees to study the urgent and longer-term health, education, and social service needs of the community. Problems identified included insufficient numbers of benches for school students, broken blackboards, poor student-teacher relationships, open sewage ditches in the residential area, insufficient ambulance service, and a health insurance office inaccessible to community residents.

CEOSS organized meetings with businessmen, local leaders, and representatives from local government. These groups provided cash and in-kind support to solve these problems. The community now has local ambulance service and a local health insurance office as well as 200 school benches that can accommodate 600 students. Sewage ditches have been covered. In addition, the students of the schools participated in a campaign to repair the broken blackboards.

Representatives from NGOs, government, and business are continuing the process of defining problems and implementing solutions. As a result of their experiences with this process, they are also redefining their own organizations to become more involved in development work. The chairman of the board of directors of the Muslim Charity Association, one of the four local NGOs, had this to say:

"We were very impressed by the interest, cooperation, and contribution of the community and in the support from government. It has had a profound impact on my organization. The Muslim Charity Association is expanding the scope and methods of its activities. We now look at a brighter future."

Please keep the capacity building activities of CEOSS in your prayers. Please continue to pray for Charles and me in our daily life and challenges.

Peace and blessings on you all.

Nancy Collins

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page 135