GHNI Transformational Community Development (TCD) project in Cairo funded by CT Trust.

Project date: 2023-2028.

In 2023 CT Trust adopted a village in Cairo that is part of a new Transformational Community Development Project (TCD) programme run by GHNI. The name of the village is Ezbet El Haggana.

Some TCD work has already been underway in the village over the last few years (a local committee of 9 people was formed & a TCD training team has been holding training sessions with them, and awareness sessions within the community). However limited funding has meant that progress has been slow. In March 2023 we agreed to adopt this village & to fund a full TCD Project there.

Background:

Ezbet El Haggana is a village in a poor neighbourhood in East Cairo. Most of its residents are poor Sudanese and Egyptian refugees who left their villages in Upper Egypt and came to live in this region, and it is divided into two parts: The Sudanese part, which is considered one of the poorest communities in the region, suffers from poor health, especially among women and children, unemployment and unclean water. The Egyptian part, they are immigrants from poor villages in Upper Egypt to live near the capital to improve the standard of living, and they suffer the same problems with their Sudanese brothers. The area needs additional sources of income. The average monthly income is around $100 USD, and this is the minimum wage in Egypt. About 50% of children in the region suffer from anemia as a result of mothers’ lack of awareness of proper nutrition. With high unemployment and drug proliferation, the training team hopes to address these issues through the Transformational Society Development Program.

Updates:

• 2023 Update: Local committee formed of 9 people. The committee members want to start micro-enterprise projects because the unemployment rate is very high, they also want to work to address many health problems such as the spread of diseases especially anemia and high blood pressure. The TCD Training Team has been holding awareness sessions with the community - teaching about the importance of community ownership, the difference between relief and development, and the need to use local resources. Two local champions have emerged - Mamdouh (Egyptian), and Mr. Nabil (Sudanese). Weekly classes for women have started.

• 2024 Update: TCD life lessons continued (on positive speech, encouragement, contentment, controlling anger, forgiveness, reconciliation, generosity). wellness lessons were also provided (lessons on smoking and personal hygiene and dental care). Classes for refugee children (65 children) were started, and classes for refugee women are underway. 250 bags of groceries were distributed to women. Several women were taught how to use a sewing machine.

• April 2025: David and Margaret visited this project and saw the work that GHNI was doing with the Egyptian and Sudanese communities.

• December 2025: 96% now have access to safe water. In Ezbit el Haggana, Egypt, nearly 96% of families now have safe sanitation access thanks to the installation of water filters in family homes. Health perceptions have also jumped dramatically after communnity health lessons (run by TCD / GHNI staff), and water-borne diseases are losing their grip on the community.li>