Mokattam Clinic ~ So much need!

The Mission team worked out of the Mokattam Clinic. Limited resources. limited help! The clinic serves the poorest area of Cairo ("Garbage City") by offering medical and dental care, medicine, eye glasses, education, attention, and hope.

The mothers there want the same things for their children that we want for ours. There is always a shortage of medicine. 

In the background is the steel door (light shining through). Throughout the day, we could hear children banging to get in. Only so many were allowed in at a time. It had to be that way in order to keep some type of control.  They love the clinic but not enough resources; not enough help.

Each day, the crowds grew larger. The word that the clinic was open was spreading. "Please let me in!"  "Please see my child!"

Mokattam, Egypt ~This is their life

T

The Children of Garbage City

Beautifying and Loving in Garbage City, Egypt

There was not room for the mothers to come in the shampoo room, but, they all wanted to see their children get their hair styled. They also wanted to make sure that their child was seen. They fight for their children just as we do.

Karen, owner of a salon in Missouri. She has worked with the clinic for 17 years! This is how she spends her "vacation." I would estimate that 95 percent of the children who came to have their heads cleaned had head lice. Often, we could see the lice on a head from across the room. Some of the children's ears were nibbled from lice. We also saw ringworm and scabies. 

Because the sinks are so high, we lifted many of the children like Karen is doing in the picture. The water was COLD. But the children did not complain. They were so thankful. Many have their heads cleaned once every six months (when "the team" from the states shows up).

Karen taught Debbie a lot about treating heads, with love and for lice.  The lice will be right back but the relief even for a few day and most importantly, the human touch and God's love was what it was all about.  As far as styling ... she faked it

Lisa is a nurse at Children's Mercy hospital in Missouir.  She worked mostly in the Clinic Pharmacy , but, she helped in hair care when she had time. She's a Jill of all trades. The little girls picked out clips for their hair. That was a highlight of their visit to the clinic.

She picked out that big white headband.  She loved it!

After their heads were cleaned, they were able to spend a short amount of time in a room where they could color and get lollipops and balloons. The little things were so important to them.

Heidi ... hanging laundry. The dryer was broken, so we dragged towels and capes up to the roof to dry. Can't say the air was that fresh, but the sun was bright. It didn't take too long for the towels to dry. LOTS of steps.

  

The waiting was never too long for these children. They sat with their little blue cards. Those were their "tickets." With a ticket, they knew they would be seen. The water was cold, the floor was always wet and slick, the towels were old and stiff. When the electricity went out, they sat quietly and calmly. All they wanted was their hair washed and a few hair clips. The experience is overwhelming.

...there is so much we take for granted.

Garbage City ~ Mokattam, Egypt ~ March 2010

Mokattam, It's a hilly suburb of Cairo called Garbage City. The Zabbaleen, a community of mainly Coptic Christians, live there. Since the '50s, they have been making a living by collecting, sorting and disposing of Cairo's waste.  There are 40,000 - 50,000 people that live in this city right here in this garbage dump!

Cairo's garbage is collected and then dumped here.  Residents of the dump then sort it for resale.  Children often play in the street since that is the cleared area and hang out on bags of garbage.