Partnership Report

Egypt, Middle East

EGY08 - Clinic for Neurodiverse Children

Report Date: January 16, 2025

Report from BHW Egypt Partnership Facilitator Following Visit in November 2024

Recent Events

Activities

presentation The development of the building is going slower than they hoped. They are struggling to find enough funds to complete the job and costs are going through the roof. However, the team is still very committed to getting this project up and running, are working hard to get the facility completed, and see it as an important part of their outreach into the community and their contribution to the society.

They continue to deal with the 40 or so families they currently are engaged with but there are hundreds more on the waiting list that they cannot get to. They say that because they will be the only ones in the city of 5 million people dealing with the issues this clinic will address, that many will come for treatment. And, because these people are desperate, and because the treatment requires long term engagement, it creates great opportunities for relationship building and therefore, more opportunities for gospel communication and faith sharing. More than with mere medical treatment.

Current Issues and Challenges

The biggest challenge is the lack of resources to complete the facility and the constantly rising costs of development.

Egypt is under severe pressure economically. The economic impact of COVID is still being felt, and the war in Ukraine continues to affect the tourism sector, their largest income earner. The conflict across the border also puts pressure on the country and makes the people very nervous. Egypt has a huge army and every family has people in the armed forces. Along with this, the government has taken on huge infrastructure development because of the rapid growth of the population and this is putting huge strain on the economy. Inflation is running at around 25% / annum.

Plans for the Future

Their only plan is to get this centre operational as soon as possible. BHW made a donation of US$6,000 towards the development of the building and this kept them going. This amount was a percentage of what they needed to complete the building and furbish it with the appropriate equipment. They now estimate that it will require a further US$9,000 to complete the facility to get it to operational standards.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That the team is committed to this and slowly developing it
2) That there are many opportunities for relational engagement with those requiring assistance

Comments

Despite some reluctance to invest more in this, I maintain that it is a viable partnership with the potential to help hundreds of people a year for many years into the future.

To complete the facility they require specialist equipment including sensory lighting, some TV monitors, play equipment for children, furniture, occupational and physiotherapy therapy resources, laboratory furniture and equipment.