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Global Urban Trek 2008
Cairo, Egypt (Mokattam) - City OverviewThis Trek gives preference to students from the Great Lakes East Region.
One of the oldest cities in the world, Cairo, Egypt, has a rich history and culture that dates back to Biblical times. Whereas the pyramids, the Nile and the rich culture may appeal to foreigners, such romanticism may not be prevalent among the nearly 12 million people who live in Cairo.
Every ten months, the country’s population grows by a million and every day, this capital city sees an influx of 1000 new residents. Fifteen percent of the city’s population do not have access to potable water, 4.2 million residents live without access to a sewage system, and Cairo’s poor air quality will account to over two percent of all deaths. Cairo boasts to have one of the poorest air pollution levels in the world.
Often considered the “Jewel of the Nile,” Cairo may preach elegance to the world. But for the millions who live in abject poverty and in wretched conditions, Cairo is less of a gem and more of a rock.
InterVarsity will send a team of college students this summer to the garbage collectors community of Mokattam, in Cairo, Egypt for the purpose of discerning God's call to future ministry among the poor in global mega-urban centers. The garbage collectors community is a very impoverished area on the outskirts of Cairo near the rugged Mokattam Hills. Residents of the garbage community are predominately Coptic Christians. They recycle the garbage they collect from greater Cairo into products which are then sold for profits, which provide most of their income.
Students will live in the garbage community either with local families or at the St. Simon's Monastery. They will serve at one or two of the various ministries in the area, including:
- St. Simon's Handicapped/Home Visits Ministry;
- Tutoring English at the Boys Recycling Center;
- Tutoring English at the Association for the Protection of the Environment;
- Hospital; among others.
As students experience daily life and the needs of this community, they may begin to sense their call to longer-term service among the urban poor.
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