Summer 2009

The Water Table!

Some of the younger kids enjoying the water table.

Everyone Can Be a Hero!

Finding Yohannes

Finding a small boy in the crowded Cairo is not easy. Yohannes Gabriel, a 9 year old Sudanese boy, is the inspiration for this project. His humor, attitude, and smile first touched me while I was teaching 2^nd grade at the Gugu Learning Center. However, it is not easy to stay in touch with a child while you are away for a year. I was nervous that we would not be able to find Yohannes and allow him to experience the center that he inspired. I had a vague idea of where he lived, two streets from the metro station at Hadayek el Maadi. I had no idea which apartment, which building, or any other details. I did, however, remember that his mother was blind in one eye. After speaking to several people involved at the center, including Yohannes’ teacher at his new school (coincidently one of my former adult students), we were able to contact his mother whose name I learned is Rhoda. A mother of a child at the center knew of Yohannes and put us in contact with the family. Finally we had found Yohannes! The little boy, who had now grown tall but maintained that inspirational smile, showed up at the center wearing a pink dress shirt and gray pants. He seemed a little overwhelmed by the center. Unfortunately he showed up at 6 when the center was closing, but he showed up the next day ready to play! I am thankful that the Sudanese community is so well connected to each other that they are able to find one small boy in one of the most crowded cities in the world. Welcome Yohannes and thank you for what you have started!

A Peek into the Yard!

120 kids and counting!

Cairo is full of suprises. Something extremely well planned can completely flop in seconds and the most disorganized event can be a success. We could have 10 children come to the center or 100 children. Fortunately, we have had the overwhelming surprise of currently having 120 children registered for “A Yard for Yohannes.” I must admit that we were only planning on 60 kids, 30 for each day, but the response has exceeded my expectations. We are now at the point where we have to have a waiting list in case spots open up. Some parents have really been upset, asking us to register just their children. However, the size of the center and the wear of the toys prevents us from having an open number of registrants. As it is now, the amount of children makes the center very crowded. We are fortunate that they play well together and that they use the toys nicely, but when you look at the room, it can be exhausting even for the bystander. We can only hope that one day we will be able to open up more centers to serve the needs of these children.

Our Opening Celebration

To celebrate the opening of our new center we had a party with the children and their parents on Sunday, June 7th. Approximately 60 kids plus adults were at the party. Not all of these children were registered, so registration also occurred during the party. We played “Simon Says” and “Hot Potato” as party games and the winning children were ecstatic with their prizes. The eleven year old boy, Sabri, was so excited with his Frisbee. We even wrote his name on it so that no one else would take it. We bought 3 cakes and bottles of soda as well because no party is complete without the half fruit/ half chocolate ugly cakes that they have here in Egypt. It was so hot as we served the food that the cake began to melt as we put it on the plates. The great thing about children is that they don’t care what the cake looks like as long as they can eat it. We also used this time to introduce those involved with the center and tell everyone about our inspiration, Yohannes. We also explained the rules and expectations of the center while we had a majority of kids there. It was great to see everyone there for our opening celebration and see the kids’ anxious faces. After all, even thought this was an opening celebration, they would not be able to play with the toys until the next day…

Meet Angelina!

As part of our project, we wanted to hire a Sudanese refugee to run the center. This not only creates a sense of community for our center, but it also provides an income for a Sudanese family in Cairo. We will be paying this person a monthly salary that will help her support her family. We have found the perfect woman to run our center. Her name is Angelina. She is a widow with three teenage daughters who will also help with the center. She works as a teacher for a local Montessori refugee preschool and has a tremendous passion for children. Her ability to speak both English and Arabic is an essential quality for both the administration of the center and communication with the children. Her insight so far into the best way to run the center has also been valuable and we have been extremely pleased with her loving connection with the children. We are excited to welcome Angelina to the “Yard for Yohannes” team.

A Successful Registration

You never know what to expect when you schedule a registration here in Cairo. It’s always hard to gauge how many children will show up and, if they do register, if they will return to the center on their scheduled days. The first registration was slow, with 12 kids registering for the center. The language barrier makes it a little difficult to get all of the proper information, but we were able to do it. The same number of children registered on Saturday. Each child that registers will receive a membership card with their name, picture, age, and days he or she can attend the center. The purpose of this is two-fold: it will control the number of children on certain days and it will also give them proof of where they are going if someone in the building or on the street should hassle them. With only 24 kids registered after the scheduled dates, it seemed like our project was going to start small. However, 42 children from one of the local Sudanese churches came to register. This caused our numbers to skyrocket. A few days after registration, we still have parents coming to register their children. It seems as if word of mouth will be more successful than our handouts!

Registration Announcement!

New Play Center!

Location: Mohamed Abdu St. off of Abdu Square

Arab el Maadi, Cairo

Ages: 4-10 years old

Cost: Free!

Registration Days

Thursday, June 4th
4:00- 6:00pm

Sunday, June 7th
2:00- 4:00pm
* Must register to come to center*

Center will be open from
Monday- Thursday
4:00- 6:00pm
(Each child attends 2 days)

The Yard Has Begun!

View from the balcony of Hadayek el Maadi

The entire team is in Cairo now and we have begun to lay the foundation for the yard. While readjusting to Cairo has been rather easy, it’s hard to ever imagine adjusting to the heat. The lack of internet service might impede regular updates to the blog, but we will try to keep you as updated as possible.

We have made some progress on the center already, and we are preparing it to be opened in the near future. The apartment for the center is located in a new building with some of the other apartments still a gutted mess. However, our particular apartment is great. It is brand new and very clean and nice looking- even by US standards. There is an office, a large room, another medium sized room, a kitchen, bathroom, and large closet. The 7th floor balcony overlooks the crowded Hadayek el Maadi, a poor area of Cairo where many of the refugees live. Unfortunately, the elevator, or “lift” as it is called here, is not yet in service. The apartment is unfurnished, but the walls are newly painted and the floors look great. The sink outside the bathroom is perfect for the kids to wash their hands before playing. We have installed ceiling fans and hopefully will be able to purchase a refrigerator and stove pending donations. This will make it possible to provide food for the kids. While we are not as concerned about having the apartment extravagantly furnished, we want it to have the appliances that will make it a place for the entire community to use.

We’ve been organizing the toys that were donated or that we bought into general categories and have bought some bins, containers, tables, and had a water table built by local carpenters. The set up is really starting to look great and we’re excited about the kids getting to play at all the stations. We have it organized into a number of stations:


- Blocks, legos, knex, etc
- Dolls, Barbies, and stuffed animals
- Kitchen toys
- Tool table and tools
-Dress up clothes
- Puzzles
-Cars, trains, etc
-Water table
-Art room
-Puppets and music
- Reading ‘corner’

Registration starts today, and we’ll have more pictures up soon.

Sorry for the Lack of Updates

We would like to apologize to everyone who has been checking the blog. The project is up and running successfully. However, due to the lack of consistent and compatible internet here in Cairo, our updates have not been able to be posted. We are working on a solution to this problem and will have an mass update soon! Thank you for your patience and support!

Help Build A Yard!

We are currently seeking support for “A Yard for Yohannes” from you and others. Its short term and long term success will rely on the support of donations, including physical and monetary resources, as well as time contributions. We are accepting both financial support as well as donations of true toys (blocks, puzzles, puppets, dolls, dress up clothes, play kitchen toys, toy cars, action figures, art supplies, books, etc.). Please consider one of the options listed below or consider donating a flat fee.

$15- center membership for a child for 6 months

$30- center membership for a child for 1 year

$50- salary for Sudanese worker for 1 month

$100- rent for the center for 1 month

It would be appreciated if all donations are received by May 15^th, 2009 in order to provide the best center for these children as our group of 4 sets off to Cairo to begin the first “A Yard for Yohannes” play center. Checks can be written to the “Pemberton Rotary Club” (Please include the project and my name in the memo) and mailed to: Pemberton Rotary, PO Box 333 Pemberton NJ 08068. You may also donate via credit card at www.givemeaning.com/project/ yohannesyard. Donations may also be given to participants directly.

Introducing Yohannes and his friends!

Project Basics

Project Aim:
To develop free play centers for children in Cairo, Egypt that foster free play while encouraging cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

Target Population:
This project will aim at assisting refugee children ages four to ten years old located in Cairo, Egypt.

Center Location:
The free play centers will be developed within apartments in Cairo, Egypt. An ideal place will be a three bedroom apartment located in a central location heavily populated by refugees. Each room of the apartment will have a different station for free play (i.e. puzzles, music, art, etc).

Center Schedule:
Each center will be open four days a week (Monday- Thursday) for three hours after school.

Center Membership:
Each child will become a member of the center and receive a membership card with picture ID. This will not only help with center security, but will also assist in controlling the number of children that come to the center. Each child will be able to come to the center on a designated day(s).

Center Employment:
Each center will have one or two managers that will be expected to be at the center when it is open. They will be there to facilitate play, maintain order, and keep the center clean. Each employee will receive a monthly salary for their work.

Free Play Stations:
Each center will have several stations for free play. Station themes will include music, art, puzzles, blocks, costumes, science, geography, house, mixed toys, etc. Stations will vary depending on the available toys and resources.

Program Costs:
Costs are per center, based on estimates for average costs in Cairo, Egypt.

Start up costs (i.e. painting, cleaning, etc.) $200
Toys (plus donations) $300
Security Deposit for apartment $200
Rent/ Utilities $300/ month
Employee Salaries $100/ employee
(1-2 employees per center)

Total: $700 start up fees, $500 per month after initial start up

Our New Logo

We Need Your Support!

Thank you to everyone who voted for our project! We are now able to collect donations at http://www.givemeaning.com/project/yohannesyard. Please consider giving to our project!

Inspiration for the Project

Inspired by a nine year old Sudanese refugee boy in Cairo, Egypt, this project aims at providing safe centers for free play for children whose circumstances have denied them cognitive, physical, social, and emotional developmental opportunities. Play is the right of every child as defined by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights as it contributes to many facets of well-being for children and youth.

Free play and play behavior have been the focus of several studies of child development. Mostly studied in pre-school children, play behavior indicates levels of cognitive development as determined by age-level characteristics. Consistent with Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, free play helps in the transition from the sensorimotor stage to the preoperational and concrete operational stages that are shown in preschool to early middle school children. Play allows children to use their creativity, develop their imagination, improve dexterity, and strengthen their physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being while engaging and interacting with the world around them. Fostering new competencies, children gain confidence and resiliency which are necessary to face future challenges. Through undirected play, children learn to share, work in groups, negotiate, and use self-advocacy skills.

Unfortunately, Yohannes, and many children like him, are unable to enjoy the benefits of free play because of their circumstances. As the United States struggles with factors such as busy schedules, working parents, and a high-tech society, the AAP advises that parents make time for children to have spontaneous free play and enjoy the value of “true toys” such as blocks and puzzles. The same advice can be carried over to children who live in crammed housing, experience unsanitary conditions, lack toys of any value, and are not encouraged to use their imagination.

Sudanese children in Cairo, Egypt lack the proper conditions to enjoy free play. Because of the lack of play and other factors, they experience slower cognitive development, do not practice creativity, exhibit different age-level characteristics, and do not participate in physical activity. This project aims to provide a “yard” for these children to be able to play in safe, creative conditions.