What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
The Spirit of Youth Association (SOY) is an Egyptian non-governmental organization founded in 2004. It is located in Manshiyet Nasser, one of Cairo’s largest Zabaleen (garbage collecting) community districts. The NGO implements educational projects to empower young members of the community. One of SOY’s most significant projects is the Recycling School for Boys, located in Mokkatam. It encourages cooperation between the Zabaleen recycling system and multinational companies to achieve maximum efficiency in collecting and recycling waste. Other school goals include reducing poverty and marginalization of the Zabaleen community, improving health standards and enhancing overall quality of life. It provides literacy programmes that help participants learn about their rights and duties, building a responsible and empowered generation.
The programme implements projects on business and income generation that focus on the environmental and educational aspects:
- improving the environment by segregating waste;
- enhancing and expanding the project to different districts and cities;
- association development;
- improving healthcare in marginalized communities;
- Zabaleen integration into the formal waste management sector (UIL, 2015).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
The programme accommodates the needs of young boys in the Zabaleen community flexibly. The schedule is varied and there is a minimal number of hours to be completed for each course. Class duration is also adapted to the learners’ needs and abilities. The learners are divided into three groups according to their literacy level. The courses are conducted in schools with access to school facilities such as a computer lab. The curriculum focuses on the recycling of plastic produced by multinational companies. Collection and recycling of plastic waste is combined with primary education, environmental protection and workplace safety. It takes two to five years to complete the programme. Upon graduation, the learners receive the national literacy certificate, which allows them to continue their education in middle school.
The programme concentrates on learning by doing, which is why it involves real day-to-day situations with which the learners are familiar. The programme enhances knowledge in maths, science, music, painting, personal and environmental hygiene, recycling, the use of office software and Google Maps, computer skills, the principles of project management, bookkeeping and simple accounting, and art and drama.
The curriculum is developed by education specialists using a unique approach designed specifically for the community. The material in maths and science is based on the Montessori method. Other materials used in the programme are books and notebooks, computers, musical instruments and art materials, a plastic cutting machine and safety materials.
The facilitators are usually members of the community. They receive modest salaries and work on-site at the respective school. Teachers must have at least a high school education level and a strong motivation and passion for teaching. They are recruited through advertisements. Initial training, as well as monthly and weekly workshops and sessions, are provided on-the-job to ensure teachers’ continuous professional development. Teachers receive feedback from the school director and the students. There is a literacy exam for students at the end of the programme. (UIL, 2015).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
Stakeholders represent both the public and private sectors. The main actors involved in the design and implementation of the programme are Community and Institutional Development consulting, the Hands Along the Nile Foundation and the African Star Foundation, UNESCO Cairo Office, Spirit of Youth Association (SOY) and other non-governmental organizations. Financial aid is provided by Procter and Gamble and Bill Gates Foundation (since 2010). Schools, teachers and facilitators, trainers and the Zabaleen community members are also essential to the initiative (UIL, 2015).
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?
The initiative has demonstrated tangible results and resulted in stories of personal success. By 2015, the school had counted 130 graduates aged between 9 and 17 years. Of the 130, 50 continued their education in middle school and 20 enrolled in high school; 4 of the 20 graduated. The programme benefited not only young boys but also their parents. Literacy certificates were awarded to 129 of their parents. The school became a model for another initiative in the Helwan region.
Some of the students were the first in their families to learn how to read and write; some of them decided to pursue further education. After obtaining the literacy certificate, some students continued their schooling at home, enrolled in secondary school and started working as trainers upon graduation. Moreover, they came up with initiatives to help their community, such as garbage collecting and recycling start-ups.
One of the students, Adham Al Sharkawy, went to the USA to participate in the film Garbage Dreams, for which he took intensive English courses. It allowed him to then attend a forum on recycling in the UK. Having gained numerous qualifications and having worked as a trainer in the school, he now runs a recycling start-up.
Despite the positive impact, the initiative faces challenges. The heavy workload hinders students’ process despite the flexibility of the programme and all adaptations made by educators. Other challenges include funding and supporting students further to ensure that they put their knowledge into practice and generate income (UIL, 2015).
References
UIL (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning). 2015. Learning and Earning in Cairo's Garbage City, Egypt. [Online] Hamburg, UIL. Available at: https://uil.unesco.org/case-study/effective-practices-database-litbase-0/learning-and-earning-cairos-garbage-city-egypt [Accessed 4 November 2021].