The village of Tafahna al-Ashraf is a modern-day economic and social legend. Iman Rashed reports
Tafahna al-Ashraf is a village in Dakahlia, about 128 kms from Cairo. It covers an area of 2.5 sq. km, and the latest census shows it has a population of more than 6,000.
Thirty years ago most of the the villagers were poor, illiterate and unemployed. Local people would send their children to work in the fields of neighbouring large villages to earn a living. Fortune was smiling on Tafahna al-Ashraf, however, and in 1982 nine educated young people set up a small poultry farm project to rear 5,000 chickens with a starting capital of $225, spending only about $25 each. It was a simple idea, yet within a few years unemployment in the village was ended, and with it poverty and illiteracy.
After just a year, this small project had made enough profit for the owners to think about ways of tackling their local problems. They allocated 10 per cent of the profits for volunteer work to serve the village. They contacted property owners and the better off and collected donations which they added to their profit percentage, and urged all the locals to contribute as much as they could afford in the form of donations. Some donated sheep and livestock, some offered jewellery, and others offered help with construction work. Their own resources thus enabled them to develop a unique economic developmental model.
In 1984 the first integral centre was established in the village to implement and supervise charity work. A 100 per cent increase in profits helped further development. Profits enabled the creation of 10 more farms, and the centre began to operate. A factory for fodder and another for concentrates and livestock fodder were established in parallel with the agricultural crops trade, and foreign exports of citrus fruit, potatoes and onions became one of the main activities. By the end of 1988 expenditure on charity and services projects reached about $56,000, with an increase of $1,963. Within 10 years the size of investments reached more than $5 million and it was necessary to provide a production unit to pay for projects and guarantee their continuation. The unit actually realised a number of achievements, mainly the establishment of the first mechanical slaughterhouse in the village in 2003 with a capital of $350,000, providing 200 jobs, in addition to a company that was established in 2000 with a capital of $3.5 million and hired 300 workers.
Their circle of attention expanded to cover a number of fields such as education, health and handicrafts. They established an integral education system from kindergarten to university, starting with a kindergarten for 350 children, then a primary school, two preparatory schools with more than 800 students, and two secondary schools.
The aspirations of Tafahna al-Ashraf’s residents did not stop there. In 1991 they obtained the approval of officials at the State Education Affairs Department to establish a university branch in their village at a cost of $600,000. They began by establishing a law school which was completed in little over a year, and then moved on to faculties of trade, education and other humanitarian sciences. So far there are five faculties.
This coincided with the foundation of a student hostel to accommodate 1,600 students. It is customary to see students from other governorates or from Africa and Asia walking through the streets of the village. A railway station has been built to serve the students at a cost of $21,000, and free private vehicles transfer kindergarten children from neighbouring villages as well as offering free transport to all students. Adult literacy is not neglected, and an education centre offers computers as well sewing and needlework training for girls who make school uniforms, which are purchased from the girls and distributed free to needy students.
Owners of industrial and handicraft workshops provided the tools of their profession, and the young entrepreneurs even reached agreement with wholesale stores to provide them with commodities so they could sell them and receive the profits. In this way no one in the village was now unemployed, and the poor were no longer so needy because they were taking part in the pioneering developmental and economic process.
As for community service, a committee for reconciliation was established to settle any differences among the local people, and as a result all disputes are settled peacefully and no official complaints have been lodged with the village’s police station for more than 10 years. One of two law offices in the village has closed down and is now a marriage registry office.
The village residents did not neglect the health and environmental aspects of their village. There is an integral hospital to provide health care for the local people and visitors. They also provide government health insurance service to care for workers in schools and institutions.
As the years went by, the village’s financial strength increased and enabled it to contribute 50 per cent of the development budget prepared by the government to help the village. The initial condition was to have the village contribute with only 20 per cent, but the figure was doubled owing to the economic revival. A water reservoir now meets the demands of the village, and water is provided through a network extension. There is also a sanitation station, along with a local community development society, a call centre, a youth and sports centre and a post office.
A tractor and truck collect garbage, and another vehicle sweeps the streets. A project has been launched to plant trees, beginning with a thousand date palms around irrigation wheels. These will bear fruit after six years, and the dates will be distributed among the residents. The entrance to the village, previously a dumping ground, is now a beautiful garden.
Poverty is a critical problem and needs to be tackled with caution, yet with earnestness and full credibility, given its pivotal role in maintaining the stability of society and national security. The Egyptian government has not neglected this potential minefield and has made an effort to alleviate the crisis. However, the world economic crisis does not allow members of the public to feel a difference, even when achievements are realised.
Out of our belief in the role of the media and press in developing and flourishing societies, The Middle East Observer has decided, as of today, to offer help to all poor Egyptian villages by launching an intensified press campaign to find ways to contribute to lifting the suffering of the Egyptian people. Tafahna al-Ashraf is a debut model, and we believe that others will follow suit.
This comes as a swift response to calls by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab for all sectors to pledge their support in solving some of the nation’s most serious problems. The premier pointed to the 22 million Egyptians living under the poverty line, as well as four million living in shanty towns. These dangerous figures, as the prime minister says, reflect part of the economic deterioration resulting from the corruption of previous regimes whose problems accumulated without reaching final solutions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Planning Dr. Ashraf al-Arabi referred in a recent statement to the increase in the number of Egyptians living under the poverty line. These represent 26 per cent of the total population, while 20 per cent are approaching that line. Arabi points to the fact that most of the poorest villages in Egypt are in Upper Egypt.
