July 18, Monday

Egypt Mission began tasks in a nursery for low-income families children in a marginalized neighborhood in Cairo. It is a house of services attended by the Sisters of Charity in Mokattam, a sector of the city mostly inhabited by Christians, who survive recycling the trash of the Egyptian capital.

The place currently looks after thirty-seven children, ages one to three and fourty-three babies, two months to one year of age. Both groups are assisted and fed in separate precincts, adequate to their specific needs. All spaces show a simple appearance, well-taken care of and clean. The mothers bring their children at 7 a.m. and pick them at 4 p.m., after their working hours.

Baby bottles and diapers

The female missionaries of Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Federation (FFHI) went to this place to help with the little ones. Two missionaries spent the morning playing and singing with the older ones while other two, with the support of three adolescent volunteers interacted with the babies. At 11:00 a.m. the little ones were taken to a hall in which lunch was served. Each one, despite their early age, picked their dish and sat to eat without the help of adults. In the end, they cleaned their hands and face in a damp towel. Then they removed the bib, changed clothes and went to a collective dorm to rest, all of them with a lot of self-sufficiency.

After lunch, the four missionaries went through the experience of having to take care of the forty-three babies at the same time. “It was an extremely intense activity for all of us, with so many babies to give baby bottles, change diapers, cease cry, entertain on the lap… a real test of faith”, commented the missionary Rosi Freitas.

Home for the Elderly

In the meantime, the men of the group on mission continued to help the other home of service of the Sisters of Charity, which welcomes elderly people retrieved from the streets. The home is located in the neighborhood of As Subra, in Cairo, about 15 km from the nursery.

A special activity was the assistance to an elderly man who showed a delicate health situation. “We were asked to help a brother who had a rather great and deep wound; with a lot of effort we managed to clean the wound and felt at this moment the presence of fraternal love. What also drew our attention was the peace that man radiated, in spite of the suffering that the situation was causing him. And the look of gratitude that he addressed to us when we finished the bandage”, shared José Ribeiro.

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