Dollie member Sara Kutler traveled to Egypt with her husband Jon and daughter Caroline. In the midst of their travels around this fascinating country, they served as Dollie Ambassadors.  Here is their story:
Caroline, Jon and I, Dollie Ambassadors extraordinaire, brought a large bag of teddy bears and dollies to the Dar El Orman charity orphanage. Established in 1993, Dar El Orman is one of the country’s biggest charities providing a wide array of social services from development projects to healthcare services. The association runs two orphanages, one in Mohandessin and another in Mansouria. The organization boasts a track record of success for its grassroots activism and well-managed large scale operations that enables them to provide the children with the care and nurturing they require.
The orphanage is located on a quiet (for Cairo) residential street.Â
We arrived just before lunch time and were greeted warmly by Director, Mai Magdy.
Walking inside, we shook hands with the staff on the ground floor. The older children (4 and up) are at school during the day, but the babies are here. The spaces are clean and tidy, full of personal touches. We visited the rooms for babies and toddlers – just walking up from naps and adorable!
Caroline has a new best friend:
The Director, Mai, wanted to save the dollies for the older children who would be back after school.
She explained to us some of the difficulties that Egyptian orphans face. In a very hierarchical and family oriented society, orphans are often assumed to be the children of prostitutes or the result of adulterous affairs. A type of adoption is encouraged in Islam, but the adopted do not inherit against the natural children in the family. The stigma carries through school and careers, with the adopted often having difficulty finding employment without lying about their status. Dar El Orman seeks to change this and educate people about the emotional needs of these children with their annual Orphan Day celebration, which has been held every year since 2004.
Dar El Orman, in addition to operating orphanages in Cairo and Alexandria, also sponsors a national campaign for the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt (57357), medical care for the poor including eye surgery, proscription medication, diabetic treatments, heart surgery, cochlear implant surgery, etc., a micro loan program for women, emergency loans, funding of small dowries for orphan woman who wish to marry, and the cancer patients Guest House.
We made a donation in Dollies Making a Difference’s name of $500, of which $300 will go to eye surgery for an infant with eye ulcers and $200 will be distributed to this local orphanage.
We are so grateful to be Dollie Ambassadors!
All the best,
Sara, Jon, Caroline
(photo credits to Jon and Caroline)
