They washed my feet
I was at first uncertain when a woman at Stephens Children in Cairo's "garbage village" wanted to wash my feet.
In Cairo's "garbage village", foot washing means that the children are seen and loved - and that they get an important health check.
The woman standing in front of me, smiling, extends her arms as an invitation: "Can I wash your feet?" I'm a little uncertain. I don't want to take up their time.
Around me there are many children singing. The smiling woman who invited me is sitting at a long, low sink. There are stacks of towels, a table with sandals in different colors and a bowl of candy.
"We want you to experience the work, not just look at it," the woman says. I sit down. The water is cool in the scorching sun. The woman washes and massages my feet. We chat a bit and try to explain our names to each other with gestures. I get a new pair of sandals in a color the woman thinks matches my pants.
Living in the garbage dump
I am in Cairo, together with the Stefanus Alliance, to learn about the work they support. Today we are in the 'garbage city' where many people both live and make a living from sorting garbage.
On the way here, we drove through narrow streets full of garbage. Occasionally we saw shops selling clothes. Behind an open door, a man stood picking the feathers off a chicken.
Suddenly I saw a little girl of maybe 4-5 years old in a dark basement, with no door or window. She was sorting trash. She looked up, and for a moment our eyes met. Then I noticed something in her left hand. She looked down again. It looked like she was nailing a piece of wood. It was heartbreaking, as far from the life of my children at home as it could possibly be.
The contrast is also great to where I am now. Here we were greeted by singing children in clean, white clothes. They gave us a red rose each. They are happy, laughing and joking - as children should. Here, the organization Stephens Children, which Stefanus Alliance support, runs an orphanage, kindergarten and school. The children are washed here. They get clean clothes and care. Instead of having to work with garbage, they go to kindergarten and school. There is also a job training center, workshops, a medical center and a pharmacy. Here, the children get a different life.
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