SEKEM‘s Journal for Culture, Economy, Society and Ecology in Egypt

InsightNr. 114 - March 2012

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 1

Dear Readers,

much of the communication of SEKEM’s companies, many of its initiatives and of its part-ners today takes place with the help of the Internet. Especially for relatively isolated initiatives that are also globally active like SEKEM, the Internet has proven to be a blessing. It not only allows fast and flexible communica-tion. It also gives facilities such as SEKEM the opportunity to pre-sent themselves to the public in

“sight and sound” - easier, faster, and in ways that are more visually appealing than ever before.

SEKEM continues to grow, also on the Internet. There are presently many widely distributed offers to present SEKEM and its initiatives to the public in various different ways. For many prospective visi-tors, orientation can be more diffi-cult than it should be. SEKEM has therefore decided to relaunch the most popular of these services and to use it as a basis for the future integration of most of the others. SEKEM’s new website has just been launched at the begin-ning of March. In this issue, we bring you a detailed description of its features and the motivation of its engineers.

J ust a few days ago SEKEM has relaunched its own, central pres-

ence on the Internet. The completely

redesigned website now brings

together virtually every aspect of

the SEKEM initiative and its commer-

cial arm, the SEKEM Group of compa-

nies, radically modernizing their visual

presentation and reviewing the under-

lying technical structure of the site

itself. Visitors will now be able to find

and access informative and visually

appealing content on the initiative much easier access and faster.

„We have long observed that SEKEM’s website no longer meets modern requirements. Visitors do not find the information they want quickly and easily enough”, explains Thomas Abouleish, who manages the project for SEKEM, the motivation behind the technological restart. The new web-site replaces its familiar but somewhat outdated appearance with a visually

Editorial

Your Team of Editors

SEKEM Reworks Internet SiteMany friends, customers, and partners stay informed about SEKEM using the Internet. A lot of information on the initiative is already available here in multimedia form. After about 7 years SEKEM has decided to thoroughly revise its most popular web offering.

SEKEM WebsiteSEKEM Relaunches Website

Vocational TrainingA Report from Daily Work

MultimediaSEKEM Launches Own YouTube Channel

Find SEKEM also on the Internet at:

SEKEM‘s new Internet site presents itself in a clearer, fresher, and multimedia-oriented way.

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 2

attractive and technologically up to date solution that also encompasses content developed specifically for the new site. Its new design is not only more visually appealing but also pro-vides a much broader set of functions.

Comprehensive Overview

The new website is based on wide-spread principles of user guidance

“best practice” and is conceptually much easier to comprehend. A hor-izontal menu at the top of the screen provides quick and clear access to all broader aspects of the world of SEKEM and its companies - that is top-ical issues or concrete projects.

The menu gives access to SEKEM companies, institutions and independ-ent projects and initiatives such as the SEKEM Development Foundation (SDF). International offices and branches will also be included here shortly. Until then, SEKEM’s largest branch, SEKEM Europe, is still accessi-ble via http://www.sekemshop.de.

Relations with partners are set out more clearly to provide more information on global networks and interconnections.

„The wide variety of SEKEM initia-tives makes it a challenge to accu-rately depict all of SEKEM’s facets using the limited space available“ says Abouleish. „This diversity encom-passes SEKEM’s unique character, but it also poses a challenge. I think we have found a very good solution.“

Fresh, modern design

The new design is based on clas-sic SEKEM colours. Although the vis-ual design is also based on traditional shapes, the new approach looks a lot more modern, cleaner and clearer to the eye. The site also takes more advantage of multimedia content. Images, film and audio clips present the initiative in a more diverse and more instructive way than before.

The direct embedding of social media services like Facebook and Twitter into the site will further allow users to share content more easily that is valuable to colleagues or friends. Also, announcements of events will be highlighted more clearly as will be contact information to individuals in charge of specific areas of SEKEM’s work making connections easier.

Extensive background information

The new site furthermore offers a lot more background information on SEKEM projects and work priorities. Whether a visitor is interested in prod-ucts, social or educational services, is in search of specific facts or of infor-mation for special audiences like the press: this information can now be found in a central location. Dedicated subordinated sites describe specific subject areas in particularly impor-tant sectors of SEKEM’s work in greater detail, such as sustainability. Individual pages explain in words and pictures the preparation of SEKEM’s sustainability reports and the concept

of its „Flower of Sustainability”. Key documents such as the SEKEM Code of Ethical Business are also available establishing transparency towards SEKEM’s partners and beneficiaries.

Big plans for SEKEM on the Internet

The project coordinators have great plans for the expansion of SEKEM presence on the Internet. The new site, which was developed entirely in-house, is supposed to just be the beginning. It will be at the focus of other offerings but shall unite many previously scattered sites making them more accessible in the process.

The project team is convinced that communication habits will continue to change in coming years. The Internet can make an important contribution to overcome the natural limits of coop-eration among interested consumers, producers, processors, and retail-ers in a globalized society. „We want to offer our customers and partners more information on the origin of the products they consume. In the near future we will expand the web site with informational pages that explain in detail where the products of SEKEM come from and how they are made”, says Thomas Abouleish. „Our custom-ers need this information to be able to make responsible purchasing deci-sions. We want to support them.”

The new website was launched in mid-March in English, and will be avail-able in German and Arabic soon.

Bijan Kafi

Economy

More information:http://www.sekem.com!

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 3

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 4

Mr. Schütz, how did your engagement for SEKEM develop?

My original motive, as a former vocational school in Memmingen (Germany), was to assist SEKEM’s educational facilities by contribut-ing my personal work experience. I was in 2008 when I first came to help improve vocational training in Egypt. SEKEM seemed the ideal place to be.

What did you find, when you came to SEKEM?

I found an electrical workshop offer-ing a 3-year training programme based on the German dual train-ing concept (with alternating the-oretical and practical classes). But initially SEKEM had to rely on the cooperation with conventionally trained teachers at its training cen-tre (VTC). Their own training had been mostly theory with very lit-tle practical training. They naturally passed these instructional princi-ples on to their own apprentices. Many thus turned out to be com-pletely overwhelmed in practice by their inquisitive trainees. My first job was to improve this situation by improving teacher education.

How did you do that?

For instance, I introduced daily les-son planning sessions. I also gave practical guidance on an individual basis, and I then helped each of the teachers to implement their lessons. This way we slowly developed their experience and the methodological and actual quality of their practical work. The awareness of problem-based learning greatly improved.

I then went home very inspired aim-ing to raise money and begin to give

talks to expand on our achieve-ments. In the following years I often travelled to Egypt and began to build on my training and bring miss-ing materials and equipment with me. Today, the workshop and train-ing quality is almost comparable to European standards.

What is your next goal?

A further training of trainers in SEKEM is urgently required as it is hard to find trained instructors. For this, SEKEM still needs foreign help.

Personally I am now pursuing the goal of training the VTC’s instruc-tors in inclusive teaching methods. The most talented apprentices will take part in these courses. This way I am trying to further SEKEM’s pop-ular motto „work and learn - learn through work“.

Do you see progress?

Yes. The training of electricians, for instance, has reached international quality standards. SEKEM’s training already has a very good reputation in Egypt. We see this from the num-ber of applications. Unfortunately, we can still accept only a few.

How can others help you?

It would be nice if more retirees would put their professional expe-riences to use by helping these young people develop. Besides that some material support to improve the training courses is also required. Because of the difference in value every donation helps 8-fold! (Donations can be made through the German association “Friends of SEKEM” at www.sekemfreunde.de).

Questions posed by Yvonne Floride.

Private Support for SEKEM’s Vocational Training Centre

For years, friends from many countries have lent their support to SEKEM through volunteer work in their spare time. Many, like Dieter Schütz, spend this time in Egypt.

Culture

More information:http://www.youtube.com/sekeminitiative!

You can visit SEKEM yourself:www.SEKEM-reisen.de www.aventerra.de

Recently, SEKEM began operating its own channel on the popular video and movie website YouTube. The new channel that is available at http://www.youtube.com/sekeminitiative collects movies and short clips pro-duced by, with, or about SEKEM. All film is provided in high definition.

The new site also allows friends and partners, for instance, to use the films for presentation purposes as part of their own events. Media represent-atives will find reliable information material.

The first movies include introduc-tions to SEKEM in German, English and Arabic.

SEKEM Launches Own YouTube Channel

Dieter Schütz during training at SEKEM.

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 5

Impressions from SEKEM

T he grand finale of this year‘s football tournament between the companies of the SEKEM group took place on 12 February at the SEKEM farm. After the firms Libra, Lotus, ISIS For Herbs, ISIS, Atos Pharma Naturetex, the Vocational Training Center (VTC), El Mizan, and the central administration of SEKEM

had all completed their tournament games, the teams of ISIS and El Mizan faced each other as finalists.

In the 90 minutes of play time four goals, loudly celebrated by colleagues and staff members, were scored leading to a 2:2 and an additional overtime. As no additional goals fell, the penalty shootout ended the game at 7:6 for the team of ISIS. „We are very happy with this victory, but we plan to train even harder so that next year we can bring home victory without a penalty shootout“, Kamal, striker of the ISIS team and senior staff member in quality control at ISIS, commented the game. The troupe was visibly happy with the win. Still on the field, they received their trophy from the hands of Helmy Abouleish.

Impressions

SEKEM Insight | March 2012 | Page 6

The Alliance of Waldorf Schools, the worldwide association of Waldorf and Rudolf Steiner Schools, is taking first steps towards a modern commu-nications of their work for a progres-sive pedagogy. „We have for a long time worked with a PR agency on the topic of communication through film. Now we can present our first short film at this year’s ‘didacta’ fair”, „Celia Schoenstedt, public relations officer at the alliance, explains the project.

The first film, which is available on YouTube and on the alliance’s dedi-cated ‘didacta’-website, introduces the work of the Waldorf teacher. It emphasizes the personal experience of young Waldorf teachers and pre-sents in-depth insights into the spe-cial features of Waldorf education and the profession. Other films will follow.

Source: Association of Waldorf Schools

Alliance of Waldorf Schools Publishes First Film

GLS Bank: Microfinance Offer Very Successful

News in Brief

Masthead:The editors of SEKEM Insight wish to thank all contributors to this issue.

Editor:Bijan Kafi

Contact:SEKEM-Insightc/o SEKEM HoldingP.O.Box 2834, El Horreya, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt insight@SEKEM.com

Pictures: Seite 1, 2, 3: Bijan Kafi; 5: SEKEM.

No republication without written consent by the publisher.

The industrialization of agriculture regularly is the cause of scandals. They include antibiotics in poultry, the irre-versible loss of species and environ-mental quality, genetic engineering, and the suffering of animals in super-sized stables. We know that conven-tional agriculture exacerbates hunger crises, contributes to climate change, but is still financially supported sig-nificantly better than organic farming. The EU and national governments sup-port this agricultural industry with bil-lions of euros of subsidies every year.

This can not go on. To make their voices and those of the consum-ers heard Demeter and Ecovin have recently called to Berlin for a rally sporting the motto „We‘re fed up!“.

The opportunity for changing this policy nightmare has never been greater, say the two organizations, which have been cooperating for some time already in viticulture. So far, the federal German government contin-ues to block real reform. The eco-asso-ciations Ecovin and Demeter together with 40 other organizations from the environmental, consumer rights, and religious fields had called for the dem-onstration against this policy-making. The two organizations have agreed on close future cooperation. ECOVIN is the largest specialty association for organic viticulture. Demeter, as an eco-pioneer, continues to guarantee for the quality of biodynamic wines that are increasingly sought-after. The new cooperation underlines the com-mon objectives in education, quality of labour and exchange of know-how.

Source: Demeter

Since the beginning of the GLS Bank’s management of the federal German microfinance programme in 2010, more than twice as many loans as originally planned could be dis-bursed to small-scale entrepreneurs.

The demand for microfinance in Germany is steadily growing: „After nearly two years of offering microfi-nance loans we see a more than pos-itive development,“ says Falk Zientz, head of microfinance at the GLS Bank. „So far we have distributed nearly 6630 micro loans totally just under 39.8 million euros. Only 2400 loans had initially been planned for this period.“ The bank could also extend

Demeter and Ecovin Demand Different Agriculture

More information:http://www.wir-haben-es-satt.de!

the number of cooperating microfi-nance institutions (MFIs), which take over the regional credit counseling, from 10 to 45 nationwide.

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) had asked the GLS Bank in early 2010 to extend the range of micro-loan availability nation-wide in Germany. To hedge the credit risk exposures towards the GLS Bank, the BMAS and the European Social Fund Euro are providing 100 million Euros to the German microloan facility.

The German microfinance program will run until 2015. 25,000 loans are to be disbursed until then in total. To make the offer even better known to potential borrowers, the partners have now started a Germany-wide advertis-ing campaign aiming to tell a number of success stories of individual credit holders succeeding in realising their personal entrepreneurial projects.

Source: GLS Bank

More information:http://www.mein-mikrokredit.de!

More information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWwb8tdP8E!