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

InsightNr. 93 - May 2010

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 1

people with disabilities are still having a difficult time in rural Egypt. They are handicapped in several ways - both during their vocational training as in their later work life - if they are able to join the labour market at all.

Firstly, there is little practical sup-port available for handicapped people. Integration efforts are minor and there are only few insti-tutions dedicated to assisting people with disabilities specifi-cally in the countryside. Secondly, not much progress has been made in integrating physically or men-tally disadvantaged Egyptians into regular work life severely lim-iting work opportunities for many.

SEKEM has been working for and with handicapped people for many decades. It runs a dedicated facil-ity for curative care that caters to their specific physical and mental needs. They profit from vocational training opportunities and con-tribute to the artistic diversity of SEKEM’s social and cultural life.

SEKEM also has been employing handicapped co-workers since its inception. However, for the first time within a new project a large group deaf seamstresses was now employed by SEKEM’s Naturetex. This issue’s “Impres-sions” tells you more.

O n invitation of the President of the United States of America, H.E.

Barack H. Obama, Helmy Abouleish participated on behalf of SEKEM in the US Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship held 26-27 April in Washington D.C. More than 250 dele-gates from over 50 countries, mostly from Muslim communities, came together in order to deepen ties between business leaders, founda-tions, and entrepreneurs in the United States and predominantly Muslim countries around the globe. The

initiative is part of President Obama’s efforts for a “new beginning” in the partnership with Muslim communities worldwide.

Helmy Abouleish initiated an offi-cial declaration to the Summit by the Egyptian delegation, calling for acknowledging and supporting social entrepreneurship as a major driver for sustainable development. The group recommended promoting social enterprises and businesses who aim at tackling the dramatic ecological

President of the United States Invites Egyptian Entrepreneurs

Editorial

Dear Readers,

Your Team of Editors

Helmy Abouleish representing SEKEM at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship together with multiple Egyptian business executives.

InternationalEntrepreneurs’ Summit in Washington

Young PartnersSEKEM Supports Entrepreneurship

New Co-WorkersDeaf Seamstresses at Naturetex

Helmy Abouleish and fellow Egyptian business leaders at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 2

and social challenges of the 21st cen-tury – by declaring 2011 the “UN year of Social Entrepreneurship” and by establishing a “Global Council for Social Entrepreneurship” to promote similar initiatives.

Entrepreneurship can be regarded as a key driver for the sustainable development of countries such as Egypt, to enhance the lives of the people, promote a culture of innova-tion and competitiveness, unleash the potential of women entrepreneurs and serve as a motor for job creation and poverty reduction. In order to lever-age this potential an enabling environ-ment for new business ideas needs to be promoted. Inhibiting bureaucracy, difficult access to finance and lack of guidance as well as “moral support” are the typical problems to face in other countries such as Egypt.

Red Tape Hinders Economic Development

Obama provided his guests with a glimpse on how the United States’ archetypal notion of entrepreneurship had developed over time coining the concept of the “American Dream” that allows everyone to climb the social lad-der from “rags to riches”. This strong bias in favour of an individual’s mer-its over those of ancestry and social background inspired Helmy Abouleish and corresponds with his own point of

Economy

In May Helmy Abouleish, CEO of the SEKEM Group, had been invited together with numerous other entre-preneurs to discuss the future of agriculture and nutrition with Prince Charles, heir to the throne of the Commonwealth countries. Prince Charles himself has been supporting organic agriculture for more than 20 years on his own grounds at Highgrove. He sells organic foodstuffs and other products under his own brand availa-ble in many European countries. Plus, he is involved in multiple environmen-tal protection programmes specifically through his foundation for the protec-tion of the world’s rainforests.

The meeting provided a forum for renowned experts from science, econ-omy and politics to share experience concerning the present challenges in agriculture and nutrition of the world’s growing population. All participants were convinced of the benefits of organic cultivation methods and are themselves engaged in fostering their proliferation on a global scale.

Helmy Abouleish introduced those present at the meeting to SEKEM’s agricultural business model as well as its present initiatives. He spe-cifically named a study presently in development that examines the macro-economic impact of a full-scale conversion to organic agriculture in Egypt. Moreover he also reported on SEKEM’s efforts to improve interna-tional „eco standards” in order to inte-grate into them social aspects and environmental factors such as water and energy consumption. SEKEM has already been pursuing this goal since some time within the frame of the international “IAP Initiative”, a busi-ness network for more sustainability in global trade.

Martin Haagen

Martin Haagen supports SEKEMs activities in developmental politics and various projects in

the field of renewable energies.

view: “At this point, we in Egypt, and also most European countries, can learn a lot from the Americans”. At the Summit, some tangible measures to support entrepreneurship in inter-national cooperation were agreed on, such as an e-mentoring platform as well as an exchange program.

The external set-up is important to enable economic and social devel-opment through entrepreneurship; however, the crucial point is the entre-preneurial spirit of the individual. SEKEM is working to make a differ-ence in Egypt by providing enhanced education and supporting individ-ual development to kindle self-confi-dence, creativity and perseverance.

“This also refers to the constant need to innovate and change” as Helmy points out.

SEKEM has always strived to serve as a role model of how this attitude can promote progress. Still today the SEKEM Group continues to aim for innovation and the exploration of new business models. The EcoTec Holding he founded in 2007, which teams up with international business partners and provides capital, guidance and support in commercializing sustaina-ble technologies in Egypt.

Juliane Stolle

is currently working as an intern to support the SEKEM Sustainability Team.

Helmy Abouleish and Prince Charles Discuss Benefits of Organic Farming

US-President Barack Obama addresses the audience at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 3

L ike most other businesses SEKEM also faces the task of optimally

preparing young co-workers in lead-ership positions for future challenges in an ever-growing organisation with numerous commercial and non-profit ventures. Motivated by this ques-tion Helmy Abouleish in 2009 cre-ated the „SEED“ initiative: „SEKEM Development Programme for Entrepreneurship Education“.

SEED aims to create a network of young, socially interested entrepre-neurs within the SEKEM initiative or acting as global cooperation partners. The term “entrepreneur” is under-stood in the broadest sense. It follows the ideal of each individual “being his life’s entrepreneur”. The participants of the SEED workshops thus do not only come from the economic and var-ious industrial sectors but also from social and cultural fields of work.

Shaping Society’s Future

SEED subscribes to the view that the world will change dramatically within the coming 20 years. Only those indi-viduals will be able to influence it towards more sustainable models of life and work that can “lead and act from the future“. The notion refers to a developmental concept that acknowl-edges the pressing need for sustaina-ble change and constant innovation.

A growing number of 18 to 35-year-old participants has been assem-bling for the past year around a core group of responsible individuals pre-paring the meetings and guiding ques-tions. While some of them participate in the actual meetings themselves many also follow the development of their core questions from a distance. Among them are young co-workers

of the initiative, former pupils of the SEKEM School currently in vocational training, children of SEKEM co-work-ers, interns, and former employees or their partners wishing to contribute to the SEED idea.

The group meets approximately four times a year or every three to four months on pre-defined topics. Until today the topics discussed mainly converged on the general idea of sus-tainability in business and society: sustainable management and devel-opment, social entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture and climate change, leadership qualities, knowl-edge management, sustainable eco-nomics as well as change management.

Individual group members prepare an introduction to a given topic to bring everyone to the same level of knowledge at the beginning of each workshop. The participants then dis-cuss current trends in the field and their relevance for the development of SEKEM initiative as such.

Understanding SEKEM’s Development

One of the key elements of each meeting is Helmy Abouleish’s “kick-off report” on present developments and innovations inside SEKEM’s firms and institutions. Other co-workers con-tribute to his assessment with reports from their own individual fields of work.

During recent meetings participants discussed for instance the question if there is an actual difference between social businesses, non-profit entities, and companies engaging in “corpo-rate social responsibility” activities. Is it only a question of definition or refer-ring to a substantial difference?

Understanding SEKEM‘s Development: „SEED“ Supports Young SEKEM Co-Workers

The “SEED” project supports entrepreneurial abilities of young co-workers at SEKEM through self-managed workshops.

Economy

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

Which economic model can lead to a more sustainable society? Can a busi-ness model kick off societal change or does that require the initiative of an individual? Exciting questions that will continue to be discussed in greater detail during the upcoming workshops specifically against the backdrop of recent scientific findings.

Communicating SEKEM’s Success

The SEED workshops also bring to the fore the issue of how the long-term development of SEKEM should be properly communicated to outsiders and the general public. Many sessions are therefore also used to discuss dif-ferent strategies for the public com-munication of SEKEM’s achievements specifically related to sustainable business practice. Recent outcomes of the discussions include a manual on the topic of “sustainability report-ing” that was produced on the spe-cific request of SEKEM co-workers. The handbook shall support individu-als and groups from outside SEKEM in replicating key aspects of its work in other locations and countries.

SEED is meant to act as a catalyst for young co-workers at SEKEM to build the capacity needed to keep the ini-tiative innovative and responsive to change. It shall assist them in opening up new paths for sustainable develop-ment in their work and life alike.

Christina BoeckerChristina Boecker works in the trade of raw

products for SEKEM Europe GmbH in Bochum.

Svenja BrombergSvenja Bromberg supports the development of

the Heliopolis University in Cairo.

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 4

I t is a story from the Middle East bearing the name „Al Baticha“, the

watermelon, and it belongs to a group of stories that have special signifi-cance for the history of Egypt. Stories like “The Watermelon” have never been written down over centuries but have only been handed over to the next generation orally by female story-tellers. For the first time and through cultural activities on the school level SEKEM is now supporting the preser-vation of oral Egyptian history in the age of the new media.

Several years ago the female Egyptian storyteller Maizara Abla vis-ited SEKEM. She told the children at SEKEM’s social institutions many of the stories only known to her and a select group of few female fairytellers. Until today the number of story tell-ers has steadily sunk and their ability to pass on their knowledge to the next generation is thus slowly getting lost in the process.

After Maizara Abla’s visit several people at SEKEM decided to write down a selection of her stories. After many years the first one could now be brought to the stage successfully as a project involving eurythmy, drama, storytelling, music, and song.

It brought together a large group of children from many lower and

high-school grades, the kindergar-ten, and SEKEM’s vocational training centre. The SEKEM School’s choir also contributed with traditional Arabic songs. A classic form of performance had been chosen by the organisers and the music was also played on tra-ditional instruments. Overall 80 male and female children from various grades were involved in the project.

The story tells about the recognition of the sacred and trust in the mean-ingful unfolding of life. The tale of an enchanted girl that can becomes invis-ible by hiding inside a watermelon forms the core part of the story until a king’s son eventually uncovers her secret, finds the pieces of the shell of the watermelon and recognises the existence of the girl that he subse-quently marries.

Preserve Oral History and Build Self Confidence

The school play aims at preserving Egypt’s oral cultural history and open its richness to the young generation of Egyptians. At the same time it tries to encourage the pupils to artistically express themselves. The group work strengthens their self-confidence and trust in their own artistic abilities. The collaboration of artists from various areas also has a significant pedagog-ical impact. Numerous groups have

SEKEM School Supports the Preservation of Egyptian Oral History

Culture

worked in common to create the dif-ferent scene props that occur in the story and have eventually combined the individual parts into a remarka-ble artistic whole. By participating the younger children quickly found role models in their older schoolmates they eagerly wished to follow.

Additional performances for the male and female pupils at schools in the vicinity of the SEKEM main farm are now planned for the near future.

The organisers wish to express their gratitude for the financial support of the German support association of the SEKEM initiative.

Martina Dinkel

Pupils of the SEKEM School perform “The Watermelon”

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 5

Impressions from SEKEM

Since March 2010 50 new co-workers have been employed in SEKEM’s firm for organic textiles, Naturetex. All of them are deaf. A storage worker at Naturetex knew of the need for additional co-workers and established a contact to a local vocational training school in the provincial capital of Zagazig, the institution the young women had previously attended.

After a brief learning period the women could immediately join the production of dolls. They have by now been fully integrated into the community of co-workers at the firm, carry out their work carefully and precisely and enrich the daily work life at one of SEKEM’s largest enterprises. This way their colleagues at Naturetex and the other firms also receive the opportunity to personally witness how physically disadvantaged individuals can find their equal place in the community and enjoy a regular life of productive work. This has been a core argument for SEKEM’s involvement in the strengthening of the rights of physically and mentally handi-capped people in Egypt for 30 years. The initiative has employed disabled co-workers almost from the start.

Initially the new colleagues had been employed to assist in the fulfilment of a large-scale order including the production of 100.000 dolls. Now that the job is almost done and since the cooperation has proven to be successful and productive the new co-workers have now received the offer to enter a training course and become professional seamstresses.

Impressions

SEKEM Insight | May 2010 | Page 6

Each year approximately 12 million hectares of arable land is lost. Less and less land is available for the pro-duction of foodstuffs for human con-sumption. Since 1960 the surface of productive arable lands per capita has been halved.

With its sustainable biodynamic ag-riculture SEKEM also pursues the goal of fighting desertification. Using bi-ological waste as a basis compost is created that allows to transform even desert land into valuable soil. Carefully selected vegetation on the newly gained grounds assists in sta-bilising it and allowing for instance SEKEM’s new farms in the Egyptian deserts to survive. Its core component are trees that are being used as “liv-ing protective fences” encircling the fields. Even the freshly planted small trees can help in protecting the acres from the hot desert winds. Later they will provide shade for the sensitive herbs and have a positive influence on the farm’s micro-climate.

This is why SEKEM’s school children have now set themselves a challenging goal: each of them is looking forward to planting at least one tree every year. The children know well what is at stake. They have in their communities experi-enced first hand the importance of the trees in fighting climate change, a de-velopment that will particularly affect Egypt. Each of them has already expe-rienced for him- or herself the sooth-ing effect of the trees’ shade in the burning heat of the midday sun during an Egyptian summer.

Thus their motivation was excellent when the first planting began. They had selected a small patch of desert land close to the SEKEM School: on 21 April the pupils of the 8th grade to-gether with their instructors put the first 50 seedlings into the ground into small holes they had previously prepared themselves with shovels. A strong image of a hopeful future for a greener Egypt and our world.

SEKEM School Children Plant Trees

New Project Aims to Strengthen Peace Worldwide

With their project “A Band for World Peace: We Love Peace!” the group AdmaCUM e.V. aims at focussing the attention of individuals on the pres-ervation of global peace through pro-active activities on a local, national, and worldwide scale.

Each global citizen in support of peace making its intentions known to the organisers using e-mail, mail or fax will be registered with his or her name, city and country of residence on a physical band that is supposed to reach a length of 40.000 km once encircling the earth. 150.000.000 par-ticipants will be needed to achieve this goal.

The project’s information shall be translated into various world lan-guages and be published and con-tinuously updated on the organisers’ web page. The site shall also list the present length of the band, the spon-sors as well as other supporters of the project.

News in Brief

Also this year the children of the SEKEM School set out to celebrate their thanksgiving in May. Each year it is prepared by the 3rd grade over the course of an entire year. To prepare it-self for the task the class first learns about the various common Egyptian crops such as wheat throughout the entire school year. Last October they set off by studying and trying out how to prepare the ground, how to sow, ir-rigate, and then carefully examine the growth of the first tiny leaves over the course of the following months until the full-grown ear of the grain devel-ops in April or May.

This development is a true annual miracle for all children from the SEKEM School involved in the process as they are eventually able to harvest their own grain, thresh it, and then bake it in their own self-built oven made from adobe bricks. At the actual event each class then presents the handicrafts and other works it has completed dur-ing the last school year laid out on col-ourfully decorated tables in front of each classroom.

It was a remarkable experience for everyone visiting this year’s celebra-tion to examine all the items large and small that had been hand-made by the children over the course of 12 months of school. The brief performances in which the children then personally presented the entire process of cul-tivating their own grain from sowing to harvest and baking on stage even-tually closed the event and perfectly captured the hearts of the attending parents and friends.

SEKEM‘s Children Celebrate Thanksgiving

More informationen:Phone: 08171 - 348674 www.admacum.com

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

Editors:Christina BoeckerBijan Kafi

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

Pictures: 1,2, 5: SEKEM; 4l+r, 6: Sandra Poettrich

No republication without written consent by the publisher.