A story about how the women of El Bayad experienced a transforming event in the midst of a windstorm. READ MORE
BEFORE THE CONSULT
NAME ORIGIN: ElBayad, meaning “the whiteness”, is located on the east bank of the Nile River
GEOGRAPHY: The village is accessible by paved road from Cairo through Helwan, or by crossing the Nile in a ferry or felouka from the city of Beni Suef.
POPULATION: El Bayad is one of eight hamlets with a population of more than 10,000. The villagers are descendants of the fellahin (plowmen) who have lived on these very lands along the Nile for the 5,000 years of Egyptian history.
CHALLENGES: Village water for all purposes is obtained from a narrow canal leading from the River along the boundary of the village. Three fertile and largely uncultivated islands representing a total of 750 feddans lie between the west and east banks of the River. A limestone quarry lies to the east of the village and clay deposits suitable for brick making are available. The livelihood of the village depends on a narrow strip of arable land. Maize, cotton, vegetables and citrus fruits are the staple crops. Education is available through the primary school level, but work requirements in the fields preclude further education for most students. The villagers still use the agricultural tools and methods of their ancestors, though a new pumping station, the Bayad Hanafaya, lifts the Nile water into a long canal for irrigating farmed land. This canal provides village water for all purposes.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The demonstration farm has catalyzed local farmers to reclaim high desert land for agriculture and introduced the first village operated and installed trickle irrigation system in Egypt.
29 commercial ventures have been established, five new building materials industries have been created which, along with the construction industry, provide 88 new jobs, and small export industries.
A total village clean water system with four wells, six public dual taps, outlets in four industries and four public facilities has been installed, maintained and managed by the villagers.
Complete electrification, public toilets, plaza, leveled streets, home flower gardens, regular spraying to kill flies, and a new pattern of community life have created a new community identity.
The incidence of bilharzia dropped from 80% to 30% in two years. The educational campaign continues and no one uses the canal water anymore.
Malnutrition was virtually eliminated by a supplemental food program.
Over 200 men and women have become literate to the 4th grade level, a model preschool trains 115 of the 130 three to five year olds, and 25-30 women participate in community care structures centered in the new community center.
