Maakom Association for Social Aid

At my home university (New York University) I am a Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science double major in my senior year. Many of my political science courses at NYU have touched on development, globalization and political economy. However, these courses have not discussed, development from a developing country's perspective, a topic that I am very interested in learning more about. I am especially interested in learning about developmental theory within a developing country. At NYU development is often presented as an economic process. However, being in Egypt has made me aware of the fact that development is a process that affects the lives of individuals, not figures reflected in GDP growth rates from year to year. This is especially evident in Cairo when one compares the seeming appearance of wealth and modernity in New Cairo with the fact that the average Egyptian monthly salary cannot sustain such a lifestyle.

The notion of development is constantly evolving and being shaped by socio-political processes. Western developed nations set the developmental agenda and they use international organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to implement these ideas. For example, an August issue of the New York Times Magazine dedicated an issue to women in the developing world. One article in particular focused on the fact that developmental strategies should focus on women because of their large numbers and possibility to affect change within their countries. I do not think that there is something necessarily flawed with this process, however, I am very excited to intern for a developmental non-governemtal organization in Egypt because it would provide the opportunity to learn more about the practice of development and how this practice compares with the dominant developmental discourse.

The discrepancy between developmental theory and practice is huge. Theory exists in an ideal world, where achieving one's goals depends on the implementation of an a idea. However, within the practice of development many factors determine an idea's success. The Development Support Center (DSC) is a consultancy firm for non-governmental organizations. It provides training, consultancy services, and assistance in building institutional capacity for their partners. In a developing country like Egypt, where civil society is rather weak, the DSC is instrumental is helping NGOs establish themselves and grow in order to foster civil society and achieve developmental goals. At the same time, the DCS provides a place where NGOs can collaborate on emerging issues. For example, DCS's partners recently worked on a campaign that targeted the unfair treatment of street children by the general population.

When the other interns and I met with the Hala Skukrallah and Wedad Ekkerdaoui from DCS they pointed out that there are many NGOs in Egypt, however, they are very few that are actually working towards developmental goals per say. DSC's partners, including Al Shehab Foundation for Comprehensive Development, Helwan Association for Comprehensive Development, Maakom Association for Social Aid (where I will be interning) and the the Association for Health and Environmental Development, work in various areas of development, some focusing on community development others and others working in activism.

Community organizations, such as the Maakom Association for Social Aid, exist in a space where their primary objective is to meet the basic needs of the community in which they operate. It appears as if they provide basic goods and services to the local population. I choose to intern for Maakom because of their work in the community. I believe that one of the reasons for the failure of developmental policies is poor governmental policies. At their core NGO's, like Maakom, fill in for governmental ineffectiveness. Unfortunately, I have not been able to meet with Maakom yet, so I do not have a clear idea of the tasks that I will be working on but I hope that I will be interacting with members of the Helwan community in order to learn more about their needs and hopes for development.

I also hope that I can help Maakom with tasks related to my English speaking skills. Although Maakom works locally, strong English skills might be useful in helping Maakom secure international assistance. This summer, I interned for an non-for-profit as a Fundraising Coordinator. I contacted many grantmaking foundations and I have learned that there are many foundations exist whose function is to provide funding to non-for-profits working in development, especially for those working within developing countries.

Developmental theories go in and out of fashion. In the 1970s development focused on economic growth. Recently, development has re-focused on achieving sustainable development, where social rather than economic development is emphasized. Like the issues of the New York Times Magazine that focused on women and their potential role in development. However, I believe that before any of these goals can be reached, individual's basic needs must be provided for. NGOs like Maakom are very crucial in this regard.