Coptic feeds Cairo's poor in Ramadan for decades

(9 Apr 2023)
EGY CHARITY IFTAR

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 3:13

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cairo, Egypt - 28 March 2023

1. Various of volunteers preparing food at kitchen in Cairo's densely populated area of Shubra
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Gameel Kamel, Coptic Egyptian who launched personal initiative to provide free iftar during Ramadan:
"I came back from the United States less than a week ago, but I wanted to make sure I would attend Ramadan with my family because we work together to prepare food for the communal iftar meal."

3. Various of volunteer making rice
4. Various of volunteers preparing variety of juice, portioning it in plastic bags
5. Poor families waiting for distribution outside kitchen where food is prepared
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Gameel Kamel, Coptic Egyptian who launched personal initiative to provide free iftar during Ramadan:
"(Some) people eat the food at home and we consider this to be more economically efficient because when people used to gather at communal iftar tables, the excess food would be thrown out. But if people are eating at home, the rest of the food is not thrown out because the family can eat the leftovers for the suhour (pre-dawn meal). Or if there are children or elderly people, they can eat the food on several portions."

7. Children waiting outside kitchen with their families
8. People waiting
9. Various of food in clear plastic bags
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Antar Abdelaleem, Cairo resident:
"There is one fabric that ties us together as Christians and Muslim. There is no difference between us, we are all the same. We come here to get food and juice. They provide us with some of everything that they distribute here. We go and have it over iftar with our children."

11. Cross and crescent decoration in street
12. Lantern, popular Ramadan decoration
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Gameel Kamel, Coptic Egyptian who launched personal initiative to provide free iftar during Ramadan:
"This communal iftar dining table is a table for all Egyptians. This is not about unity, or the Muslims alone or the Copts alone. It is a table for all Egyptians and you will see people who come to take food who are not Muslims."

14. Various of people handing out juice to drivers in cars to give something to break their fast with
STORYLINE:

It was 40 years ago that Coptic Egyptian Gameel Kamel decided to hand out free meals during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan to impoverished people from his neighborhood.

Decades later, volunteers work like clockwork to keep his initiative alive and provide free food to residents of the densely populated area of Shubra.

The septuagenarian calls his initiative a "dining table of love" because it brings together Egyptian Muslims and Christians.

He flew back from the United States where he often visits his children to Egypt in time for Ramadan to make sure he gets to help with preparing food for those who need it.

Cairo's neighborhoods are filled with communal gatherings on the streets during Ramadan, launched as personal initiatives to make sure no one is hungry during the fasting month.

Kamel hosts a gathering for people to eat together on the streets, but prefers that people pick up the food and take it home to eat.

"We consider this to be more economically efficient because when people used to gather at communal iftar tables, the excess food would be thrown out," Kamel says.

As volunteers toil in the kitchen to prepare large portions of food to distribute, families in need bring their children and wait outside for the meals.








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