Egypt's homeless children hope for a better life after elections

Countless Egyptians living in the streets of the capital Cairo and other cities across the country say their patience is wearing thin after 15 months since President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.

The homeless children, however, keep hope that change will come about, despite having to continuously look out for their wellbeing while sometimes being in the midst of clashes between demonstrators and security.

One of the many charities that continues to cater to homeless children and single mothers despite the country experiencing economic hardships is the Hope Village Association in the Cairo's Sayedda Zeinab neighbourhood.

Ahmed Taher is one of many homeless children that have escaped from a violent home and ended up facing other kinds of violence on the street, including drug abuse. He hopes for an end to street children's suffering.

"I hope that if a president takes power that he follows through on the demands of the [street] children, and everything that people want is met, and that there will be no such thing as street children anymore or these organizations that support them. And that if a new president takes over, everyone will have the chance to live in a home, with respect, and that there won't be any difference between rich and poor."

The center's director, Ismail Abdelaziz, says he trains social workers to take the children off the streets and bring them into the shelter, where they are bathed, fed and taken to the doctor if they suffer from any health problems.

As for the young mothers who live in the shelter but are part of the Al Amal Young Mothers Association, they say they have been barely relieved from their personal hardships and societal stigma, long after the revolution began.

Ayah is one of many mothers at the association who are underage, raped, and abandoned or have escaped a violent home.

"As soon as I was out in the street I was raped. Then I went to jail for three years. Many bad things happened to me. I learned how to smoke cigarettes; I learned many bad things that messed me up. But from the time I came here, I forgot all of the bad things that happened. I decided to start my life over. I went out on the streets in order to destroy myself, because I hated myself and did not really want to live."

Al Amal Young Mothers' Association director, Fatma Barada said that the political transition that Egypt has been experiencing has negative and positive outcomes. While charities have been suffering from aid deficiency due to ongoing economic strife, social issues such as homelessness have been given more attention.

One thing Egyptians believe they have in common is the desire for the new government to result from imminent presidential elections is to address the issues which have been ignored or mishandled from the previous regime.