About Enaam and her activism goals:

Enaam, 44 years old, is an administrative computer manager in the Sharqiya tax evasion department. She is also a member of the local council for the Sharqiya governorate (on the Wafd ticket), and a member of the Egyptian Association for Support of Democratic Development and the Egyptian Association for Human Rights. As an activist, she has worked on providing access to clean water in her town.

What Enaam learned from her OAI experience:

"I gained the ability to rely on myself and persevere in my work and service to my constituents. I also benefited in my personal and social relationships. The workshop also helped me gain the ability to communicate with the team I work with, and even with my family. I also learned good methods of goal-setting, planning, and targeting audiences."

The actions Enaam has taken as a result of her OAI experience:

Enaam, a local council member in Sharqiya, Egypt, wanted to convince the government that her constituents needed access to clean water and sewage systems. After preparing her initial activism plan, she was advised by mentor Nancy Bocskor how to build a case for support.

Working with her Egyptian co-mentor, Dalia, Nancy advised Enaam to interview experts and gather documentation that outlined the problem and its impact on public health. Enaam clearly identified the challenges: since this area is impoverished and has no environmental services, residents dispose of raw sewage and dirty water either in water sources or on plants. This public dumping enable flies and other insects to breed which negatively affects residents’ health and causes many diseases and a ghastly stench. And public disposal of wastes pollutes groundwater and agricultural products, again causing widespread disease.

Enaam interviewed environmental expert Dr. Mohamed Ali, who stated that the situation has a disastrous impact on the health of residents as well as the ecosystem in the area. Ali stressed that polluting the underground water with sewage results in pollution that is very difficult to treat.

Enaam then interviewed residents affected by the pollution. One resident, Shady, stated he suffers from kidney problems because he can’t afford to buy purified water. A farmer told Enaam that disposing sewage on plants kills his crop. Encouraged by Nancy, Enaam also took photos of the pollution (see below) – which provides a visual back-up for her case.

Because of Enaam’s research and courageous work, she reports that the government will now include money in the budget to provide proper sewage disposal and access to clean water. She credits the Online Activism Institute for helping her build a strong case for support.

Enaam is now using what she learned to prepare her campaign for the Egyptian parliament’s 2010 elections.

Gallery

Enaam took these photos, posing with constituents near polluted water sources, to document the water pollution in her town.