[:en]Fundraising for the Core Program of Heliopolis University[:ar]جمع التبرعات للبرنامج الأساسي لجامعة هليوبوليس[:]

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The Dutch SEKEM Friends Association is extending their support for the Core Program of Heliopolis University to finally achieve the realization of building a House of Cultures. Digna Donze and Hendrik Jan Bakker, two ambitious members of the Dutch SEKEM Friends write about their activities.

About five years ago, when Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development was still to be opened, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish introduced the idea to develop a cultural institution for the exchange of knowledge and ideas between east and west, north and south: a House of Cultures. It involves exchanges in various fields ranging from culture and religion to environmental and food issues.

SEKEM has informally been working along these lines for years and is itself a wonderful result of this approach. SEKEM works for instance on sustainable solutions for the food shortage in Egypt and on tolerance between the different religious communities in the surrounding villages. Regularly people from different countries visit SEKEM, who are dealing with similar interests. They contribute to SEKEM or collect ideas to solve problems back home. Hence, the exchange of ideas and practices took place informally and on a small scale.

In anticipation of this, we started strengthening the Core Program of Heliopolis University, which is obligatory for all students, fostering social and cultural education. Once the Core Program is firmly established, the focus will be shifted to build up the House of Cultures in a separate building.

Since a lot of funding is required, which neither Heliopolis University nor the SEKEM Development Foundation or the European SEKEM Friends Associations possess, project applications have been submitted to international funds, such as Oxfam Novib, the Anna Lindh Foundation and Erasmus+. Arjen Schamhart and Erik Prins were approached as professional fundraisers. Arjen Schamhart has made his mark with conducting the financing of SEKEMs School for Children with Special Needs in collaboration with the Dutch development aid organisation “Wilde Ganzen” and with clarifying the financial accounts of SEKEMs Community School. Erik Prins was working for Wageningen University.

Their work is pre-financed by the SEKEM Development Foundation together with the Dutch and German SEKEM Friends Associations.

Authors: Digna Donze and Hendrik Jan Bakker

Bert de Graaff and Digna Donze (board members of the Dutch SEKEM Friends Association) oversee the fundraising activities and work together with Dr. Dahlia Khalil, head of the Core Program of Heliopolis University, who is functioning as a spokesperson in this context.

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تقدم جمعية أصدقاء سيكم الهولنديين دعمها للبرنامج الأساسي لجامعة هليوبوليس من أجل بناء بيت الثقافات. ديغنا دونز وهندريك جان باكر، عضوان طموحات من أصدقاء سيكيم الهولنديين يتحدثان عن أنشطتهما قبل حوالي خمس سنوات.

قدم الدكتور إبراهيم أبو العيش فكرة تطوير مؤسسة ثقافية لتبادل المعرفة والأفكار بين الشرق والغرب والشمال والجنوب: بيت الثقافات. وهو يشمل التبادل في مختلف المجالات بدءا من الثقافة والدين إلى القضايا البيئية والغذائية. وقد عملت سيكم بشكل غير رسمي على طول هذه الخطوط لسنوات، وهي في حد ذاتها نتيجة رائعة لهذا النهج. تعمل سيكم على حلول مستدامة لنقص الغذاء في مصر وعلى التسامح بين مختلف الطوائف الدينية في القرى المحيطة. ويزور الناس سيكم بانتظام من بلدان مختلفة. تسهم سيكم في جمع الأفكار لحل المشاكل في الوطن. ومن ثم، فإن تبادل الأفكار والممارسات يجري بصورة غير رسمية وعلى نطاق صغير. وتحسبا لهذا، بدأنا تعزيز البرنامج الأساسي لجامعة هليوبوليس، وهو إلزامي لجميع الطلاب، وتعزيز التعليم الاجتماعي والثقافي. وبمجرد أن يتم تأسيس البرنامج الأساسي بشكل ثابت، سيتم تحويل التركيز إلى بناء بيت الثقافات في مبنى منفصل.

وبما أن هناك حاجة إلى الكثير من التمويل الذي لا تمتلكه جامعة هليوبوليس ولا مؤسسة سيكم للتنمية أو جمعيات أصدقاء سيكم الأوروبية، فقد تم تقديم طلبات المشاريع إلى صناديق دولية مثل أوكسفام نوفيب ومؤسسة آنا ليند وإيراسموس ارجن شامهارت و إيريك برينز كانت تقترب من جمع التبرعات المهنية. وقد ساهمت آرجين شامهارت في  تمويل مدرسة سيكم للأطفال ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة بالتعاون مع منظمة المعونة الإنمائية الهولندية “وايلد غانزن” ومع توضيح الحسابات المالية للمدرسة المجتمعية سيكم. كان إريك برينز يعمل في جامعة واجينينجن. ويتم تمويل عملهم مسبقا من قبل مؤسسة سيكم للتنمية جنبا إلى جنب مع جمعية أصدقاء سيكم الهولندية والألمانية. يشرف كلا من بيرت دي غراف و ديغنا دونز (أعضاء مجلس إدارة جمعية أصدقاء سيكم الهولنديين) على أنشطة جمع التبرعات والعمل مع الدكتورة داليا خليل، رئيس البرنامج الأساسي لجامعة هليوبوليس.

Authors: Digna Donze and Hendrik Jan Bakker

Bert de Graaff and Digna Donze (board members of the Dutch SEKEM Friends Association) oversee the fundraising activities and work together with Dr. Dahlia Khalil, head of the Core Program of Heliopolis University, who is functioning as a spokesperson in this context.

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MED-WET Partners Participate in Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, October 2024, Portugal

[:en] The MED-WET partners, including the team from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, had the opportunity to showcase their excellent results at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, held during (9-13) October 2024 in Portugal. This event provided a wonderful platform to widely share the project’s advancements, exchange insights, and engage with various international stakeholders in the water, energy and agricultural sectors. During the fair, the HUSD team actively participated in a parallel conference, where they delivered in-depth presentations and speech covering the MED-WET’s goals, achievements, and importance in advancing sustainable water management for climate-resilient agriculture among the rural and desert communities. At the heart of their presence was the MED-WET stand, which attracted significant attention of the majority of participants. It served as a focal point for information dissemination, providing an interactive space where farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, and researchers could learn more about the project’s innovative approaches to water conservation and irrigation technology in arid regions. The stand featured detailed explanations of the project’s outcomes, including key findings and 3-D prototypes of the three technologies “Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco”. This obviously proven the MED-WET’s success in realizing efficient water management practices that contributed to sustainable farming and addressed water scarcity challenges in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair was a highly productive experience for all participants. It allowed the MED-WET team to expand their network, raise awareness about the critical issue of water scarcity, and underscore the project’s role in promoting sustainable agricultural practices across the Mediterranean region. The fair highlighted the increasing importance of collaborative efforts in addressing water conservation and irrigation challenges in agriculture, reinforcing the relevance of the MED-WET initiative. [:]

[:en]Showcasing the Med-Wet Project: Partners Participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Marketplace in Cairo[:]

[:en] One of the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development’s successful research projects called “MED-WET” is selected among the top successful and highest performing 20 EU–Prima projects worldwide this year 2024. An international conference and fair was conducted on 3 Oct., 2024 in Cairo organized by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in association with the European Commission (EC) office in Cairo. In which, a team from HUSD and MED-WET’s partner countries from Malta and Germany presented the key results of the MED-WET project, including the successfully developed three technologies (Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco). That mega event allowed HUSD to showcase the innovative solution of the low-cost, low-energy and nature-based “Instream Constructed Wetland” model addressing water challenges and climate change in the Mediterranean. Such innovations aim to conserve water, improve irrigation efficiency and tackle water scarcity (climate-resilient agriculture). The marketplace offered meaningful exchanges with international partners. HUSD’s team discussed potential collaborations with stakeholders who are interested in new research projects, which will help further amplify the impact of the Med-Wet project. The conversations done with promising future partners underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation and innovation in addressing complex environmental challenges, on the top of them “water scarcity and climate change”. [:]

[:en]Announcement: Heliopolis University Low Carbon Energy Report Released![:]

[:en]Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is proud to announce the release of our latest report on Low Carbon Energy Usage across campus! This report highlights our commitment to a greener future by measuring the amount of low-carbon energy utilized in our operations. Through this analysis, we’re taking bold steps toward sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. Key Highlights: A detailed breakdown of renewable energy sources powering our campus Insights on energy efficiency improvements across our facilities Actionable goals for expanding clean energy use in the coming years Together, we’re paving the way for a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this report possible! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a 100% low-carbon campus! #HeliopolisUniversity #SustainableFuture #LowCarbonEnergy #CleanEnergy See the report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/122aDtID_M3wxZSzZnKuzx-VcHolUbxh5/view?usp=sharing[:]