Supporting the local community
Sherif & Maria have always ben closely involved with the local Bedouins. In 1998 Sherif El Ghamrawy established Hemaya NGO as a stronger tool for Basata to help and support the local community around them.
We help our local community by
Every year at Ramadan we distribute boxes for the poor local families, containing food & dry goods.
We rented out a house from a local Bedouin and turned it into a kindergarten for "Bedouins from Bedouins".
In the afternoon the place serves as a training center for local Bedouin women.
Hemaya collects the garbage from the surrounding local camps & hotels, already pre sorted into organic & non organic waste. The organic waste goes to feeding stations for the Bedouins' animals while the non organic waste is dropped off at our NGO sorting station & is sorted into numerous categories. These are shredded, pressed and packed in order to be sent for recycling to Cairo. About only 15 - 18% of this collected waste ends up at the landfill.
We only work with local bedouin guides to organize all kinds of safari & desert trips.
We always welcome the local Bedouin women at Basata to display & sell their handicrafts.