The university’s community service program includes 14 student-run community service organizations addressing a range of social issues. Students work with children, the elderly, cancer patients, orphans, the blind and the needy. Every service program offers hands-on experience with civic action, an enhanced awareness of the meaning of citizenship and the opportunity to find solutions, provide comfort and guidance, and assume a leadership role in the community.
From raising money to build a library in an underprivileged village to hosting an on-campus party for orphans, AUC students are actively engaged in community service. AUC’s Community Service Program connects student clubs with NGOs and other service-based agencies to provide a far-reaching and long-term range of services and activities that target the needy.
Community Service Clubs at AUC
Alashanek Ya Balady
Alashanek Ya Balady is the main community service project of the Student Union. The program focuses on making AUC students more involved in contributing to sustainable development in their community. The project activities take place in one of Cairo’s poorest areas, Ain El Sira. Students plan and implement various developmental activities that help improve the social and economic conditions of the Ain El Sira community.
Anti-Cancer Team
The goal of the Anti-Cancer Team is to alleviate pain from the lives of Egyptian children suffering from cancer. The Anti-Cancer Team offers psychological and moral support, emotional counseling and financial aid to cancer patients and their families. It organizes several charity events in order to generate funding for projects directed towards helping the children. These projects include purchasing medicine, covering operation costs and providing essential needs for the Cancer Institute.
Anti-Drug Team
The Anti-Drug Team is the first club on campus that aims to combat the use of drugs among youth. The club informs students of the dangers of narcotics on both the individual and society, and spreads awareness among students through lectures, workshops, support groups, newsletters and films to ensure a better understanding of the drug issue. The club also spreads awareness among the society at large by informing school children of the dangers of drugs.
Best Buddies Club
Best Buddies enhances the lives of people with mental retardation by providing opportunities for socialization and employment. Student volunteers are matched in a one-to-one friendship with mentally retarded people.
Clean and Green Association (CGA)
The association raises environmental awareness among students and addresses the issue of sustainable development.
Friends in Need
Children with special needs, both mentally and physically, are one of the most underprivileged groups in Egyptian society. Providing this group with the attention and help that it critically needs, Friends in Need supports the children both financially and psychologically through parties, visits, fundraising events and other projects.
Hand in Hand
Hand in Hand helps the elderly in Egypt both financially and psychologically through visits and recreational activities, as well as narrowing the generation gap by connecting the elderly with youth and children. The club also raises the awareness of society towards the problems and needs of the elderly in Egypt.
Help Club
The Help Club provides charity, awareness and entertainment to the needy by preparing and distributing food packages, creating awareness campaigns and organizing comedy shows that touch upon social issues of interest to the youth.
Link to Life
Link to Life focuses on serving the blind, deaf and mute. The club raises funds to support them financially, purchase equipment and organize trips to boost their morale. Link to Life also organizes awareness campaigns in order to make society more blind-, deaf- and mute-friendly.
Resala AUC
Resala AUC enhances the lives of underprivileged groups through developmental projects such as building ongoing relationships between students and children living in orphanages. The goal is achieved through the Big Brother/Big Sister program which enables students to assume the role of an elder brother or sister.
Rotaract AUC
Rotaract is an international organization of service clubs for youth aged 18 to 30 that fosters leadership and responsible citizenship. It encourages high ethical standards in business and promotes international understanding and peace. Rotaract AUC, which is sponsored by Rotary Cairo-Zamalek, builds leaders through effective programs. Toward this end, it carries at least one community service project each year.
The Move
The club raises awareness of the problems facing young females in Egypt. Early marriage, illiteracy, discrimination, sexual harassment and circumcision are a few examples of the issues addressed by the club. In addition, the club helps females in poor areas become financially independent by helping them start incomegenerating microprojects.
Student Action for Refugees (STAR)
STAR is committed to working with refugees to improve their lives in exile. The club promotes awareness of refugee rights, offers refugees English and Arabic classes, and organizes art exhibitions and World Refugee Day.
Volunteers in Action (VIA)
VIA is one of the oldest and largest clubs at AUC. The club’s scope of work includes organizing educational and recreational events for orphans. VIA provides literacy classes, helps residents of the Meet Okba district start up microprojects, and distributes new clothes at orphanages and food packages to poor families. The latest project for VIA is helping orphan brides furnish their new homes.
Community Service Projects of Student Conferences
Some of the annual student conferences at AUC have a community service component within the conference. Their activities include:
International Conference on Global Economy (ICGE)
ICGE focuses its work on serving the visually impaired. This goal is realized through establishing microprojects for the families of the physically challenged, providing financial support for the visually impaired and establishing a Web site for interested donors.
International Conference on Information Technology (ICIT)
ICIT teaches needy youth the basics of information technology and organizes computer lessons.
International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC)
ISLC participants carry out community service projects that focus on the human development of children and adults. The development committee organizes entertainment days for orphans at AUC and visits to children in theCancer Institute and Helwan Hospital. ISLC also collaborates with the Association of Development and Enhancement of Women in various women’s initiative projects.
Entrepreneur’s Society (ES)
ES develops educational and cultural activities to a group of street children in the Hope Village. The committee also helps real life cases through a program called Light a Candle. ES is planning to give vocational training to females in the Haggana district to help them support themselves.
Model United Nations Development Program (MUNDP)
MUNDP is the part of the Cairo International Model United Nations (CIMUN) conference that is concerned with the development and betterment of the Egyptian community. MUNDP operates as a link between the AUC community and the underprivileged of our society, and is responsible for four active projects: addressing the problem of malnutrition in the slum area of El Doweiqa; helping the landmine victims in El Dab’aa, Alamein City; improving the living conditions of the residents of El Mahmmodia block in El Mokattam (people whose houses were destroyed in the 1992 earthquake); and providing the residents of El Haggana with shelter, health and education.