Christians in the Dump

Quite literally, Some Christians that live in Cairo live in a garbage city.  All of the trash from Cairo is picked up by these men and brought the city.  The women (who never wear the gloves supplied to them) then sort through it and organize it, green bottles here, cardboard there etc.  Then it goes on to the next level where it is shredded and in many cases melted down to make other things.  They are able to reuse much more than we do.

So why the Christians?  Brief history: these Egyptians converted to Christianity in the 1st century [insert tons of history here] and have been here since.  They are known as the Coptic Christians and a group of them  found that they can make their livelihoods sorting garbage.

They live on the side of Cairo, somewhat on the side of a cliff.  Most people in Cairo don't even know where this place is.  A couple NGOs have set up schools and places for young women to work for fair wages making rugs out of recycled rugs etc.  Anyhow even at the schools they teach them numbers but they also teach them about what can and can't be recycled.  It's fascinating, many of them aren't living as poorly as you would imagine, the roads are a mess but apparently the actual apartments are clean.  Unfortunately diseases are common.

Anyhow, further up the hill is the monastery.  It's clean and gorgeous, there are carvings all over the side of the cliff and the actual chapels themselves are in caves.  The largest on is in the side of the hill and seats 10,000 people for church!  It's incredible, most of it is within the rock itself.  Absolutely fascinating.