Mr. Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, and other VIP guests and members of the media, have visited our Material Recovery Facility (MRF), which opened recently in Marsa Alam.

HEPCA was honoured to welcome the VIP guests to the Marsa Alam Facility on 16th May 2008. The visit was a huge success and reinforces the cooperation between HEPCA and The Coca-Cola Company, whose generous sponsorship has helped to develop both the Facility and HEPCA’s Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Red Sea.

The Facility serves hotels, resorts, dive centres and other sections of the community in the Marsa Alam area and provides an at-source waste separation scheme; collection and transportation for separated waste items; sorting, processing and recycling of waste; and management of a controlled dumpsite for non-recyclables. The Facility offers employment opportunities for the local community and also generates income from the selling on of recyclable material.

Mr. Isdell and the other VIP guests toured the Facility after receiving a traditional welcome from the local Bedouin community. A sculpture was unveiled and a tree planted to commemorate the visit, and a number of presentations were given. Massive thanks to everyone who made the day such a great success.

HEPCA is currently working on the provision of a second MRF in Hurghada.

See photos of the event in our Gallery.

Mrs. Laura Bush, The First Lady of the USA, has praised the work of HEPCA and other Egyptian NGOs on her official visit to Sharm El Sheikh this week.

Amr Ali, Managing Director of HEPCA, was honoured to be invited to present the work of HEPCA personally to Mrs. Bush and leading members of the US Congress.

On the morning of 17th May 2008, Amr gave a powerpoint presentation to a Congressional Delegation which included Congressman Brian Bird (who turned out to be a diver) and Congressman Christopher Shays.

In the afternoon, the First Lady and other VIPs visited Ras Cathy dive site in Sharm El Sheikh aboard a glass bottom boat in order that they could experience first hand the underwater life of the Red Sea. Dr. Mohamed Salem, Head of the South Sinai Protectorates, briefed the First Lady on the South Sinai Protectorates and interpreted the plentiful marine life. Amr Ali and Seifalla Hassanein, Environment Team Leader and Antiquities Grant Officer for USAID, briefed the First Lady on the LIFE Red Sea project and USAID – HEPCA cooperation.

The First Lady was very happy with the tour and very impressed with the reef. At the end of the tour she gave the following statement:

MRS. BUSH: “This has been a very interesting and really beautiful tour of this Ras Mohammed National Park. This is a national protected marine area in Egypt because of the fabulous coral reefs that are below.

I was with people who are scientists here - NGOs that are working to - with the government, to make sure all of this stays protected; members of USAID who also are partnering in this effort to let people be able to see these fabulous coral reefs, but at the same time protect the coral reefs forever. And one of the things they're working on is ecotourism, bringing people here who come specifically to look at the coral reefs and look at the fish that we got to see when we were below, but also are very involved in the environment themselves have come with the idea of being able to protect what they're looking at.

So it was terrific. I hope you all got to see when you were down there a little bit with me how - what fabulous sights we got and how unbelievable the fish were and what a beautiful world we have. Thank you all.”

Photos of the visit can be seen at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080517-4.html

HEPCA has been awarded the contract for Phase Two of the groundbreaking Madrasty Project, the biggest campaign so far for equal education in Egypt. This initiative hits right at the heart of Egypt’s primary school education system, and links quality education with quality environment.

In Phase One of the Madrasty for schools’ renovation and reform project completed last year, HEPCA successfully carried out physical renovations of 40 underprivileged schools in six of the most remote governorates in Egypt. Bathrooms and classrooms were overhauled. Libraries and playgrounds were developed, in many cases for the first time. A board of trustees of each school receives HEPCA training in internal governance, fund raising, advocacy and financial management. The children learn about environmental initiatives, volunteerism, hygiene and communications skills.

Phase Two of the project sees HEPCA take responsibility for 50 schools in 10 governorates throughout Egypt. Hundreds of kids have positively benefited from Phase One of this project, and we look forward to making a similar impact with Phase Two.

HEPCA’s work on Madastry is undertaken with the support of Vodafone, private investors and other NGOs to help minimise the gap between economically privileged students and others less fortunate.

Continuing it's policy of 'technology transfer', the HEPCA mooring team recently completed the installation of 50 moorings in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea.

Special thanks are due to the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), who worked together with us on Phase One of this project. In addition to installation, HEPCA is providing a one year maintenance program, and a training scheme for boat skippers/captains on proper use of the moorings.

HEPCA aims to spread the mooring culture throughout the Red Sea region including other parts of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Aqaba in Jordan, and Djibouti. We are very proud that HEPCA’s 15 years experience and knowledge in selecting, installing and maintaining mooring systems is now being transferred to neighbouring countries.

In a unique initiative, volunteer divers working as dive professionals in the Safaga area have joined forces with the HEPCA mooring team to help maintain existing and install new Safaga mooring systems.

The volunteer divers have all been trained in the use of the special mooring equipment and gained first hand experience of installation techniques. This important community partnership will help to enhance the sustainability of the mooring systems and we hope to launch similar partner schemes elsewhere in the Red Sea soon.

HEPCA is currently installing new moorings throughout the Egyptian Red Sea areas of Hurghada, Safaga and El Gouna. Using a special new double manta system, we are doubling the number of moorings in the Red Sea in a mammoth project that will be completed by the end of 2008.