Amidst Egypt’s recent unrest, REI’s staff member is safe in the USA.

In the past two weeks, it would have been hard to avoid hearing of the unrest that is currently occurring in Egypt. The protests calling for President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation began on January 25. Cairo’s poverty was one of the main instigators for the protests, along with complaints about rising food prices, social exclusion, anger over corruption within the President’s National Democratic Party, and difficulty in finding jobs for many young people.

Many of the poor in Cairo are the “Zabbaleen” (or “garbage collectors”) who live in “Garbage City.” They collect and recycle much of the garbage produced by Cairo residents, and REI’s staff member in Cairo works among these people, dedicating her skills and time to those who live on the outskirts of Egyptian society.

(To learn more about the Zabbaleen people, view these videos: description of Zabbaleen people and Egyptian Unrest and Zabbaleen children learn photography).

People young and old stood in the streets chanting, “The people want the fall of the regime.” Mubarak has resisted resignation, but has made quite a number of concessions to try to appease the protestors. The protestors, however, are not backing down easily and have resolutely continued their cries for justice. Violence ensued after pro-Mubarak marchers tried to gain access to Tahrir Square, a site of anti-government protests, and protestors on both sides resorted to throwing stones and petrol bombs at each other.

The entire political landscape of Egypt has changed. It is unclear what Egypt’s future will hold.

(To read about the unrest in greater detail, visit this BBC article. View a video about the social change that these protests have encouraged here.)

Amidst the political chaos occurring in Egypt, REI’s home office received some good news: REI’s staff member who lives and works in Egypt was residing safely in the USA. While she would normally have left Egypt at the end of January to visit family in the USA, she had left a few days earlier because her daughter is pregnant. She missed the beginning of the protests by just a couple of days. And, because of a grandbaby coming, she had decided to stay in the USA for three months instead of her normal two.

Moreover, many foreigners’ residences in the city had been targets of looting. However, before she left, she had also moved her computer and some other valuable possessions to a house she owns in another part of Egypt because of some problems she’d been experiencing in her city apartment.

We rejoice that our REI staff member has experienced the peace that comes from just barely missing a crisis! And we feel deeply for Egyptians in this time of turmoil and change, especially those friends of our REI staff member. They are in our thoughts.

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Note: Image from this BBC Article and Getty Images.