Beyond our Boundaries
We don’t believe in just enriching the planet and the Under the Nile community, but also the lives of everyone around us.
We believe we have a responsibility for good stewardship to grow and enhance the communities surrounding us.
Chamomile Children
When I first started visiting Egypt back in 1998, I was astonished to see so many children doing manual labor, especially in the countryside where extreme poverty is apparent.
This is why Sekem started the Chamomile Program - they realized that if they did not take these children under their wing, that they could end up working for not so nice people down the road.
The program takes in children living in poverty in the surrounding villages to the Sekem farm daily, where they receive three meals, health care check-ups, and clothing while being taught essential life lessons.
Most importantly, the children are required to attend the Sekem School full time in order to be in the program. After school, they pick chamomile flowers supervised by a social worker. In turn, they receive a full day’s wage for a half-day of work. These children’s parents only accepted the idea of their children attending school because of the daily wage they still earn. This not only benefits the families by providing a source of income, but the children and their communities as well, by breaking the cycle of poverty through education.
It is a program that benefits everyone.
Supportive Work Environment
Multiple programs exist at the Sekem farm to provide opportunities for working mothers and the disabled. From creating a daycare located close to the farm, to developing a special needs program for the disadvantaged – we believe in providing equal opportunity for all members of the community to grow and advance as a whole.
