The Sudanese Community Development Project (SCDP) was originally established in 2001. Following a survey conducted in the Ain Shams area of Cairo in 2005, which highlighted the many problems facing the Sudanese Refugee Community there, two members of SCDP (Deng Monybuony and Samuel Monyping) received training from Refuge Egypt on the planning and implementation of community self-help projects. Immediately after the course, Deng and Samuel trained a further 18 members of SCDP and the resolution was made to open a Primary and Kindergarten School in Ain Shams, which also offered Adult Education facilities during the evenings.

The aim of the SCDP is to:
	Educate the refugee child population in the Sudanese Community of Ain Shams, Cairo, Egypt.
	To eradicate child illiteracy.
	To enable parents, especially mothers, to be able to work outside the home without having to worry about their children's health and safety.
	To eradicate adult illiteracy through an adult education program.
	To contribute to and promote social, spiritual, and economic growth within the Sudanese refugee community.
	To implement the new "Youth Project". Designed to provide Sudanese youth with constructive outlets for their energy and creativity, while providing Sex Education Forums and trauma counseling to address issues of anger, bereavement, and displacement.

Initially in September 2005, the SCDP rented a tiny ground floor flat in Diriast Street in Ain Shams. Consisting of 5 small rooms, the initial aim for the Centre was to enroll 170 children. Within 2 months the Centre had received over 300 applications and was therefore forced to teach in two shifts (younger children from 7am - midday; and older children from 1pm - 5pm). Initial enrollment fees were used to cover the first few months rent and basic setting up costs (paint, whiteboards, some chairs, stationery etc). Kind donations from other sources assisted in keeping the Centre running throughout the school year 2005 - 2006.

However, by the end of the school year 2006 it became clear that the current premises were incapable of holding the increasing demand for enrollments. The SCDP was therefore forced to begin renting larger premises about 5 minutes walk from the initial flat. It was decided that the new Center would be named "The SCDP Education Centre" and be operated from this new premises.

By September 2008, the SCDP Education centre had more than 395 pupils waiting to start the next academic year. The centre operated successfully from the new larger premises until the summer of 2010 when the villa was suddenly brought by a local developer and torn down for the use of the land. Due to a lack of funding during this time, the SCDP was then forced to rent a much smaller premises near by - basically a small flat. They have been operating the school from this flat since then. There are 3 small classrooms inside the building which are used twice daily for the morning and afternoon teaching shifts. Despite kind donations of whiteboards and pens (which have to be rotated around as many children as possible), the Centre is unable to provide the children with anything to write on or with. There is a distinct lack of educational stimulus, colorful posters, books, toys and all the usual paraphernalia you would expect to find in a School.

In order to accommodate the large number of children in the small space available, The SCDP Education Centre, like its predecessor, is also forced to work in a shift system. The younger ages attend from 7am - midday, and the older ages from 1pm – 5pm. 18 Sudanese teachers work all day 5 days a week. When the Education Centre first started these teachers received their salaries for only 4 months out of 12. The funds for payment of these salaries were taken from the kind donations made by many foreign friends who are sympathetic to the current situation. Every one of these teachers has their own children or siblings for whom they are responsible. Due to this dire situation a number of teachers have been forced to leave the Education Centre in order to find employment which has a guaranteed regular salary. It is a testament to many of the other teachers' commitment to the success of the SCDP that they have stayed working there (often unpaid) rather than leaving to work other jobs which would provide a steady income. Since 2007, the Education Centre is proud to report that teachers' salaries have been paid almost every month. This is thanks to outside donations and the success of the Sponsor A Child System.

Please Help: The SCDP Education Centre desperately needs regular sponsorship in order to cover the basics of operation - rent for the premises and basic teacher salaries (so that they are not forced to leave and work elsewhere). The Centre also needs basic educational equipment and stimuli.

This is the reasoning behind the Sponsor A Refugee Child To Go To School system. Despite the kindly donations made by our foreign friends so far, The SCDP Education Centre cannot survive without regular financial assistance. Please do not allow these refugee children to lose this fantastic opportunity for education.