We would like to wish all our readers a blessed 2017, and our Coptic Orthodox readers a blessed Christmas.

No one works with CIDT and CAWU without being changed. Previous staff members and interns form a large family. Now one of our family members, former CAWU intern Ahmed Deiab (short for Ahmed Khaled Abdallah), informed us days ago that he has to undergo a second open heart operation within one year! No heart operation is fun but Ahmed is only 25 years young!  There is no insurance covering this procedure. Ahmed is not giving up and started a campaign asking for support. Can you help him through a donation and promoting his campaign?

Ahmed was born with heart defects, but this was only discovered in January 2016. A month later his aortic valve was replaced by a mechanical one. In October 2016, it was discovered that his mitral valve is failing and his heart is functioning now at 60% efficiency.

In 2013, a fresh graduate from the British University in Egypt, Ahmed, interned with CAWU between June and December. His research at CAWU focused on the Jewish community in Egypt (see: http://www.cawu.org/Interns_2013). He cooperated well with other non-Egyptian interns and staff, and remained in touch with CAWU and other (former) interns after he had ended his internship. Ahmed is very pleasant, cooperative, and social whereby differences in religious beliefs and culture formed no obstacles to him. Ahmed was briefly intern-coordinator in October-November 2015, but he left when he was able to obtain a position as an accountant.

Many other young people would fall into a depression after such shocking news, but not Ahmed.

Ahmed wrote:

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my office at work staring outside through my window, contemplating about my second operation and recalling the medical complications I experienced after my first operation. My heart began to ache, I was sick to my stomach and I was feeling depressed. Then I snapped. I thought I have to stay busy for the next few weeks until find myself getting sedated for the second operation. The idea that came to mind is filming a documentary about what I've been going through.

Ahmed collected a group of fine young people around him who want to make a documentary about the heart operation. Partly to inform a wider audience about such an ordeal but also because open heart surgeries are expensive, and therefore your contributions will be allocated to the partial cost of the surgery and making the documentary. 

Most young people of his age are dreaming of a career in life and forming a family. Ahmed is not different, but now has to fight to overcome the difficulties he is facing.

See his campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/open-heart-a-documentary-film#/

See an English interview with Huda TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7soEp9_j7W0&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

Huda TV is a religious channel and explains the questions about his Muslim faith.

Ahmed has been a positive and contributing member of the CAWU family. For this reason, we want to ask you to support his campaign. You can contribute directly with your credit card, or use PayPal, or make a transfer to the Arab-West Foundation and we will make sure that Ahmed will receive this. If you transfer a donation for Ahmed, please mention his name.

Your much needed support for Ahmed, a member of our CAWU family, will be most appreciated!!!

January 6, 2017

Cornelis Hulsman,

Deputy Chairman, Center for Arab-West Understanding