Ahmed never imagined that his whole life would change after an incident on a winter day four years ago. On that day, as Ahmed got to the train station on his commute, he spotted a child sleeping on the street, almost naked and trembling – Ahmed himself was shivering from the cold, despite his winter clothes. He admits that he instantly felt both ashamed and helpless; he couldn’t get the image of the child out of his head. He decided at that moment to do something for that child, and other street kids.

With the help of an enthusiastic group of young people in Alexandria, Ahmed launched “Tefl Bare3”, an initiative dedicated to helping street kids reintegrate into society. The initiative engages any homeless youth.

Ahmed and his colleagues quickly realized that the first and most important step in the reintegration process was to teach these kids how to read and write. Next was to develop their individual talents and skills, and to launch organized campaigns in various communities to shatter negative stereotypes and associations with homeless kids, which often lead to ostracism, neglect and cruel treatment.

Founders of the organization seek to help children get out of destitute situations by providing them with support and a conducive environment that nurtures their creativity, and allows them to give back to their communities. The foundation also seeks to protect kids from the consequences of living on the streets, which include many threats such as exploitation and crime.

‘Tefl Bare3’ also organizes rehabilitation programmes for the kids. The programmes are primarily based on developing the kids’ skills and talents, many of whom are very talented, intelligent and keen on learning. A day in the programme starts with reading and writing lessons in the morning, followed by numerous artistic and recreational activities that help the children highlight their potential. The programme also provides the kids with a place to stay, clean clothes and meals throughout the day.

But Ahmed and his colleagues aren’t done – they want to spread hope even further, and expand the reach of their foundation. They hope to open in all Egyptian governorates, to rehabilitate as many street kids as possible, and to raise important social awareness to the community of the needs of these kids, and the dangers that they face, as well as the best ways to deal with them. Finally, they seek to address the causes that lead to the widespread phenomenon, and develop solutions to eliminate this problem completely.