Gaza’s Ark is a joint initiative by the Palestinians in Gaza, including the Palestine Sailing Federation and the Fishermen’s Solidarity Campaign, and international solidarity activists and organizations.
In this initiative, a boat will be refurbished by Palestinian shipbuilders in Gaza and stocked with Palestinian goods and products, then sail through international waters with both Palestinians and internationals on board. The goal is to challenge the ongoing, illegal Israeli blockade and focus worldwide attention on the situation in Gaza and the complicity of the governments that support it or look the other way.

القيام بفعاليات ومبادرات عديدة ومتنوعة,
ومنها ( حملة صور ع الماشي) والتي تهدف الى توثيق معالم المدينة الحضارية والاثرية
مبادرة (ncc) وهي ترشيح كادر مثقف من الشباب الخريجين من خلال التدريب بالمهارات المختلفة
وقفات تضامن مختلفة بعد الحرب على غزة ,

2003, Abanos started its first program named "Sudan'~Lands" with 11 Sudanese refugee children. In this program, the children learnt about their home land, its different regions, the characteristics of each region, this was through different art activities such as: Singing, Theatre, story telling, Poetry and Painting.
2003, Our Sudanese children performed a play titled "The Moon Boba". The play is written by Abeer Al-Ansary, the Chairman and Founder of Abanos and directed by Mohammed Elishi. It was performed (luring "Africa in a Week" festival.
In 26 January 2004, Abanos celebrated the "Sudanese Child Day", Abanos invited the Sudanese children living in Egypt: The Children of the Association of Building and Developing the South Community, Children of the Sudan's Children Charity, children of Sudia Association and the children of Upper Egypt.
2004, Abanos organized abnosiat exhibition 2004 summer course.
2005, Formation of children choir as a channel of children to address and promote issues related to their ESC rights.
2006, Production of (a child to child) news letter, which children participate in writing, drawing,
2006, Production of a documentary film that illustrates certain aspects of Arbaa wa Nus children lives.
2007, Women project for fashion desire and crasto.
2007, exhibition for women products.
Objectives:
• The promotion of the child's sense of dignity arid worth, arid which takes into account the child's age and the desirability of promoting.
• To recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child arid to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.
• Elimination poverty and the state of aimlessness that leads to the spread of violence and delinquency among the children in need.
• The promotion and protection of the children's economic, social and cultural rights.
• To activate and implement the international human rights documents related to the children's rights and ratified by the Egyptian government.
• To raise the awareness of the society of the necessity of the realization of the children's ESC rights.
• To improve the ESC rights of the marginalized social classes; to raise their educational and cultural level and to develop their skills and potentials.
• To emerge a social dialogue about the necessity of achieving and realizing the children's ESC rights.
• To improve the artistic sense in the marginalized communities in order to raise tile public sense and put an end to the prevailed state of violence.
• To promoting the child's sense of dignity and worth, to reinforces the child's respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others.
Specific Aims:
• Elimination of ignorance and illiteracy of children and women in the haphazard areas.
• Elimination the Computer illiteracy among the children.
• Teaching the limited-income women and children how to generate their income through vocational training.
• Collecting the children's rights resources and provide them for those who are interested in promoting and protecting children's rights.
• Promoting the child's reintegration and the child's assuming a constructive role in society through focusing on every child's positive characteristics.
• Initializing a dialogue between adults and children around the children's concerns and questions, through which Abanos' staff can identify the most needed.
Interventions:
• Raising that child's and mothers' cultural level to eliminate the harmful practices.
• Employing art as a means to deliver Abanos' human rights, cultural and educational message.
• Providing children and women with the mental and psychological health care, if needed.

We create opportunities for low-income artisans around the world to build profitable businesses inspired by handmade traditions. We offer access to new markets, business training, eco-effective processes and design innovation through a network of partners to promote sustainable growth and community well-being.

Main Project:
A core group of 150 students, previously trained in electoral education, representing 6 universities, and belonging to the same Face Book group, will attend a three-day workshop. Each group of 25 students will be trained separately. Four trainers will give classes and these are: Dr. Saber Abdelaal Abokhadra, Ahmed Abdelaleem, Esaam Abdelaziz, and Ahmed Abdelqader. Each day will consist of 6 hours of training. The venue will be the headquarters of AFESP. Day 1 will provide students with a theoretical framework; Day 2 will expose students to a data show; Day 3 will focus on practice such as simulations and screening documentary films about the previous elections
Each student from the previous group will recruit another student from his/her university. This will create a second group of 150 students, representing 6 universities, who will attend the same three-day workshop. Each group of 25 students will be trained separately. Four trainers will give classes and these are: Dr. Saber Abdelaal Abokhadra, Ahmed Abdelaleem, Esaam Abdelaziz, and Ahmed Abdelqader. Each day will consist of 6 hours of training. The venue will be the headquarters of AFESP. Day 1 will provide students with a theoretical framework; Day 2 will expose students to a data show; Day 3 will focus on practice such as simulations and using documentary films about the previous elections)
Holding pre- and post-workshop questionnaires. Questionnaire forms will be distributed before the training, and then it will be redistributed at the end of the training to make a comparison. The forms will be distributed and will contain questions about: the importance of participation (e.g. Have you ever participated in elections?); how to register for elections (e.g. How much do you know about registration?); the importance of having a voting card; the importance of elections of all kinds; and previous experience in elections. The purpose is to identify the students who already have a voting card and motivate those students who don't have a voting card and give them the necessary technical support and guidance to do so
Task: 1.5. The 300 students who were trained will recruit 1800 students (every student will attract 6 eligible voters) to the headquarters of the association where an interview, recorded on a CD, will be held. The employees of the project will assist students as they fill in a form containing their personal information and give them a copy of the CD. The topics contained in the CD are: Understanding the registration process; The importance of participation (e.g. have you ever participated in elections?); How to choose and to evaluate the candidate according to his/ her program and the electoral message; The role of volunteers in the electoral campaign; Highlight the stipulations of the new constitution on the practice of political rights and explain the differences between the new and the old constitution

FAMILY You, Me and the Trajectories of a Post-Everything Era: for information kindly visit the project's website: www.thefamilyproject.info, November-December, 2005
Establishing an up to date library, with the latest books on contemporary art, artists and visual culture. An ongoing project.
Time and the Other: an Exhibition by Beirut based artist Lamia Joreige. February-March, 2006
Winter & Hoerbelt Prototype for an Advanced Outdoor Visual Culture - in Collaboration with Art Students from Alexandria: A project designed to tackle the issue of how to develop and implement awareness towards socially based outdoor sculpture. Starting March, 2006

1)Campaigns monitoring elections :(2011 parliamentary elections , 2010 parliamentary elections , 2008 Local councils elections , 2007 Mid renewal elections for Shura Council , 2007 workers union elections , 2006/2007 Judges Club elections , 2009 , Alzamalk club elections ,2009 lawyers syndicate elections )
2) Training courses regarding Human Rights targeting ( Media people , civil society workers , lawyers , Media researchers

Does not have a place for the implementation of the projects did not receive funding, but he participated in the implementation of several training for youth on political participation, as well as training of journalists on freedom of opinion and expression and the legal framework governing them to participate with other centers.

Ongoing projects:
• Towards establishing a think tank to support the Iraqi Parliament (2009-2011)
• Regional organizations and freedom of association project:
• The Third Sector in the Mediterranean:
• The privatization of Essential services and its effects, and how to deal with this effects through international network:
• Public participation through local councils and communities:
Previous projects :
• Study project: :" The protest movements in the Arab Region" (2009-2010)
• EU security policies and their implication on the Mediterranean (June 2010):
• "A new context for Islamic movement" experts' meeting (May 2010):
• Media between professionalism and Politics - The aftermath of Egypt Algeria games ( February 2010):
• Critical Dialogue Between Different Political Forces (2009-2010):
• Joint workshop with CIDOB " Reform in Egypt: political, economical and social challenges": Barcelona- ( November 2009):
• Report about: "Anti- terrorism law in Egypt", (August 2009):
• Discourse analysis for President's Obama Speech in Cairo, 4th of (June 2009):
• Training a pool of University Lecturers from Iraq on Parliamentary Systems (March 2009):
• Project: Training for Iraqi University Professors on Human Rights and Democratic Values (June 2008):
• Workshop: "The Laws of Civil Society: Experiences and Expertise" (May 2008):
• Seminar: The future of the reform process in Egypt (April 2008):
• Conference: "The right of free associations and the laws governing CSO" (December 2007):
• Seminar: "Civil Society, Human Rights and Democracy" in the Mashrek region (April 2007):
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Ongoing projects:
• Towards establishing a think tank to support the Iraqi Parliament (2009-2011)
Arab Forum for Alternatives (AFA) in cooperation with Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and Association for University Lecturers in Iraq (AUL) The Iraqi institutions and people are at cross-roads and will be thinking about the political System they need to restore. There is a need for a comprehensive political strategy to ensure that the state is built on legitimate institutions capable of ensuring stability and the rule of law. Parliaments play a fundamental role in establishing the rule of law and overseeing transparent governance processes. Hence, the effectiveness of the Iraqi Parliament (here after referred to as the Council of Representatives) in representing the people's needs and interests will be one of the main emerging issues in the future of Iraq. However, the complexity of the operational, political and sectarian environment in Iraq affects the Parliament's ability to perform and to fulfil its main functions: legislative, representative and oversight.
The main demands of the Iraqi parliament in the period following the current legislative elections are:
-Enhancing the institutional capacities of the parliament, and providing the necessary experience and resources.
- building the capacities of the Iraqi parliamentarians themselves, on the political and the legislative aspects.
Therefore, the general objective of the project is to enhance the capacities of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and its specialized committees in the fields of: education, public health, gender, transparency and accountability.
This objective can be met through the establishment of a think tank specialized in parliamentary affairs, providing consultancy, lobbying and providing the parliament with the necessary studies and policy recommendations in the fields mentioned, through university professors specialized in Parliamentary Affairs and public policies.
• Regional organizations and freedom of association project:
In cooperation with the International Centre for Non - Profit Law, the Arab Forum for Alternatives is preparing a monthly report about the ongoing developments through 2010 in the Organization of the Islamic Conference and league of Arab States about the freedom of Association and the partnership with Civil Society organizations.
• The Third Sector in the Mediterranean:
In partnership with "Fondazione Roma Terzo Settore "and the" Institute Jacques Maritain", The forum is conducting a research about Civil society organizations in Egypt as part of a research project called: "The Third Sector in the Mediterranean" a comparative analysis of social contexts, strategies and aims connected to the Third Sector in some countries of the Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey).
• The privatization of Essential services and its effects, and how to deal with this effects through international network:
In partnership with "Development Support Centre" & "Oxfam/Novib", The Forum is conducting a research about the "Privatization of essential services" The study aims to present a general view of the neo-liberal policies and its development concerning the privatization process (in particular water and health sectors) in addition to the workers' measures, its impacts on the Arab region and procedures made to resist the process and its local, regional and international mechanism.
• Public participation through local councils and communities:
A study in Collaboration with Danish Egyptian Dialogue institution, AFA is conducting a research about the public participation through local councils and communities. The study aims to enhance this participation through 2 main parts the first part concerns the Egyptian situation, the second part will be the responsibility of DEDI and will be tackling the Danish experience in this field. Also AFA will be in charge to add a chapter at the end of the study comparing both experiences and what are the lesson learned from the Danish experience that can be adopted in the Egyptian context.
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Previous projects :
• Study project: :" The protest movements in the Arab Region" (2009-2010)
Since the 90s, it is noticeable that the social movements have been playing a growing role in various fields, for instance: the democratization in Eastern Europe, facing the imperialistic policies in Latin America, and the anti- globalization movements created internationally to face the neo-liberal policies of the globalization.
It is difficult to describe the mobility witnessed lately in the Arab World as social movements, according to its scientific definition. However, the traces or beginnings of such movements are remarkable in many Arab countries, such as: Anti- globalization movements, movements seeking democratic change, labour movements, anti- inflation movements… These movements were all created for several reasons, such as: the socio-economic crisis in the region, the waves of democratization rising around the world, and also the different crises witnessed in the Arab World (such as the second Intifada 2000, and the war on Iraq 2003…).
Hence, we can consider those aspects of mobility in the Arab society as protest movements, using tools to express their rejection of the pressure of these crises, but often taking inefficient , or not organized ways of action, taking course, most of the times, outside the syndical or partisan framework.
Therefore, this study is conducted to figure out whether these protest movements are an embryo of real social movements, who might induce a positive change in the Arab region, or if they are simply a part of the situation of chaos the region is living currently. For many reasons, on top of which are the relatively mature civil society, diversity and density, this study chose four countries representing different parts of the Arab World as models: Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Bahrain.
This study is conducted in cooperation with Centre for Arab Unity Studies (based in Beirut, Lebanon) the Book is currently printing..
• EU security policies and their implication on the Mediterranean (June 2010):
INEX project in cooperation with CIDOB, The project is concerned with the implications of EU security policy-making in the Mediterranean. The implications to be considered are those on human security and to what extent the EU does to secure itself is consistent with its own commitment to security in the Mediterranean—not only in terms of state security, but also human security (on both shores of the Mediterranean).
The Arab Forum for Alternatives is conducting the part of this project related to the implications of the EU security policies on Egypt.
• "A new context for Islamic movement" experts' meeting (May 2010):
The first experts' Egyptian-German in Cairo to discuss condition of the Islamic movements after the 9/11 attack and how it affected the American policies towards the "new" middle east.
The meeting was held on the 10th may in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung to exchange opinions about the recent events in the Arab region (Lebanese elections, Hamas and Fatah conflict, the recent Egyptian political mobility and the Sudanese issue).
• Media between professionalism and Politics - The aftermath of Egypt Algeria games ( February 2010):
The football game between the Egyptian and the Algerian football teams last November raised a bunch of profound psychological and political repercussions, which led to a growing tension in their mutual relations; and the altercation, and the "name- calling" between the media of both countries reached an unprecedented level of insults and offences. These events raised the following question: what made a football game, no matter how important it is or the amount of sensitivity accompanying it, raise all these crises? And how did the media mobilization succeed, so easily, in piling up and mobilizing millions of spectators in both Egypt and Algeria, turning being a football fan, or the right of cheering the national football team into a war scene between the two people. This Seminar was organised jointly with the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute.
• Critical Dialogue Between Different Political Forces (2009-2010):
AFA is organizing a research project headed by the Arab Reform Initiative in France. The project deals with the experience of collective work between the different political forces. Those experiences were announced in different parts of the Arab World, or have been already held on the ground. The study objective is to analyze the circumstances that pushed these forces to make those alliances, and the issues that are discussed by those ideologically different forces, and the determination of the reasons for their failure in other places. The project takes the form of a research study spanning on a period of one year and which is conducted through periodical discussion meetings for those involved in the project, ending with a conference. At the end of the project the papers discussed during its period will be published in a Book. For More Information: http://arab-reform.net/spip.php?page=rubrique&id_rubrique=34
Also a workshop was hed on the margin of this project supported by IDRC under the title (traditional societies and Modern politics)
• Joint workshop with CIDOB " Reform in Egypt: political, economical and social challenges": Barcelona- ( November 2009):
During the seminar held in CIDOB venue - Barcelona the 23rd and 24th of November Experts and researchers from Egypt, Syria, Spain and other European countries discussed the reform process in Egypt, through three main topics:
The first topic was related to the nature of the political system, and was entitled "Where is Egypt heading?"
1. The features of the Egyptian political system.
2. The possibility of building genuine democratic Islamist movements, believing in secularism.
3. The crisis of the secular movements.
As for the second, it was about the" Economic and social dynamics: which present and which future for Egypt?"
1. The economic reform: the limits of success:
2. New political protest and socio- economic realities:
3. Al- Mahala Al- Kobra industrial city: Can the social protest movements transform into a political reality?
The third topic involved the impact of external factors on the domestic politics:
1. The Change of the regional environment:
2. The Egyptian role in a new Arab environment:
3. How did the external factor affect the reform process?
• Report about: "Anti- terrorism law in Egypt", (August 2009):
After the 9/11 incidents, a series of anti- terrorist laws have been issued in many countries of the world, even in democratic countries such as: UK, and USA. As for Egypt, this issue has been very problematic, especially when some decision- making circles announced the possibility of replacing the existing emergency law by an anti- terrorist law. Therefore, this report will tackle three main questions: what are the main features of this anti- terrorist law? How can we understand the anti- terrorist law in the current social and political context? What will be its expected implications on the Egyptian political scene?
• Discourse analysis for President's Obama Speech in Cairo, 4th of (June 2009):
Obama made a visit, on the 4th of June 2009, described by many as "historic", to Cairo. During his visit, Obama gave a speech to the Islamic World from Cairo University. The speech discussed nine main points: violence and extremism, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Palestinian case, the Iranian nuclear program, democracy issues, religious freedom, women's rights and economic development. The AFA team published a report with the discourse analysis on the AFA website, and a briefing of it was published in both El Shorouk Egyptian newspaper, and As-Safir Lebanese newspaper.
• Training a pool of University Lecturers from Iraq on Parliamentary Systems (March 2009):
Considering the difficult situation Iraq is living currently, on both political and security levels. The Iraqi parliament members suffer from lack of information, studies and consultants, and at the same time, the Academics with their capacities and experiences cannot reach the decision making circles. This gap influences the development of democracy and human rights badly in Iraq. Therefore, the Arab Forum for Alternatives (based in Cairo), with the support of WFD (Westminster Foundation for Democracy- London), and in cooperation with the League of Academic Lecturers in Iraq, is conducting this project aiming to bridge the gap mentioned, by providing support to the Iraqi parliament through academic advisors. In order to achieve that, a training program will be held in Beirut, from the 7th till the 16th of March 2009, to develop a core group of experts ready to support the Iraqi Parliament with Papers and recommendations on bills and laws. The training will provide a group of university lecturers in Iraq with the main knowledge and skills to be able to play a role in advising, lobbying and providing policy recommendations to the parliament members.
• Project: Training for Iraqi University Professors on Human Rights and Democratic Values (June 2008):
In cooperation with Westminster Foundation for Democracy in Oxford U.K. and the University Professors Alliance in Iraq, AFA implemented, a-six month project, that ended in June 2008 by a workshop in Amman – Jordan to train 22 Iraqi academics on issues related to the field of democracy and human rights, protecting it and developing their skills in this field (advocacy and lobbying, good governance, gender and right based approach) The objective of this was to contribute to promoting democratic values in the country, the rule of law, collective work and respecting its values; hoping that this workshop would be a motivator for the trainees to exchange their concluded knowledge and their acquired experiences to the society of academics and to their university students in Iraq.
• Workshop: "The Laws of Civil Society: Experiences and Expertise" (May 2008):
In coordination with ICNL, "AFA" organized an advocacy skills training workshop for Egyptian NGOs. This workshop aimed to providing Egyptian NGOs with An analysis for the current NGO's law in Egypt and models of advanced laws in other countries, also skills for strategies and techniques to help them lobby for civil society law reform (and other issues) in the politically hostile environment of modern Egypt. An additional goal was differentiating between participants' draft for positive amendments to the Egyptian NGO law. Workshop was attended by 29 participants representing 20 CSO's in Egypt in addition to experts from Egypt, Moroco, Russia and USA.
• Seminar: The future of the reform process in Egypt (April 2008):
In participation of 20 academics, researchers and civil society activists "AFA" organized an Indoor seminar. The papers presented discussed the expected scenarios and ideas for the reform in Egypt and the role of Civil Society in this process.
• Conference: "The right of free associations and the laws governing CSO" (December 2007):
In partnership with the association of freedom of thoughts and Express Egypt and ICNL in Washington the centre organized in Cairo a two-day Conference. Papers presented the obstacles facing the right of freedom of associations imposed by current laws in Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
• Seminar: "Civil Society, Human Rights and Democracy" in the Mashrek region (April 2007):
Organizing a two-day seminar in Alexandria. In cooperation with the EuroMeSCo network, the seminar focused on the topic of Fundamental Rights in the context of political reform process and its reflection on the experience of civil society actors in the Mashrek region. Around 70 participants of the civil society representatives, journalists, experts and practitioners attended. The seminar tackled issues such as Religion and Politics in the public sphere, Women's Rights and the Reform Process, Protection of Human Rights, Freedom of Expression, Civil Society Challenges. Recommendations regarding Human Rights in the Euro-Mediterranean Agenda where developed during the seminar.

(1) ARTIST-LED WORKSHOPS offered free of cost, to four discrete audiences:
(a) children in Ard El Lewa
(b) teenagers in Ard El Lewa
(c) aspiring young Egyptian artists
(d) emerging Egyptian artists
(2) EXHIBITIONS held in the Shop, a small workshop open to the street. In addition to exhibiting the work of established and emerging artists from Egypt and abroad, each year Artellewa holds the first exhibition of at least one young Egyptian artist.
(3) ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM brings foreign artists to interact with the people of Ard El Lewa, to research and produce artworks, to show their work in the Shop, and to build
networks with the Cairo arts community.
(4) EVENTS on the Rooftop, bringing the Cairene public and the arts community to an informal neighborhood, including film screenings, meet the artist presentations, and music performances.
(5) Other SPECIAL PROJECTS.