Rhet 1020 portfolio

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Abdelhalim

Kamilia Abdelhalim

900201556 Instructor Michael Gibson RHET 1020-01 Fall 2021

Cover Page

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Dear Reader, Throughout this document, you’ll be getting to know my work for RHET 1020 this semester, fall 2021. This course has granted me many learning outcomes, such as analyzing, criticizing, and researching articles. Indeed, there were times I couldn’t perform adequately in this course. Thus, you will find missing work such as the research question reflection, scholarly article response, additional research task, and the paraphrasing/ summarizing assignment. The skills that I’ve learned from this course have certainly affected how I perceive other topics in my other courses, such as in my psychology class, now I can precisely analyze and develop a deep understating of any readings, I hope that you find my research paper an important topic that will raise your awareness and will be worth your time value.

Regards, Kamilia Abdelhalim

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Table Of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………2 Table Of Contents…………………………………………………………………3 Course Description………………………………………………………………….4 Learning Outcomes…………………………………………………………………5-6 Autobiography……………………………………………………………………….7-9 Critical Analysis Draft One………………………………………………………...10-14 Critical Analysis Draft Two………………………………………………………...15-20 Research Paper Draft One Ref……………………………………………………..21-29 Research Paper Draft Two Ref…………………………………………………….30-37 Research Paper Final Draft Ref……………………………………………………38-47 Presentation Ref……………………………………………………………………..48-51 Participation, Eng. Ref………………………………………………………………52 Final Word……………………………………………………………………………53

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The American University in Cairo The Department of Rhetoric and Composition RESEARCH WRITING: RHET 1020 F21

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RHET 1020, Sections 1/17 MR 3:30/11:30 Hatem C121/C206 Prerequisite: CORE 1010/RHET 1010 or equivalent

Instructor information ● ● ● ●

Michael Gibson mgibson@aucegypt.edu Office location: Waleed P113 (inside P110) Office hours: UMR 1-2 and by appointment

Course Description RHET 1020 introduces students to the process of research and the different cultures of inquiry in the disciplines. Students explore various types of research questions, making decisions about the most appropriate approach to collecting evidence, conducting analysis, organizing and presenting their work to particular discourse communities.

Through this critical approach, students develop a well-informed and insightful research paper which demonstrates understanding of the processes and conventions of writing in academic contexts.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of RHET 1020:

Research Development students will have learned to situate their argument within a particular academic conversation through developing informed and insightful research papers and presentations that address an original and arguable research question

Organization and Structure

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students will have learned to exercise critical reasoning in organizing and connecting information coherently to serve the argument as framed within a particular rhetorical situation and disciplinary structure

Source Engagement students will have learned to locate, critically evaluate, contextualize and engage with various research materials demonstrating meaningful use, effective integration and academic integrity

Knowledge of Conventions students will have learned to communicate clearly using a range of structures to meet the expectations and conventions of style, grammar, genre and discourse community

Autonomous Learning students will have engaged in the stages of research, working independently to manage the recursive process of writing and drafting based on self, instructor, and peer review.

Course Objectives

Research Development

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Organization

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and Structure

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Knowledge of

construct a research question that lends itself to original analysis and/or creative solution(s) to a complex issue employ a research approach that best addresses the research question demonstrate an awareness of audience, purpose and situational context construct an arguable and logical thesis to address a research problem / gap situate the research argument within the larger theoretical debate in the literature demonstrate familiarity with key concepts related to the topic develop a sustained, focused, well-reasoned and adequately developed argument integrate critically-analyzed, relevant supporting evidence effectively

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make critical decisions about effective organization to advance the argument establish paragraph purpose and maintain unity demonstrate coherence and cohesion within paragraphs and throughout the paper avoid digressions and redundancies

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use the appropriate level of formality for the occasion

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Conventions

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Source Engagement

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Autonomous Learning

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develop academic voice, stance and authorship employ strategies for successful delivery in a variety of modes avoid clichés, platitudes and over-generalizations maintain clarity; varied and grammatical sentence structure proofread for spelling, punctuation, capitalization and other mechanical errors acknowledge intellectual ownership by fairly and accurately citing sources in text and at end of document employ critical reading to analyze, interpret, evaluate and synthesize ideas distinguish between research to understand an issue and research to support a thesis evaluate sources for relevance, credibility, bias and currency select the appropriate type of source (books, scholarly articles, newspaper reports, government statistics, etc.) for the purpose served in the paper think critically about when to use quote, paraphrase and summary demonstrate effective integration and analysis of information from source maintain balance in source use (i.e. no over-reliance on sources in general, or on one or two sources in particular) engage in research as a recursive process of critical inquiry and knowledge construction revise drafts based on instructor, peer and self review take ownership of the learning process and seek guidance when necessary develop an ability to work in groups or individually as the task requires

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Autobiograpghy assignment

Abstratct This is the first task I’ll be showing in this document. This essay is detailed to get to know me, a little background on my life. Of course, just like any other task in this course, it wasn’t easy for me to prepare this essay, as I am usually not the type of person who has any hobbies or favors a particular thing. I believe it tackles learning objectives Organization and Structure, and knowledge of conventions.

Who am I? My name is Kamilia Hassan. I’m an Egyptian who lives in Giza, turning 19 next October 16th. Today I was asked a question that I thought I had no answer to in an interview for a club (3al raseef). What are my strengths and weaknesses? Well, honestly, I’m very hot-tempered.

This makes everything around me harder by x2. And for my strengths, I didn’t have an answer, so I just said that if an idea pops into my mind, I got straight to work on it. But honestly, I have no idea what my strengths are. Maybe my strengths are simply that I have strength. That I’m mature, creative, and a helping kind of person.

Around 4-5 years ago, at year 10, I was an IGCSE student. A sophomore high school student at British city college (associated with American city college, located in Zamalek). It was the first time for me during this study year to attend JCIMUN at the AUC. I got chosen in the security council, which I swear to this day I don’t know what we were doing, but I do know that I was the Human Rights Watch delegate. During the last two days, I had a hard time where we debated, researching for information to use against other countries/ opposed opinions. So, I had to copy-

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paste most of my parts off the internet (yes, I know plagiarism, please don’t tell me I was only 15). Later, I got a B in English as a second language, which was a good grade based on the session I was in and the general grades everyone got. I had no preparation whatsoever for that exam, and I just used all that I knew then. Fall 2020 was the first time for me to study English since year 10. I took 0210 with (if I’m honest) the worst professor at the AUC. I learned nothing from him, and neither did most of my colleagues. However, I did pass the course, thankfully. Last semester (spring 2021), I took 1010 filming differences theme. Honestly, the professor wasn’t that bad, and he was just very stubborn with answering our emails if they didn’t appeal to him. I got an A- and a B+. which was also suitable based on the other grades in the section. I know I have a problem with English writing in my grammar and sentence structure, which I’m trying to improve.

After finishing JCIMUN, I suddenly developed an interest in Human rights, which directed me to the UN. I wanted to help refugees in Egypt and other countries. This was how I knew I wanted to study psychology for the rest of my life. Due to many political discussions and theories, my interest in the UN was shifted to special needs. It took me over a year to figure out that psychology would get me to work with special needs, enhancing their motor skills or education. I had a vision, starting with Egypt, to reach the whole world. So now, I intend to declare psychology this semester. Not only for special needs but also because I believe that I have so much potential to shape Egypt’s street children and homelessness. Something that I will also need psychology in preparation for. I wish to have programs in collaboration with the government for street children and homelessness. I believe that homelessness isn’t going to end by simply offering more affordable housing to citizens. But if one wants to end homelessness, then they need to rehabilitate the lives of these people. For special needs, I am keen that everyone from the community has strengths like no one else. If these strengths were perceived and detected to good

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use, then people with special needs won’t be treated like a burden by their families or the community.

Because psychology won’t be enough to gain the required skills for such future goals, I also intend to take a minor in economics, entrepreneurship, or IMC. I only took Introduction to business this semester, so I still need to make up my mind on the minor by its end. Of course, there are always courses outside of my undergraduate degree, either at the AUC or somewhere else that I might be taking. For example, I’d like to take something related to graphic design. One day, I can have some skills in creating my business logo or experience social media marketing.

But one thing I’m sure of doing outside of the AUC is my graduate studies in a foreign country (which will probably be England). I’d like to have my Masters and Ph.D. done in psychology to be a certified psychologist and pursue my goals. Of course, all these goals and future are not biased by anyone. I’m the only one who shapes my dreams and life.

Hopefully, I’ll be joining two clubs at AUC this semester. Both I’ll be on the fundraising committee because I’m looking forward to building relationships outside and inside the campus. I just had 3al raseef’s interview done today. It was good. However, I’m still waiting for SU to reply to me. One thing I’ve noticed in my interviews about myself. Is that I don’t know a lot about my qualities. For example, I don’t have a favorite song, color, food, or anything. Same as not having any hobbies. Like I consume lots of time on things that don’t excite me or are beneficial. This is, of course, something I need to work on so I can see better results in my present and future.

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Critical Analysis Draft One

Abstract This is the second section of my document, the first and second drafts of my critical analysis of primary and secondary sources that I used for my research paper development. In this paper, I criticize each source for seeing whether it fits my research paper or not. I believe this task tackles all of the learning objects of this course, which are Research Development, Organization, and Structure, Knowledge of Conventions, Source Engagement, and Autonomous Learning.

Homelessness: A critical Global Issue, who’s responsible and How to Overcome it

Homelessness: “the situation of an individual, family, or community without stable, safe, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect means and ability to acquire it” (Homeless Hub). Homelessness is the loss of shelter, a word which most of us had learned early in life during our young years in science class. It is defined as a place providing prey with security and protection from the predator. But what happens when there is no shelter? The prey is found and is no longer under protection. It is most likely that the reader has a cover, a place where he sleeps, eats, showers, and spends most of his time comfortable knowing that he is guarded by the walls, in warmth by the ceiling, a blanket, and in full by a hot cooked meal. Unfortunately, others might not have the exact needs. They might not have shelter: home. This can be possibly due to self-actions and not external variables, but could external variables give a hand and help when one needs protection?

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Can the Government be responsible for homelessness, failing to accommodate homeless people? Rather than stating homelessness causes are all due to personal difficulties, governments should execute plans and regulations so a homeless person can live properly the life he was granted. Are Governments working to end homelessness or to make it seem invisible? According to Michael white in an article by LA times, the city is not offering affordable housing for homeless people. This could be happening worldwide due to developers constructing housing units that are not affordable but more luxurious and aiming for higher clientele. In Egypt, where there are over 12 million homeless citizens, how can they afford a house when “so-called high community compounds” sell units starting from 1 million and above. The Government has been working on building more affordable units for people who only work for the Government. Most people living in poverty have their houses taken away from them due to not living in a suitable housing (slums) and given to buy an apartment built by the army.

The new affordable housing provided by Egypt’s social housing and Mortgage finance with the help of financial aid by the world bank (US$500 million) (the world bank), has helped over 287,600 across the country starting from 2015, whom 57% of them are families with young children. Even though affordable housing is not only suitable for homeless people, but also “it is essential to contributing to national socio-economic development and the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable development Goals.” The SDGs have not only been working on offering affordable housing. Still, they have been working with Hayat Kareema to help raise people out of poverty and create more entrepreneurs. But what about street children? Who’s working to help find them education, foster/ adopting family, or even an orphanage where they can be secured from living off the streets? With many private NGOs working on delivering these children “ school packs” and education, the government response to the crisis (3 million street children). “Dr. Ghada Waly, the minister of social solidarity,] to transfer street children to care homes so that they are provided education and a decent life,” said a spokesman for the homeless

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children project at the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Hazem al-Mallah, “(Egypt today). It is said that the campaign has helped 16,000 street children who’ve been allocated into homes funded by Tahya Masr Fund.

On the other hand, security expert says that street children are considered a “threat,” as they can often be used in theft crimes, etc. Is this how the Government perceives street children?

And, of course, homeless adults? Rather than providing them with the good life they deserve to have, are they treating them as a threat?

What can we do when the Government is not making the right choices to help homeless people, which is one of their main jobs in protecting and serving the community? “William Odell is a resurrected man” (Daily Pilot). Odell, a formerly homeless man living in Orange County for eight years who has a bipolar disorder connected with American family housing, a community that supports homeless people that helped him move into a house, has partnered with the NGO to help others, which he at a time used to live just like them. If assisting homeless people to become stable and back into the real world can end up with them helping others, then no wonder how the 12 million homeless persons living on the streets of Egypt can uplift the country from being just a 3rd world country.

Of course, factors affecting homelessness (especially with children) can be numerous.

Psychological out brakes, “the majority of the homeless population in Egypt tend to be those who are elderly and have Alzheimer’s –– whose family have left them in the streets, or those with psychological issues, which led her to conclude that the main cause of homelessness in Egypt seems not to be purely poverty,” Hana Wali founder of Egypt Gives (aucegypt.edu). Job losses, which then cause an increase in unpaid Mortgage and rent, etc. In my research topic, “How to end Homelessness in Egypt,” I discuss how that even after someone is uplifted from poverty or living most of their life as a homeless person, they should be taught essential human discipline so that

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they can be able to find jobs, become accepted and respected by the community and build families. The Government should focus on rehabilitation programs that professionals must administer ( even if by the help of foreign countries by sending us their experts and their experience) to help over 12 million live fine living for the rest of their lives.

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Works Cited BRAZIL, BEN. “Man Who Overcame Homelessness Now Has a Seat on the Board Helping Others.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2018, www.latimes.com/socal/dailypilot/news/tn-wknd-et-odell-homeless-20180712-story.html.

- “What Is Homelessness.” What Is Homelessness | The Homeless Hub, www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/what-homelessness?

- “Egypt Gives: AUC Student Hana Wali on a Mission to End Homelessness.” Egypt Gives: AUC Student Hana Wali on a Mission to End Homelessness | The American University in Cairo, 13 April. 2021, www.aucegypt.edu/news/egypt-gives-auc-student-hana-wali-mission-endhomelessness.

- “Egypt: Providing Low-Income Citizens with Affordable Housing.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/03/20/egypt-providing-low-income-citizenswith-affordable-housing.

- “In Theory: Is a City Responsible for the Homeless?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 2015, www.latimes.com/socal/burbank-leader/opinion/tn-blr-in-theory-is-a-cityresponsible-for-the-homeless-20150804-story.html.

- “Street Children Need to Be Helped, Not Ignored.” Egypt today, 26 August 2018, www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/56643/Street-children-need-to-be-helped-not-ignored.

- “The Government Is in Denial on Homelessness | Letters.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 January 2019, www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/01/the-government-is-in-denialon-homelessness.

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Kamilia Abdelhalim Instructor Michael Gibson RHET 1020 30 October 2021

Critical Analysis Draft Two

How Can Drug Abuse Affect Homelessness? How Does Marginalization Play a Role in Mental health?

This essay aims to target my research question and focus on gathering all the needed information to support my research thesis further. The research topic I chose is Homelessness and how marginalized homeless people take on acts of delinquency while considering mental health. This topic has been on top of my mind for as long as I can remember, as it tackles a global issue, which all countries first, second or third face. I have decided that" To what extent has drug use affected the increase of Homelessness? How does Marginalisation influence drug users' mental health, which can lead them to misconduct" is my research question.

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The primary source that I have chosen is "Drug Use and the Role of Homelessness in the Process of Marginalization" Coumans et al. (2003), which studies drugs' influence on homeless people.

The research conducted in this article uses the DMS (Drug Monitoring System), which has several different data collections. Two of which are qualitative, and one is quantitative. I have chosen this scholarly article to be my primary source. It tackles two of my research questions points (The effect of drug use on Homelessness) and (the effect of marginalization on mental health). Coumans et al. describe homeless people as "those who do not have at their disposal or don't make use in the long term of private and regular housing or residential housing (including hospitals and prisons) or housing with family or friends." They go on to split homeless people into two groups, first are the ones who would spend the night on the street (or generally in public) or the ones who stay at local shelters. The data used in this study is rich in information and can be generalized as it has a sample population from Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Parkstad Limburg.

If I split my research question into two parts, they will still be connected as Drug use among homeless people makes them lose connection with their family and friends. According to Coumans et al., "the main priority of a drug user is to ''score drugs'' and survive in a culture determined by strict (hierarchical) rules. Close friends, i.e., people you may trust, are rare in this setting. The alienation from civil society makes one dependent on facilities such as (low threshold) drug user aid agencies. The above is expected to apply especially to drug users who are homeless." Coumans, 318-319"occurrence of drug use and Homelessness will lead to different network positions in terms of social integration. In other words, compared to domiciled drug users, homeless drug users will be less socially integrated into civil society and more socially integrated with other users who make use of low threshold services." This statement can be supported by (Richardson et al., 688) "1. Individuals reporting exposure to violence were more likely to be younger; Caucasian; homeless, or a resident of the DTES; recently incarcerated;

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receiving social assistance; engaged in street-based income generation activities, sex work, drug dealing or theft, or other acquisitive criminal activity; diagnosed with a mental health illness; engaged in daily or greater use of injection heroin or crack- cocaine use." Richardson et al. gives a more in-depth explanation of what are misconducts a homeless person could get into just to "survive" as Coumnas et al. has stated. Marginalization occurs when a homeless person gets drifted away from society to become alienated and introverted, who only refers to drug dealers and other homeless-like beings. Both articles show data results from their research, statistics that can be proven.

Drug users start to drift from society when they find mistreatment from their community, resulting in job losses. "Barriers to employment over and above impairment, such as employer discrimination, workplace drug testing, having a criminal record, possessing limited formal education or employment skills and chronic homelessness exclude many from desired employment opportunities in the formal workforce" Richardson et al. On the other hand, Youth homelessness is another major crisis. When children are abandoned, kicked out of their homes, or choose to leave, they are likely involved in crime. Girls are more likely to "sell their bodies," while boys can try and work as delivery men for their drug dealers or become dealers themselves.

"In a study of over 600 homeless youth in the Midwest, Whitbeck and Hoyt (1999) found that 22% had engaged in theft, 14% in burglary, and 30% had sold drugs. Of those who had sold drugs, most (85%) had done so more than once." Swartz et al. As stated earlier by Richardson, "Individuals reporting exposure to violence were more likely to be younger. "

Aside from drug use, mental health also plays a huge role in Homelessness, even with young adults/ school students. According to William H.J. Martens, "School-age children who were

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experiencing homelessness for the first time might be at considerable risk for depression and anxiety" "Auyerst [77] observed that stress and depression were positively correlated for Canadian (runaway) street youth. Moreover, these runaway youths often displayed self-harm." He then adds many homeless people suffer from mental illnesses such as de- pression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, psychotic disorders, and personality disorders." While considering that many drugs can cause mental disorders, such as depression, psychosis, schizophrenia, etc., we should also understand what type of drugs are more likely to be abused by homeless people. "Drug problems, particularly the use of heroin or cocaine, were reported to affect 72 percent of the homeless in the United States [56]. The next highest rate was reported for the Netherlands [35]: 50.4 percent. Rates for Canada [84], Australia [15], France [69], and Germany [44] ranged from 14 percent to 18.9 percent." Martens, 85. Coumans et al. support this claim by "We expect that Homelessness is more likely to be present among people who use cocaine or inject their drugs than among people who don't manifest this behavior. " Coumans, 318.

The homeless should not become marginalized, but given the help they need from their communities, friends, and families. "Within this context, vulnerable individuals have to draw support from their transient and fragile communities," Ama de Graft Aikins and Angela L. OforiAtta,775 . "Lessons can be learned from these settlements. Part of the solution may also lie in making vulnerable squatter groups more visible to existing charity groups that offer individualized material and psy- chosocial support to street youth. "

In conclusion, Homelessness and drug use are connected to them being marginalized, which makes them do acts of delinquency. Homeless youth is also real and should be more considered than what society chooses to speak of. However, I would've found it more appealing if some

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research were done in third-world countries, where neither the community nor the government tries to help the homeless and stop Homelessness. For example, a country like Egypt should have shed light on the importance of street children, with over 3 million of them and 12 million total homeless citizens. A country like

Egypt should not be put in comparison with the US or

the Netherlands. Yes, some factors attribute to Homelessness in all countries, but the way homeless people are being given the treatment they need is not the same. I still believe that my paper needs more research to fully answer my research question with additional articles circulating 3rd world countries.

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Works Cited Coumans, Moniek, and Marinus Spreen. "Drug use and the Role of Homelessness in the Process of Marginalization." Substance use & Misuse, vol. 38, no. 3-6, 2003, pp. 311-338.

De-Graft Aikins, Ama, and Angela L. Ofori-Atta. "Homelessness and Mental Health in Ghana: Everyday Experiences of Accra's Migrant Squatters." Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 12, no.

5, 2007, pp. 761-778.

Richardson, Lindsey A., et al. "Socioeconomic Marginalisation in the Structural Production of Vulnerability to Violence among People Who Use Illicit Drugs." Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), vol. 69, no. 7, BMJ, 2015, pp. 686–92, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44017530.

Schwartz, Marci, et al. "Exploring the Relationship between Homelessness and Delinquency: A Snapshot of a Group of Homeless Youth in San Jose, California."Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, 2008, pp. 255-269.

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Research Paper Draft One Reflection

Abstratct: This section presents you with the first, second, and final drafts of my research paper. I focus on Africa as my population sample in the first draft. Then I change to choose Egypt as my topic’s sample. I believe that all of the learning outcomes were connected to developing the essay: Research Development, Organization, and Structure, Knowledge of Conventions, Source Engagement, and Autonomous Learning.

The Fight against Homelessness in Africa

For decades, homelessness has been a major obstacle in the African region. The rate of which people are spending their lives in the streets have been massively increasing to the point where it became an international crisis. African leaders have devoted their resources in order to promptly solve this crisis. However, there are various aspects that need to be taken into consideration to deal with this matter effectively. The annual African summit, hosted by the United Nations, hosted African leaders who came into a pact which stated that housing, health care, career pathways, and foster education shall be integrated gradually from 2017 up until 2035. Thus, this agreement has shown prominent results throughout the past 4 years, and which will hopefully fulfill its complete purpose by 2035.

This report will critically analyze the decisions taken on various basis (social, political, cultural and economic factors) which led to the successful decrease of homelessness in the African region.

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Africa is a magnificent continent home to marvelous wildlife and exotic animals which are visited by millions of tourists yearly. Unfortunately, poverty has taken a large toll on the continent’s value which subsequently boosted its homelessness rate throughout the years. The majority of homeless citizens of African countries fall victims to poverty due to lack of education and are unable to make the most out of their valuable opportunities.

Their lack of education is a result of several factors that contribute to the wellbeing of their society (Moiz).

A study conducted by Kevin Watkins which analyzed the educational situation in Africa dating back from 2013 showed one-in-three children still out of school, “progress towards universal primary education has stalled” (Watkins). Using a newly developed Learning Barometer, CUE estimates that 61 million African children will reach adolescence lacking the basics of literacy and numerical skills. This crisis is similar to that of a cancer cell, the more ignorance is spread, the higher the rates of poverty and homelessness will become.

The lack of action will cause a whole generation to deprive their opportunities of a decent and humane future. A glimpse of Africa’s educational crisis is perceived in the town of Bodinga, located in the impoverished Savannah region of Sokoto state in northwestern Nigeria. A typical classroom in one of their schools has roughly 60 students crammed next to each other with only a few textbooks to be shared among them (Watkins). Teachers are rarely present to deliver their lectures due to poor school management systems. It is truly a sad sight to see. One recent survey found that 80% of Sokoto’s grade 3 pupils cannot read a single word. This means that 3 years of their educational levels, their life, have been squandered into zero added-value schooling (Watkins). Africa’s educational crisis does not make media headlines, its somehow irrelevant to the world’s list of problems that need

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immediate solutions. Consequently, the lack of solution of one problem, generates substantial problems.

Africa is highly prone to natural disasters that drive people out of their homes and sometimes their own land. Ethiopia has been recently hit by floods that affected over 200,000 people (Carter , Peter and Mogues). As a result, civilians leaving in the area have been forced to evacuate due to the potential danger. In 2013, Tigray region suffered an earthquake which has led to the demolition of thousands of homes leaving people roaming in the streets without shelter (Carter , Peter and Mogues). The floods and earthquakes are a part of a global El Nino weather phenomenon that had previously caused a severe drought, which left 10.2 million people on need of food aid while aid agencies claim that these numbers could gradually increase monthly if not treated. Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed “119,711 people in six provinces had been displaced by last month’s “exceptional” flooding. Some of the affected regions had already been hard hit by food shortages”, it said (Masho). The Tigray region of Ethiopia, to this day, continues to experience perhaps the worst food security emergencies globally. This crisis will not only leiad to poverty and homelessness but also lead to fatalities. Due to these horrific events, major businesses and shops have been shut or demolished which therefore has left many civilians out of jobs and thus, homelessness.

The economic factor plays a critical role in the gradually increasing rate of homelessness in Africa. Despite the issues mentioned previously, unemployment is one of the factors that must also be treated effectively in order for progress to be made. According to the data published in the Quarterly Labor Force Survey (QLFS) in the second quarter of 2018, South Africa’s official unemployment rate has risen to 34.4% (Phillip). That was

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the highest rate since the QLFS began conducting their surveys in 2008. The worst part is that the youth, ranging between the ages of 25-34, make up 64% of the original rate (Phillip). “There is something which [Gauteng education chief] Panyaza Lesufi said, which is interesting and draws back to the previous paragraphs discussed, which is paraphrased, “If we can’t get education right, we will never get the country right. If we can’t get education functioning, we will never enhance our skills base. If we can’t enhance our skills base, then we will not get the economy working and growing”, says Nxesi, adding, “It starts with our education system.”

“We must interrogate our education system. Is it giving the right skills? No, it’s not. What needs to be done? … Plumbers, electricians, welders, boilers, carpenters etc, those skills are in high demand; but our vocational system has not been able to respond to such skills,” he says (Phillip).

“If we just focus on pumping people into universities and not at the technical level, that is not going to help us,” the labor minister cautions (Phillip).

The link between education and employment is crystal clear. However, that does not mean the employers themselves are without flaws. Corruption has been a subject of highlight for years in Africa. From working programs to general employment, only the highest bidder shall nail his position at a certain facility. Recently, PWC (PriceWaterHouseCoopers) conducted an analysis composed of five steps to estimate Nigeria’s cost of corruption. The first step was to examine 30 studies to understand the way that corruption affects GDP (PWC). Second, identify the direct impact of corruption on economic growth using the IMF study. Thirdly, Transparency International’s

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Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was also used as a proxy for corruption. According to Dr.Andrew S Nevin, (PhD), PwC Chief Economist and co-author of the report, “PwC formulated the ways in which corruption impacts the Nigerian economy over time and then estimated the impact of corruption on Nigerian GDP, using empirical literature and PwC analysis”. This explicit report was introduced in order to note that corruption is a vital and growing issue in Nigeria which affects public finances and business investments (PWC). The report finally listed the three effects of corruption Nigeria experiences today “Lower governance effectiveness, especially through smaller tax base and inefficient government expenditure. PwC studies estimate Nigeria’s tax revenues at 8% of GDP, which is the lowest for comparison countries, Weak investment, especially Foreign Direct Investment explaining that it’s harder to predict and do business under such circumstances. Also affected is lower human capital as fewer people, especially the poor, are unable to access healthcare and education” (PWC).

Undoubtedly, the voice of millions of African people has been heard and ultimately responded by the United Nations. In 2017, The UN held a summit for world African leaders to address the issue of homelessness and poverty (Speak). As African leaders unite against this crisis, several agreements have been put into place in regard of this situation. The VP of South Africa, David Mabuza, has declared his plans to regulate educational systems throughout the country with the aid of UN officials who contribute directly with country’s ministry of education. Not only do pupils get their complete education, but also are offered various assistance such as transportation, school utilities, and uniforms annually. School management has also went under rehabilitation where only worthy employees and teachers shall take responsibility of the students’ educational

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levels. These alterations will be monitored by the ministry and UN officials to keep things in order (Speak). William Ruto, the Kenyan VP, has addressed the issue of housing and eviction due to natural crisis throughout the country. There is nothing that could be done to prevent a crisis such as flooding or earthquakes. However, appropriate temporary shelters will be constructed near lands where floods occur in order to keep civilians off the street. “It may be a simple solution for now, but always a better path than homelessness I presume” says Ruto.

Other decisions included the aid of employment by implementing youth programs which would eventually lead to full time employment if a candidate successfully completes the program. “The Future of Africa” is campaign founded by TK Mawli Azuglo which aids the homeless into finding themselves again by education, work, and shelter (Bogan). This program is especially beneficial for the youth who are already homeless and require immediate help. It gives them the foundations they have missed due to the lack of education, and teaches those morals and how to be responsible again. Basically, it gives them a new beginning which is beautiful to see. Mahamudu Bawamia, the VP of Ghana, has also contributed in these plans of reconstruction of the African Content saying “the root of the cause must be healed, and therefore progress will prevail” (Harsh).

In addition, newly listed agreements stated by the United Nation’s “Africa Renewal” led to the addition of governmental subsidies for agricultural inputs and farm extension services. Tariffs on rice were stabilized in order to encourage farmers to continue to work and produce their own goods. Thus, not only aiding the farmers, but also boosting agricultural resources and economic growth. The rice industry is set to enhance after 3 years of such changes.

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As a result of these new regulations and agreements between African countries, and of course with the aid of the UN. Homelessness has decreased by 6% since 2017, the highest decrease ever recorded in the last 30 years (Speak). A great start to the race of humanizing the African content and regulating the system in favor of those who are forgotten. Ethiopia constructed 34 camps around the restricted areas where houses have been demolished in order to keep families safe and sheltered until a more permanent solution prevails (Watkins). Surveys have showed that roughly 29% of schools started to regulate effectively and without systematic flaws as a result of the newly placed academic system the government has implemented (Speak).

In conclusion, Africa is place of beauty and great heritage. A continent as critical as it is should be cared for and leaders should be aided extensively in order to help alter these situations even further. Despite these positive incomes that last few years after new regulations have been made at the UN summit of African Leaders, a larger solution is needed in order to permanently diminish these issues and provide the African people with the honorable life they deserve.

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Reflection: Homelessness has been an intriguing topic on my mind for so long. At first, I was more concerned with Egypt’s homeless population, but due to lack of resources, we decided to pick another 3rd world country and relate Egypt to it. However, after I had finished the critical analysis, I came up with the outline of my research paper. Of course, it was challenging to find suitable sources for Egypt and even harder to find several others in one 3rd world country (most of the research I found were mainly in Canada and the Netherlands). I discovered that Africa as a whole continent with many countries considered 3rd world ones with high percentages of poverty in their populations and massively increasing number of homelessness the best population sample for me to search on. Because I chose Africa as my population, I wasn’t shocked to find that other countries with increasing poverty and homelessness had the same issues that leaders must tackle better soon than late. For example, the article “Homelessness in Africa” by Mahwish Moiz clearly states that lack of education results from several factors contributing to society, and isn’t this also happening in Egypt? Lack of education which makes many now adults unable to find a job or support their families? (Or even themselves). Employment and education are related through a direct proportion, without education one cannot develop skills, or learn some knowledge to help him gain a job with a fine salary (for example, in Egypt salaries are very low to most people from the middle and lower classes.) Thus, if someone does not have these qualities, he will either take jobs with unreasonable salaries or just won’t work, and then he’ll end up becoming homeless.

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Works Cited

Bogan, Sharon. Mother Africa. 2017. <https://www.motherafrica.org/ma-homelessnessprevention>.

Carter , Micheal R, et al. "Poverty Traps and Natural Disasters in Ethiopia and Honduras." Science Direct (2007): 835-856. Document. <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305750X07000149>.

Harsh, Ernest. "Closing Ghana's Poverty Gap." 2017. <https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/october-2008/closingghana%E2%80%99s-national-poverty-gap>.

Masho, Aaron. "Flash floods displace nearly 120,000 in Ethiopia: aid agencies." Reuters (2016): 1-4. <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-drought-floods-idUSKCN0Y22DH>.

Moiz, Mahwish . Homelessness in Africa . analytical review . Capetown : CAUF society, 2020. <https://caufsociety.com/homelessness-in-africa/>.

Phillip, Xolisa. "South Africa: The big picture of its unemployment crisis, according to labour minister Nxesi." The africa report (2021): 5. <https://www.theafricareport.com/123321/south-africa-the-big-picture-of-itsunemployment-crisis-according-to-labour-minister-nxesi/>.

PWC. Impact of Corruption on Nigeria’s Economy. Critical Analysis. Abuja, 2019. <https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/press-room/impact-of-corruption-on-nigeria-seconomy.html>.

Speak, Dr. Suzanne. The state of homlessness in developing countries. Meeting presentaion.

Nairobi: United Nations Office Nairobi, 2017.

Watkins, Kevin. "Too Little Access, Not Enough Learning: Africa’s Twin Deficit in Education." brookings.edu (2013): 1-8. <https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/too-little-access-notenough-learning-africas-twin-deficit-in-education/>.

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Research Paper Draft Two Reflection Abstract In this draft, I clearly discuss all the factors causing homelessness in Egypt, and the solutions the government and the ministries are coming up with to help with the crisis.

Homelessness in Egypt: Causes and solutions

With the upcoming winter season, the crisis of homeless in the streets of Egypt is being aggravated, as they find themselves lost in the freezing weather and wet grounds without any aid or help. This crisis has been going on for years now in Egyptian society to the point where it has been normalized. The Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, in association with the ministry of social solidarity, has addressed the subject of homelessness back in 2018 and decided that they must act to tackle these issues as much as they can promptly. Without a doubt, the Egyptian government has taken a few steps closer to getting to the bottom of the problem of homelessness with various projects and campaigns, which will be explicitly discussed in this report.

According to the ministry of social solidarity, there are at least 12 million homeless people, including 3 million children, in Egypt. The cases are primarily severe Cairo, Giza, Qaliobya, Monofiya Sharkiya, Suez, and Minya (Leila). While it may seem that homelessness or poverty is not a seen of concern within the city of Cairo where luxurious lifestyles and higher class people settle, a few kilometers outside the area of commercial residence can be a completely different

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scene than that of we experience on a daily basis. On a daily basis, civilians lose their shelter and head to the streets with no place to go. This can result from several factors that must be investigated thoroughly to stabilize this tragedy. Homelessness mainly roots from the foundations of one’s life. For instance, a poor education, mental health issues, drug abuse, employment difficulties, eviction, affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, and systematic failures (Soken-Huberty).

A poor education system can lead a generation into a chaotic future. Most governmental schools in Egypt have been called out for their lack of genuine educational systems that fail to deliver the appropriate teaching requirements and elements to pupils in elementary and middle schools. This is a disastrous problem that directly affects society by encouraging students to drop out and directly harms today’s society by boosting unemployment rates. Arab Weekly, a significant news broadcasting site, stated, “Some of the problems derive from outdated curricula and a highly centralized system in the hands of the Ministry of Education, which leaves little autonomy to teachers, and poor teaching quality, caused by a lack of adequate training at the teachers’ disposal and their low — and falling — salaries, as well as a method of teaching” (Espanol). The lack of good standard management in these schools would ultimately lead to students failing to continue their studies simply because of the educational system itself. Private schools come with a hefty price tag per semester which nearly 40% of the population cannot afford.

Thus, this brings us to the next vital factor, which is expenses. Not only does this affect families to get their children through school, but also their own home could be at stake due to the high costs of housing prices. Residential and commercial expenses have been rising throughout the last six years, which caused a direct effect on both lower and middle-class citizens of the country. Thus, one could find a family of 6 living in a one-bedroom apartment, struggling to live an everyday life for the simple fact that getting a larger home that could shelter them all is

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financially impossible. This could drive family members to leave the house based on complications or struggles that can no longer be bared. Therefore, they would eventually find themselves lost in the streets.

Going through these stages in life could drive a person to a state of mental illness, perhaps drug abuse. The difficult conditions of living on the street, trying to find food and shelter, and being away from loved ones is a sad state of being. Individuals suffering from homelessness may additionally develop psychiatric conditions in response to a harsh lifestyle often characterized by feeling threatened by violence, starvation, and a lack of shelter and love. Reports suggest that roughly 40% of homeless people struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, leading to severe mental disorders (Murray). Homeless individuals who have cognitive conditions are more likely to become victims of assault and self-medicate with harmful substances that could be fatal. The combination of mental disorders and substance abuse is known as dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders. While it may seem that difficult mental conditions can be suppressed by drug and alcohol use, this actually creates a destructive cycle of dependency (Murray). While 30% of homeless people overall suffer mental illness, the rate is significantly higher in populations of women. 50% to 60% of homeless women suffer mental and emotional disturbances, with these phenomena often pre-dating their homelessness. These disturbances often become more severe when combined with homelessness and substance abuse (Murray). This could be due to domestic violence or sexual trauma, leading to substance abuse and consequently ruining their lives.

Domestic abuse is not uncommon in Egyptian societies, as many women activists have raised awareness against this gruesome act of violence. In 2019, a campaign that goes by the name “assault police” had exposed severe domestic abuse against women who were kicked out of their homes and repeatedly assaulted without the ability to reach for help. In fact, children and young adults who suffer from poor parenting most likely find themselves homeless before the age of 18

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in most areas of Cairo where the lower class of the community live, according to a survey conducted by the Borgen Project (Yi).

Moreover, the previous discussions derive this report to the crucial point of unemployment.

Egypt’s unemployment rate recorded 8% of the total labor force during the second quarter of 2019 (EgyptToday). There are numerous reasons for the cause of unemployment of youth in Egypt. First and foremost, the country's economic growth level did not match the demographic pressures of having an increasing number of new entrants to the labor market from the youth every year. Population pressures are not checked by adequate economic growth, which remains to be a critical factor in the unemployment of youth (Barsoum). Therefore, this is mainly considered to be a structural problem. As a result, most young homeless individuals fall victim to a criminal lifestyle that haunts them throughout their lives due to engagement in illegal activities that can be difficult to go back from.

The reasons behind homelessness have been explicitly illustrated, which calls for the discussion of how the government has acted in order to control the situation. There have been numerous strategies applied in order to provide homeless individuals with the appropriate aid for them to have an honorable life and a new beginning. The Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, alongside the ministry of social solidarity, has instructed a strict plan to heal the homeless out of tragedy. The “Tahya Masr” campaign, introduced by the Egyptian president Abdel Fatah Al Sisi, has made a tremendous change in transforming the poor’s lives into a decent living they deserve.

The campaign has raised financial aid, which helped build new modern homes in the city of Cairo utterly free of charge for those who lost their homes, and an upgrade for those who live in poor conditions due to housing expenses. Egypt Independent quoted “The Tahya Misr Fund announced on Tuesday that it would continue to provide urban and social development activities

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for the homeless and those living in slums, insecure settlements and unplanned areas as part of plans for new integrated urban communities with a cost of more than LE2 billion, providing appropriate housing for 250,000 residents from slums and poorer villages” (Al-yawm). This project has raised the living standard for more than 120,000 citizens since the beginning of the campaign. Other services have also been added, including facilities organized to educate children against cybercrime, provide literacy and adult education classes, and organize regular awareness campaigns against the danger of drug abuse among youth (Al-yawm). Further aid in relation to employment has also been added to help the youth gain new opportunities to build a decent future to sustain the growing generation and contribute to today’s society.

In addition, the Egyptian government has made significant progress in improving access to public education across the country. Not only that but also reforming poorly managed schools to become a more prominent facility responsible for supervising the upcoming generations’ academic levels. Among other programmes, it has been working with UNICEF for over 20 years to provide disadvantaged children and communities with access to education. By the end of 2019, the partnership had established approximately 5048 community schools serving 133,007 socially excluded children, including those with behavioral and developmental disabilities. These schools are located primarily in areas where the distance to the nearest school is greater than 2 km. To further enhance the reach of education to such populations, the government received €57m in funding from the EU to implement similar initiatives throughout the 2019/20 academic year as the Oxford Business Group has stated in their latest news article (Group).

As for academic staff, in October 2019, Tarek Sharkawi, the minister of higher education has announced that 120,000 qualified teachers would be hired at the cost of 98.6 million US dollars who can apply through an application on the newly developed online portal designed by the ministry. Therefore, the homeless crisis's root is being treated to degrade the extravagant outcomes of homeless casualties. The Governmental aid did not stop at this point. Several

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rehabilitation institutions have been constructed specifically for homeless people who struggle with substance abuse throughout the cities in Egypt. It has been recorded that an estimated 14,000 patients have been admitted seeking professional help to gain a new opportunity for a new life after their homeless times in the streets. After a patient has been successfully treated, they’re admitted into educational and professional programs to help them gain the knowledge and ability to go back to live everyday lives.

Another campaign, which also highly contributed to the aid of homeless people, is the “Haya Karima” campaign endorsed by H.E President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. This initiative stems from a civilized responsibility and a human dimension before anything else, as its goal is more significant than just being an initiative aimed for improving the living conditions and daily life of Egyptian citizens (Haya Karima). This initiative targets urgent interventions required by the Egyptian civilians who endured the challenges of the economic reform. Aids such as integrated packages include various health, social, and living aspects delivered to areas where individuals live a difficult life and require immediate assistance. Thanks to the Egyptian youth who helped organize the campaign, it is now run nationally throughout the country and is provided to whoever needs their aid (Haya Karima).

In conclusion, Egypt is a beautiful country filled with tremendous attractions and investment opportunities that will be carried and cared for by its citizens. Thus, the upcoming generations must be saved from the risk of homelessness and be provided with all the vital utilities for them to be a part of their growing modern society. The Egyptian Government continues to do substantial work to build the country’s future and care for the younger generations, especially those in need.

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Reflection: Working on this draft was very challenging. It was last minute for me to start from the beginning and find new scholarly articles on Egypt, so I didn’t choose it from the beginning due to a shortage of pieces available. In addition to that, in this draft, I’m discussing several parts I had included in my critical analysis: drug abuse and mental health. Of course, now along with education, employment, economy, housing, and domestic abuse. However, I was surprised to find myself knowing the information given in the articles, which I can relate to in real life. For example, the education topic is one I have many examples on that makes it a poor liability to homelessness in Egypt. I’ve heard many stories of how many teachers (especially the ones in public schools) would exploit their position, harass students at school to gain some extra money off private lessons. Also, another example would be a housemaid, whose husband left her for a much younger girl to work and make a living for her three young girls who, unlike her, didn’t continue education are more privileged because their mother works at several different homes to make enough money for their education, private lessons, and needs. If a woman like her didn’t work, she and her three young girls would have probably become homeless because she couldn’t even buy herself a house of her own. On the other hand, I was also satisfied knowing “Hayat Karima” from a course I took last semester at AUC, “Entrepreneurial leadership.” In conclusion, I’m just more satisfied now to be knowing that the government is putting in the effort to find solutions for homelessness, with the help of the UN.

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Works Cited

Al-yawm, Al-Masrya. "Tahya Misr Fund provides housing for 250,000 citizens." Egypt Independent (2019). <https://egyptindependent.com/tahya-misr-fund-provides-housing-for250000-citizens-to-combat-slums/>.

Barsoum, Ghada. "Youth unemployement in Egypt." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310825198_Youth_Unemployment_in_Egypt/citation/d ownload. 2016.

Cassady, Lorena. "The effects of homelessness on society ." Classroom (n.d.).

EgyptToday. "Unemployment rates the last five years." Egypt Today (2019). <https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/3/106916/Egypt-s-unemployment-rate-records-7-3-in-Q2of#:~:text=CAIRO%20%E2%80%93%2015%20August%202021%3A%20Egypt's,according%2 0to%20the%20Central%20Agency>.

Espanol, MArc. "Critics say Egypt’s sub-par education system serves to entrench social inequalities." Arab Weekly (2016). <https://thearabweekly.com/critics-say-egypts-sub-pareducation-system-serves-entrench-social-inequalities>.

Group, Oxford Business. "How will Egypt reform its education system?" Oxford Business Group (2018). <https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/forging-ahead-new-reforms-investment-andinitiatives-are-aimed-fixing-ongoing-problems-and>.

Leila, Reem. Fighting Homelessness in Egypt "we are with you." News. Cairo: AhramOnline, 2019. <https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/322401/Egypt/Politics-/Fightinghomelessness-in-Egypt-%E2%80%98We-are-with-you%E2%80%99.aspx>.

Murray, Krystina. "Homelessness And Addiction." Addiction Center (n.d.). <https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/homelessness/>.

Soken-Huberty, Emmaline. HumanRightsCareers. 2017. <https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/root-causes-of-homelessness/>.

Yi, YongJin. "THE STATE OF CHILD HOMELESSNESS IN EGYPT." 2020. <https://borgenproject.org/child-homelessness-in-egypt/>.

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Research Paper Final Draft Reflection

Abstract This is my final draft for my research paper. I believe it demonstrates all learning outcomes: Research Development, Organization, and Structure, Knowledge of Conventions, Source Engagement, and Autonomous Learning.

Homelessness in Egypt: Causes and solutions

With the upcoming winter season, the crisis of homeless in the streets of Egypt is being aggravated, as they find themselves lost in the freezing weather and wet grounds without any aid or help (Gamil). This crisis has been going on for years now in Egyptian society to the point where it has been normalized. The Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, with association with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, had addressed the subject of homelessness back in 2018 and decided that the Ministry must act to tackle this issue promptly. Without a doubt, the Egyptian Government has taken a few steps closer to getting to the bottom of the problem of homelessness with various projects and campaigns, such as "Tahya Masr" and "Haya Karima," which will be explicitly discussed in this report (Leila).

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As of 2021, there are at least 12 million homeless people, including 3 million children in Egypt, according to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, which has stated that the cases are primarily severe Cairo, Giza, Qaliobya, Monofiya, Sharkiya, Suez, and Minya (Leila). Daily, civilians lose their shelter and head to the streets with no place to go (Leila).

This can result from several factors that must be investigated thoroughly to end this tragedy. Homelessness mainly stems from the foundations of one's life. For instance, poor education, mental health issues, drug abuse, employment difficulties, eviction, lack of affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, and systematic failures (Soken-Huberty).

A poor education system can lead a generation into a chaotic future. Most governmental schools in Egypt have been called out for their lack of genuine educational systems, which fail to deliver appropriate teaching requirements and elements to elementary and middle school pupils. This is a disastrous problem that directly affects society by encouraging students to drop out and directly harming today's society by boosting unemployment rates. Arab Weekly, a significant news broadcasting site, stated, "Some of the problems derive from outdated curricula and a highly centralized system in the hands of the Ministry of Education, which leaves little autonomy to teachers, and poor teaching quality, caused by a lack of adequate training at the teachers' disposal and their low — and falling — salaries, as well as a method of teaching" (Marc). The lack of good standard management in these schools would ultimately lead to students failing to continue their studies simply because of the educational system. Private schools come with a hefty price tag per semester which nearly 40% of the population cannot afford (Group).

According to Trading Economics, the average household income is 4100 In Cairo and 3200

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in the surrounding cities as analyzed by their economic models. (Wage Indicator Foundation).

Thus, this brings us to the next vital factor: expenses. Not only does this affect families to get their children through school, but also their own home could be at stake due to the high costs of housing prices. Residential and commercial expenses have been rising throughout the last six years, which caused a direct effect on both lower and middle-class citizens of the country. Thus, one could find a family of 6 living in a one-bedroom apartment, struggling to live an everyday life for the simple fact that getting a larger home that could shelter them all is financially impossible (Leila).

Going through these stages in life could drive a person to a state of mental illness, perhaps drug abuse. The difficult conditions of living on the street, trying to find food and shelter, and being away from loved ones are tragic states of being. Individuals suffering from homelessness may additionally develop psychiatric conditions in response to a harsh lifestyle often characterized by feeling threatened by violence, starvation, and a lack of shelter and love. Reports suggest that roughly 40% of homeless people struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, leading to severe mental disorders (Murray). Homeless individuals who have mental conditions are more likely to become victims of assault and self-medicate with harmful substances that could be fatal. Combining mental disorders and substance abuse is known as dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders (Cassady). While it may seem that difficult mental conditions can be suppressed by drug and alcohol use, this creates a destructive cycle of dependency (Murray). While 30% of homeless people overall suffer mental illness, the rate is significantly higher in populations of women. 50% to 60% of homeless women suffer mental and emotional disturbances, with these phenomena often

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pre-dating their homelessness (Yi). These disturbances often become more severe when combined with homelessness and substance abuse (Murray). This could be due to domestic violence or sexual trauma, leading to substance abuse and ruining their lives.

Domestic abuse is not uncommon in Egyptian societies, as many female activists have raised awareness against this gruesome act of violence. In 2019, a campaign that goes by the name "assault police" had exposed severe domestic abuse cases against women who were kicked out of their homes and repeatedly assaulted without the ability to reach out for help. Children and young adults who suffer from poor parenting most likely find themselves homeless before the age of 18 in most areas of Cairo, where the lower class of the community live, according to a survey conducted by the Borgen Project (Yi).

The previous discussions derive this report to the crucial point of unemployment. Egypt’s unemployment rate recorded 8% of the total labor force during the second quarter of 2019 (EgyptToday). There are numerous reasons for the cause of unemployment of youth in Egypt. First and foremost, the country's economic growth level did not match the demographic pressures of having an increasing number of new entrants to the labor market from the youth every year. Population pressures are not checked by adequate economic growth, which remains a crucial factor in the unemployment of youth (Barsoum).

Therefore, this is mainly considered to be a structural problem. As a result, most young homeless individuals fall victim to a criminal lifestyle that haunts them throughout their lives due to engagement in illegal activities that can be difficult to go back from.

The reasons behind homelessness have been explicitly illustrated, which calls for the discussion of how the Government has acted to control the situation. Numerous

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strategies have been applied to provide homeless individuals with appropriate aid to have an honorable life and a new beginning. The Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, alongside the Ministry of social solidarity, has instructed a strict plan to heal the homeless out of tragedy. The "Tahya Masr" campaign, introduced by the Egyptian president Abdel Fatah Al Sisi, has made a tremendous change in transforming the poor's lives into a decent living that they deserve (Sedky). The campaign has raised financial aid, which helped build new modern homes in Cairo utterly free of charge for those who lost their homes, and an upgrade for those who live in poor conditions due to housing expenses. Egypt Independent’s reporter Hany Samir quoted “The Tahya Misr Fund announced on Tuesday that it would continue to provide urban and social development activities for the homeless and those living in slums, insecure settlements and unplanned areas as part of plans for new integrated urban communities with a cost of more than LE2 billion, providing appropriate housing for 250,000 residents from slums and poorer villages” (Sedky). This project has raised the living standard for more than 120,000 citizens since the beginning of the campaign. Other services have also been added, including facilities organized to educate children against cybercrime, provide literacy and adult education classes, and manage regular awareness campaigns against the danger of drug abuse among youth (Sedky).

Further aid concerning employment has also been added to help the youth gain new opportunities to build a decent future to sustain the growing generation and contribute to today's society.

The Egyptian Government has also made significant progress in improving access to public education across the country by reforming poor managed schools to become more prominent facilities responsible for supervising the upcoming generations' academic levels

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(Leila). Among other programs, it has been working with UNICEF for over 20 years to provide disadvantaged children and communities with access to education. By the end of 2019, the partnership had established approximately 5048 community schools serving 133,007 socially excluded children, including those with behavioral and developmental disabilities (Group). These schools are located primarily in areas where the distance to the nearest school is greater than 2 km. To further enhance the reach of education to such populations, the Government received €57m in funding from the E.U. to implement similar initiatives throughout the 2019/20 academic year, as the Oxford Business Group has stated in their latest news article (Group).

As for academic staff, in October 2019, Tarek Sharkawi, the Minister of Higher Education has announced that 120,000 qualified teachers would be hired at the cost of 98.6 million U.S. dollars which can apply through an application on the newly developed online portal designed by the Ministry (Soken-Huberty). Therefore, the root of the homeless crisis is being treated to degrade the extravagant outcomes of homeless casualties. The Governmental aid did not stop at this point. Several rehabilitation institutions have been constructed specifically for homeless people who struggle with substance abuse throughout the cities in Egypt (Gamil). It has been recorded that an estimate of 14,000 patients has been admitted seeking professional help to gain a new opportunity for a new life after their homeless times in the streets (Sedky). After a patient has been successfully treated, they're admitted into educational and professional programs to help them gain the knowledge and ability to go back to live everyday lives (Sedky).

Another campaign, which also highly contributed to the aid of homeless people, is the "Haya Karima" campaign endorsed by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. This

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initiative stems from a civilized responsibility and a human dimension before anything else, as its goal is more significant than just being an initiative to improve the living conditions and daily life of Egyptian citizens (Ali). This initiative targets urgent interventions required by the Egyptian civilians who endured the challenges of the economic reform. Aids such as integrated packages include various health, social, and living aspects delivered to areas where individuals live a difficult life and require immediate assistance. Thanks to the Egyptian youth who helped organize the campaign, it is now run nationally throughout the country and is provided to whoever needs their aid (Ali).

Egypt is a beautiful country filled with tremendous attractions and investment opportunities that will be carried and cared for by its citizens. Thus, the upcoming generations must be saved from the risk of homelessness and be provided with all the vital utilities to be a part of their growing modern society. The Egyptian Government continues to do substantial work to build the country's future and care for the younger generations, especially those in need. The alterations and reforms conducted throughout the past years have been remarkably beneficial in aiding homelessness and the consequences that stem from it. From creating solid educational systems to providing households with proper shelter and employment opportunities, the campaigns such as Haya Karima are proliferating. Seeking international aid could also increase these campaigns' capacities and utilities, thereby gaining global recognition.

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Reflection: Working on this draft was very challenging. It was last minute for me to start and find new scholarly articles on Egypt, so I didn't choose it from the beginning due to a shortage of pieces available. However, for my second draft, I decided to focus on Egypt as my population sample. The websites that made it easier for me to find scholarly articles on homelessness in Egypt were: ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, AUC Library, and JSTORE. In addition to that, in the second and final draft, I discussed several parts I had included in my critical analysis: drug abuse and mental health. Of course, now along with education, employment, economy, housing, and domestic abuse. However, I was surprised to find myself knowing the information given in the articles, which I can relate to in real life. For example, the education topic I have many examples on makes it a poor liability to homelessness in Egypt.

Of course, I focused more on adding all the sources to each point in the second draft, rather than just taking notes and using them for my topics without citing each one. I've heard many stories of how many teachers (especially those in public schools) would exploit their position and harass students at school to gain extra money off private lessons. Also, another example would be a housemaid, whose husband left her for a much younger girl to work and make a living for her three young girls who, unlike her, didn't continue education are more privileged because their mother works at

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several different homes to make enough money for their education, private lessons, and needs. If a woman like her didn't work, she and her three young girls would have probably become homeless because she couldn't even buy herself a house of her own.

On the other hand, I was also satisfied knowing "Hayat Karima" from a course I took last semester at AUC, "Entrepreneurial leadership." In conclusion, I'm just more satisfied now to be knowing that the Government is putting in the effort to find solutions for homelessness, with the help of the U.N. I decided to focus more on the sources in this draft rather than adding or modifying my information. Also, I used the comments from the writing center on my second draft to alter all the mistakes and make the best out of my research paper. This assignment has been the most important for me throughout the semester in Rhet 1020.

Some comments that helped me were, for example, like the one on the Tahya Misr fund I was told to add how it collects the money? What is it? How are the funds allocated etc.

Ehab El Shimi from the writing center was almost very similar to Professor's. For example, add source and subheadings (rather than transition signals as to how the Professor had commented) if something sounds informal. However, some comments weren't as helpful. I'd hoped whoever viewed my paper to focus more. For example, one word was to add causes of homelessness, which the document discusses thoroughly. In conclusion, this assignment was challenging, and I learned so much from it.

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Works Cited Al-yawm, Al-Masrya. "Tahya Misr Fund provides housing for 250,000 citizens." Egypt Independent (2019). <https://egyptindependent.com/tahya-misr-fund-provideshousing-for-250000-citizens-to-combat-slums/>.

Barsoum, Ghada. "Youth unemployement in Egypt." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310825198_Youth_Unemployment_in_ Egypt/citation/download. 2016.

Cassady, Lorena. "The effects of homelessness on society ." Classroom (n.d.).

EgyptToday. "Unemployment rates the last five years." Egypt Today (2019). <https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/3/106916/Egypt-s-unemployment-raterecords-7-3-in-Q2of#:~:text=CAIRO%20%E2%80%93%2015%20August%202021%3A%20Egypt' s,according%20to%20the%20Central%20Agency>.

Espanol, MArc. "Critics say Egypt’s sub-par education system serves to entrench social inequalities." Arab Weekly (2016). <https://thearabweekly.com/critics-say-egyptssub-par-education-system-serves-entrench-social-inequalities>.

Group, Oxford Business. "How will Egypt reform its education system?" Oxford Business Group (2018). <https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/forgingahead-new-reforms-investment-and-initiatives-are-aimed-fixing-ongoingproblems-and>.

Haya Karima. 2020. <https://www.hayakarima.com/about_en.html>.

Leila, Reem. Fighting Homelessness in Egypt "we are with you". News. Cairo: AhramOnline, 2019. <https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/322401/Egypt/Politics/Fighting-homelessness-in-Egypt-%E2%80%98We-are-withyou%E2%80%99.aspx>.

Murray, Krystina. "Homelessness And Addiction." Addiction Center (n.d.). <https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/homelessness/>.

Soken-Huberty, Emmaline. HumanRightsCareers. 2017. <https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/root-causes-of-homelessness/>.

Yi, YongJin. "THE STATE OF CHILD HOMELESSNESS IN EGYPT." 2020. <https://borgenproject.org/child-homelessness-in-egypt/>.

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Presentation with Reflection Abstract This section is my presentation which I presented in class to persuade and raise awareness in front of my colleagues and professor on acknowledging that homelessness has become a crisis in Egypt and that it affects many great things in our country. I believe that the learning outcomes used in this presentation were Knowledge of Convention and Source Engagement.

RHET 1020, INSTRUCTOR MICHAEL GIBSON

Homelessness in Egypt A world crisis, a humane ethic

Kamilia Abdelhalim 900201556

December, 9 2021

Homelessness in Egypt: statistics According to the ministry of solidarity, there are at least 12 million homeless people.

3 milion children.

Statistics show that the cases are primarily located at Giza, Minya, Qaliobeya, Cairo, Monofiya, Sharkiya, Suez, and Minya. (Leila)

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Homelessness in Egypt: causes

Poor Education Unemployment Mental Illnesses Poverty Economic Difficulties Drug Abuse Lack of housing Expenses

Homelessness in egypt: Solutions; Campaigns Tahya Misr: A campaign by the President Abdulfatah Al Sisi which works to provide aid for the poor in Egypt. (This campaign has also helped Palestine in the latest Sheikh Jarrah attacks, with an aid of 500 million dollars worth of equipment.)

Tahya Misr has raised the living standard for more than 120,000 citizens.

(Alyawm) The Egyptian government in work with the UNICEF, were able to provide 5048 community schools for socially excluded children, including those with developmental disabilities. (Group) The Government has also worked to provide rehabilitation institutions to help those with substance abuse. 14,000 patients have been admitted.

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References

Al-yawm, Al-Masrya. "Tahya Misr Fund provides housing for 250,000 citizens." Egypt Independent (2019). <https://egyptindependent.com/tahya-misr-fund-provides-housingfor-250000-citizens-to-combat-slums/>.

Leila, Reem. Fighting Homelessness in Egypt "we are with you." News. Cairo: AhramOnline, 2019. <https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/322401/Egypt/Politics-/Fightinghomelessness-in-Egypt-%E2%80%98We-are-with-you%E2%80%99.aspx>.

Reflection While working on this presentation, I had any intention to show the homeless by myself. I wanted to interview some and share the video with my audience. However, due to inconvenience, I wasn't able to do so. Being only given 7 minutes to present a full 2000 research paper wasn't the best thing for me. I wish I had more time to discuss the topic with the audience. My research paper discusses the causes and the payback to homelessness in Egypt. (Poverty, education, economic difficulties, etc.)

On the other hand, I did feel that I presented the subtopic of my paper in the best way possible. I might have needed to discuss each element more indepth, but I was only given 7 minutes. It felt essential to deliver my research topic to the audience. I felt honored sharing my theory on a critical global issue concerning Egypt. As I stated at the beginning of my presentation, homelessness has been an issue haunting me ever since I was young. It was of great benefit to working on a research paper of our own choice, as it made me learn more about homelessness in Egypt and how to help. The presentation preparing itself wasn't a tricky step. I have already worked on previous ones before, so I found it easy. Maybe I need to prepare my talk more and time each slide correctly.

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Participation, Engagement, and Professionalism Reflection

Abstract This is the final part of my portfolio. It is a reflection on the course throughout the semester, in terms of participation, engagement and professionalism. The learning outcomes were Knowledge of Conventions and Organization Structure.

This course has been very challenging since the beginning of the semester. I felt that the workload was high due to my lack of time management and problems associated with my learning disability. I enjoyed our outdoor classes, and I felt more concentrated and engaged than in classes conducted indoors. To be honest, due to my ADHD, our indoor classes would make me sometimes feel anxious, bored, and lose focus. However, I engaged with the course on a 95% during outdoor times. I remember I once had an anxiety attack; it was easy for me to go for a 1minute walk in the gardens, take deep breaths, and then go back to class. I only skipped three

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lectures due to the loss of a family member, and the other was for I was a suspect of covid-19.

When it comes to assignments, I faced multiple times throughout the semester where I had to submit several assignments late. Of course, this had affected my grade. However, I rely on the other tasks to hopefully get me a passing one.

One Final Word

During this course, I faced many extraneous variables that had affected my performance.

I wish I was a chance to try and follow up on what I have missed. On the other hand, this course has been very beneficial to me, and its learning outcomes will stick along with me for a long time. While putting together my portfolio, I can say that I’m proud of the work I presented, no matter the losses of assignments I wasn’t able to submit.