Mahmoud Abduallah is one of the founders of Ehlam organization, it was formed as an initiative in 2011 and after proving its success, it became an organization serving El Mahla El Kobra’s residents with future plans to also serve the whole El Gharbia Governorate. The founders changed the organization’s specialty from charity to development, in order to serve more people and in order to guarantee its sustainability, in an industrial community which lacks a lot of activities. Given the lack of space for youth in the area of Mahala, and the centralization of most cultural events and activities in Cairo, Ehlam aims to provide a new space for creativity and culture.
They work on providing and distributing supplies for the poor, eradicating illiteracy, doing awareness campaigns at schools, cultivating people’s culture and promoting volunteerism for youth. Ehlam aims to end the centralization of cultural scene, which is mostly present in Cairo, and provide tools to El Mahala’s residents and youth by implementing workshops, seminars, organizing cultural events, different courses and activities. This includes also creative writing, music, calligraphy and language courses.
They have been working on a cultural project called Dedosia (Al Mahla’s name during the Pharaonic age), which already established a public library -with 1000 books - where people have access to books to read and borrow for a nominal fee, without the need to buy or travel to Cairo. This revives and spreads a much needed cultural space and scene vital for the cultural and social development of youth and people in El Mahala.