UK Charity Commission Registration Number 1120536

Project B

Providing physiotherapy treatment in existing centres and creating a modern purpose-built centre for disabled children in Luxor.

Please scroll down the page to read our earlier reports

November 2008

The new west bank clinic opened in Qurna on the 1st November 2008 as planned and there was immediate interest from the local community. Just before opening we were fortunate to have an official visit from the British Ambassador Sir Dominic Asquith and the British Consul Mr. Richard Fielder who congratulated us on our achievement. The new clinic also acts as a food distribution centre as well as a free physiotherapy clinic. We are fortunate to have the services of a young and enthusiastic doctor who devotes her time to the clinic for six hours each day. This has enabled us to treat many more children than had previously been possible.

Eventually we hope to have a mother and baby clinic at the centre and a free dental service for the children. There is still a lot of development to be done at the clinic but initially it appears to have been a great success and we thank everyone who made it possible.

Clinic reception Area	The massage room	Food parcels loaded for delivery

September 2008

When Little Stars began its work in May 2007, we could not have anticipated how much support we would have. It has been immense as the plight of the children we aim to help has touched your hearts.

Six months after Little Stars started we were asked if we would fund the two clinics that had been run by Manacare. There was still a great need for the clinics but funding had become a problem to them. We accepted responsiblity and have completely funded the clinic at Karnak Charity Hospital and the one at Seul for the last year. It has only because of your tremendous support that this has been possible.

A young patient at the clinic in Seul.	Many of the children have cerebral palsy

The free clinic at Karnak was exceptionally well run under the care of Hussein and Dr. Ahmed but the clinic in Seul, although it had dedicated staff, was run down and ill-equipped. It soon became apparent that the clinic was not well sited and was hard for many people to reach if they were not collected by the clinic's hired bus. The number of patients was dwindling and the a lot of the equipment was broken. A renovation project was started but this only temporarily filled a gap and it was evident that a new clinic was needed.

In the summer of 2008, premises were located on the west bank close to Qurna Hospital. The premises consisted of two adjacent flats that could easily be converted into a purpose-designed clinic. The lease was signed and work began soon after. New equipment was bought in Cairo and it is hoped that the new clinic will open in the Autumn. The old clinic will be closed temporarily and then re-opened as a free nursery school for disadvantaged children who might otherwise never go to school.

Renting premises instead of buying them has been a deliberate act as we feel that a project of this size needs a trial run. It would be foolhardy to buy land and construct a building without first seeing if the clinic is in the right place and offers the right facilities. At present we have a four year extendable lease but if we feel that the project is a success then either the lease will be renewed or, if funds allow we will build a new extended clinic close by.

Chirstmas at the Good Samaritan Home	Christmas is later than in Europe	but fun is had by all.

In February 2008, the Trustees of Little Stars made an arrangement with the Good Samaritan Home to fund their doctor's and medicine costs and to pay the cost of hiring extra staff in the shcool. The Good Samaritan Home treats children who are in its direct care and also collects more than twenty children from the surrounding villages to bring them to their school. However, their physiotherapy equipment is almost non-existent and there is desperate need for even the most basic of items but Little Stars has already replaced their wheelchairs and will replace more items when we are able to..

Physiotherapy is not only needed for those that are born physically disabled or who have been crippled through injury because there are children who have suffered badly not because of deliberate cruelty but because of ignorance. We are aware of two mentally disabled brothers who were kept in a small outhouse of their Luxor home. They were uncared for, unclothed and untaught but that does not mean that they were unloved. They lay in their own excrement until it was hosed away and never learned to walk or talk. They are now both in the care of the Good Samaritan Home and with intensive muscle stimulation one of the brothers has learned to walk but the other brother is still locked in his own world. Neither has ever learned to talk. This situation is not rare. Disabled children are often thought of as a shame on the family and are locked away which can lead to unintended abuse.

A Luxor boy receives a wheelchair	Wheelchairs taken to Karnak clinic

Please help us to complete these projects either by making a donation to boost the Little Stars Trust Fund or by looking through the wish list to see if there is any piece of equipment that you can bring out to Luxor with you.

If you work in the caring professions or are coming to Luxor on holiday or to live, then perhaps you might like to volunteer time helping at one of the centres. Or, if you have time on your hands, you might like to act as a fund raiser for Little Stars to provide the things that the children so desperately need.

Your help is vitally needed. Please contact us if you can help, Thank you.