In her unceasing efforts on behalf of the garbage people, Sister Emmanuelle has brought the attention of many to their plight. A group of volunteers influenced by her devotion to the people work alongside her. This has enabled Sister Emmanuelle to leave the running of the medical clinic to others so she can move among the people she so cherishes. Traveling from community to community, living with the people, working with them, Sr. Emmanuelle convinces them that they should use the facilities at the Center-Salam. When her work in one community is done, she moves on to the next, hence, her arrival at the Mukattam Hills community.
“My interest is to lead a Christian life, to serve God in the best way I know how. I am not worried about trying to convert the people. I only want to give them a chance in life, like everyone else, that is all I am interested in.”
On May 10, 1981 there was a small ceremony to celebrate Sister Emmanuelle’s golden jubilee as a nun. She climbed up on top of a dilapidated donkey cart and read the same vows she had taken 50 years earlier at Our Lady of Sion Church in Paris. Hundreds of people crowded into the narrow pathway to hear the words. Her pale green eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke in Arabic. Everyone listened intently to the tall strong Frenchwoman who had brought such hope and compassion to their lives. A lot of work lay ahead of them all, but with Sr. Emmanuelle’s arrival a new impetus had spread like a ray of sunlight over the community at Mukattam Hills.
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Jeannette Isaac is a freelance writer who has traveled extensively in the Near East.
Tags: Egypt Education Sisters Health Care Waste