Egypto-mania
2000
PROFILE
Volume 3,
Issue 1
January 2000
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"It
Takes a Village"
Professor Booz and his Community-Based Development Model
By Dr. T.I. Farag FACP,
FRCPE
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
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I was privileged and delighted to have attended a presentation administered by Prof. M.K. Booz, the counselor of the Pan-Arab Orthopedic Association,. entitled "The Booz Village: A Community-Based Developmental Model," as part of the second international conference on Population & Molecular Genetics Update held in Cairo last November.
In the 1960s, the late Prof. Anwar Al-Mufti, the famous Cairo University physician, decided to depart from Cairo to a small village outside of Alexandria, in an experimental attempt to characterize the developmental schemes in a rural Egyptian community, His project concentrated on the promotion of health issues, educational development, and the improvement of the local socioeconomic situation. In doing so, he suggested and implemented a participatory model, which heralded the rise of local indigenous leaders and caregivers that empowered the development of the community.
Few years later, the late Prof. Jim Farquhar and his colleague Prof. John Forfar established in Edinburgh the first school for community pediatrics worldwide which helps train pediatricians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and teachers to work within the community.
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These two monumental experiments challenged Dr. M.K. Booz (FRCSE, FRCS, FACS, FICS) and some of his family members to embark on a major project in their very own village, "The Booz Village." This community is located in the Sharkiya Province of Egypt, eighty kilometers northeast of Cairo and was established during the digging of the Suez canal around 150 years ago. The founder of the village, Mr. Yousef Booz, born in 1820, settled there with six others. Today, the population of the village and his descendents exceeds 1500 individuals. Of which, approximately 450 still reside in the village.
The project has only been made possible through the determination, planning, villagers' participations and the donations of philanthropic and socially conscious individual from various Arab countries. The initiative established five schools, a mosque, a health, dental and orthopedic clinics, a public library, a village hall, a sewing workshop for girls and a carpentry workshop for boys. In addition, a sewage system was installed as well as the introduction of clean water and electricity in the village homes. As well, two grocery stores now serve the village community. These establishments generated employment opportunities for many people.
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Professor Booz presented his preliminary data which
indicate that there is a significant diminution of illiteracy in the Booz
village and the celebrations will begin after five years for complete
eradication of illiteracy in the village among few housewives over the age of
30. With consistent awareness programs and education, polygamy is decreasing and
occurs only in situations of obligation towards children and infertility.
Nonetheless, there is still a tendency towards consanguineous marriage in the
village. Regarding the practice of female circumcision, Booz mentioned that the
percentage is 100% among the local villagers, declining among those who have
moved to the towns, and virtually non-existent among the highly-educated
descendents.
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Prof. Booz acknowledged the generous support provided by the
model's advocates as well as the outstanding local efforts provided by all 1500
of his relatives. The international academic with over 100
publications in his field, is interested to pursue
the study of the medico-social issues characteristic of his village including
the significantly high inbreeding. These studies will be benificial as a
preventive strategy for the village as well as presenting a developmental model which could be replicated in other Arab and Middle
Eastern villages.
