Farida Ahmed

She ran four times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and she did not care about it. A miserable child's laugh had the most important, "Egyptian Mother Teresa", "Mother of Cairo" or "Mama Magi" as she prefers to be called, a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 for the fifth time before A number of local and international agencies, including the Canadian Parliament.

The beginning ... the Zabbalin neighborhood
Magda Gibran was born to a wealthy family, studied computer science at the American University, worked as a professor at the same university, and married a businessman, who lived her first experience with the slums of Cairo during an annual event aimed at distributing food and clothes to needy families .. charitable work was not far from them She saw her aunt working permanently and continuously to help poor families, and when she traveled outside the country, Maggie felt that it was her turn to take on that responsibility.

In the mid-thirties, she gave up her modern clothes and her luxurious lifestyle, and devoted her life to serving the poor, especially children, after a shock from the reality of poverty in the "Zabbalin neighborhood" in Mokattam when she went to visit him. In that neighborhood, garbage collects everywhere in the capital, and is sorted and recycled. Families as a whole, even young children, are counting, and most suffer from miserable living conditions.

Then her life changed, she vowed to do good, and in 1985 she founded the "Stevens Childrens" charity to meet the needs of poor families, and was able to help more than 30 thousand Egyptian families.

Love and joy
"Love, Hope, and Education" .. Maggie believes that these three axes are what a child needs to lead a happy life.

During television interviews with her, Maggie explained her philosophy of dealing with children, noting that the human being is a "body, mind and spirit". The body's needs are met by feeding the child with healthy meals, following him medically, and teaching him sports. As for meeting the needs of the mind, it is through education and regularity in it to resemble a creative person in what he loves. Meeting the needs of the soul comes by teaching him high moral principles to become an integrated human being.

She believes that her message to children in need can only be reached through "unconditional love and joy", and that real help comes by providing what the child wants for himself and what makes him feel joy, not by forcing him on the pretext of his personal interest, the real concern is through listening to him and knowing his dreams and seeking to achieve them .

Maggie does not work alone, as more than 2000 volunteers help her to provide support and advice and facilitate medical treatment and care for children and their needy families, and through her association she founded 92 centers that provide care and education for more than 18 thousand children. Its association also contributes to providing treatment to more than 40 thousand patients annually, according to press reports.

Maggie won the International Women of Courage award from the US State Department, and Melania Trump, wife of the President of the United States in 2019, awarded her the International Women of Courage award.

Fifth candidacy
For the previous four times, "Mama Maggie" was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the last of which was in 2012, but she always confirms that she is not interested in winning the award.

And recently, the official page of the Egyptian Ministry of Immigration announced on its page on the social networking site "Facebook", the nomination of "Maggie Gibran" for the Nobel Prize for this year.

"A number of international bodies, including the Canadian Parliament, announced the nomination of the Egyptian woman, Maggie Gibran - known as the Mama Magi - for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020," the publication said.

"Canadian Parliament Member Garnett Guinness announced his candidacy of Mama Maggie for the Nobel Peace Prize this year, in recognition of her great efforts in establishing the Stevens Childrens Charitable Society and serving the poor in Egypt, and for her active role in promoting a culture of diversity, accepting the other and safeguarding human dignity," the ministry said.