The story of Marwa Fayed's Toy Run (MFTR), an initiative that collects unwanted toys and then distributes them to underprivileged children, began when Marwa Fayed, founder of the initiative, decided that every child had the right to toys as “a loving friend and companion to nourish young creative minds”. The CEO of MFTR, Omar Samra, gives details about how it all started. “Back in 2010, my late wife Marwa Fayed started what was initially called the Cairo Toy Run for Orphanages with the idea that every child had the right to toys and a happy childhood. It was something run by Marwa along with her friends and family. They would collect new and used toys, wrap them, and then distribute them to underprivileged children.” “Her sad death in 2013 was not the end of the initiative, but was the spark that led me to revive the Marwa Fayed's Toy Run as an association. Shortly after her death I called upon people to gather 200 toys to be distributed before the end of that year's Ramadan. In the first week, we received almost 1,000 toys. The response was massive, and it seemed everyone wanted to participate. Volunteers even started chapters of the association abroad, collecting toys and distributing them to needy children,” Samra said, adding that today there are six chapters abroad that organise frequent toy runs. In 2014, the MFTR won MBC Hope's Humanitarian Project of the Year Award, a prestigious award in the field. Marwa Fayed always believed that children needed more than just food and shelter. She thought that their creativity could be stimulated by toys, which themselves were alive and needed to be loved, a belief shared by the MFTR team. The more children engage and play with toys, the happier they are, she thought. When a child stops playing with a toy, it is time for that toy to embark on a new journey and make another child happy. “For all of us busy bees who have no time to do some soul feeding, this is a chance to be part of something great with minimal effort. This is a simple way for you to do something great for a lot of needy children and a small toy (even just one) that you might throw away or disregard can make their day,” Fayed had said of her initiative. Samra explained how the MFTR went about collecting and distributing the toys. “We collect toys from various channels, which include friends, family, schools, retailers and anyone interested in taking part. We have drop-off points all over Cairo, covering areas such as 6th October City, Zamalek, Downtown, Mohandeseen, Maadi, Heliopolis, and Katameya,” he said, adding that anyone willing to donate their used or unwanted toys could drop them off at these locations. Alternatively, the MFTR also organises pick-ups from private homes through a courier service that handles the packing and delivery of the toys to warehouses. They also partner with NGOs in different governorates and organise toy runs and toy distributions there. “After we receive the collected toys, we carefully clean and sort them according to target gender and age group to make sure the right child gets the right toy. The toys are then beautifully wrapped and made ready for distribution,” he said. He added that the MFTR often partnered with companies or other NGOs to organise fun days for underprivileged children. “Our last event was a sports day in cooperation with MBC Hope and an Egyptian sports management company. Around 200 orphans participated in this event that was filled with activities, games and surprises for the children as well as a toy and a certificate for each child.” “We have organised mega-wrapping sessions, for example, the last one held at the Marriott Hotel last July. MBC Hope donated 3,000 toys that were all wrapped during this event and anyone was welcome to join. We also organise fun days for underprivileged children, such as the sports day mentioned, which took place at the Nile Courts in Giza last October. Our last event supporting a company's efforts to get involved was in cooperation with a well-known computer company that donated 250 toys, with company employees wrapping them and distributing them to orphans.” Samra said the association also organised wrapping sessions and toy distributions at different orphanages or children's hospitals, where they spend time with children on a regular basis. They have also reached out to children in remote areas. “In September, we went to Nubia and distributed 150 toys. Last October, we visited villages in Nuweiba together with the Mashrou Al-Saada NGO and distributed 200 toys,” he said. Samra shares a memory that has affected him a great deal. “Our very first visit to an orphanage allowed me to see the impact of our efforts first hand. Zeina Tawakol, director of operations at the Magdi Yacoub Foundation and a board member of the MFTR, was with us on this very memorable visit,” he said. In general, “we are lucky to have an amazing number of dedicated volunteers willing to donate their time and effort to put smiles on children's faces. The number of volunteers changes depending on the size of the event and the number of children involved,” he added. Samra said that funding was still a challenge, as the importance of NGOs in society in Egypt is sometimes still underestimated. “Fundraising is fundamental to financial growth. Logistics are also tricky, but luckily we have managed to partner with different shipping companies on different occasions to be able to distribute our toys to remote areas and even refugee camps,” he said. “There is also the positive trend of companies putting more emphasis on such activities. There has been a rise in social start-ups that help raise awareness about people that are less privileged and need our help and support.” Samra puts the aims of the association in a nutshell by saying that “at Marwa Fayed's Toy Run our mission is to put smiles on children's faces through encouraging children to donate their toys to others. We are aiming to spread values that are reflected in both short-term and long-term benefits to society. We want to spread the culture of giving and the joy that results from making others happy, a concept fostered in the early years of childhood, and we encourage children to give up their own toys in order to make other children happy. In order to encourage this giving behaviour from an early age, we participate in events that involve children in the process of collecting, wrapping and distributing toys.” The MFTR has distributed toys in orphanages, children's hospitals, refugee camps, and in any place where there are children in need. “We do not limit ourselves to Egypt either, as our organisation is built on the belief that innocent smiles are the same everywhere, regardless of where in the world a needy child is located. For example, we distributed toys to orphanages and a newly rebuilt school in Nepal last year. In cooperation with DHL Express MENA and Rotary Heliopolis Al-Nozha, we delivered school supplies to two Syrian refugee camps on the borders with Jordan,” Samra said, adding that thus far the association has distributed over 100,000 toys in more than 10 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United Kingdom, the US and Canada. He gave some hints about future plans. “Our next event is in collaboration with the Mashroo Kheir NGO. They are organising a Camp Give event for children between 10 and 14 years old. At the Camp, kids get exposed to different ways to use their five senses in giving and doing good deeds. One of these ways is to donate some of their toys, wrap them beautifully, and then pass them on to a less privileged child,” he said. In cooperation with the Wataneya Society for the Development of Orphanages as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the association is planning to set up fun rooms in orphanages as well as at UNHCR locations. This is in line with the MFTR's Project Buzz that aims to enhance children's creativity, giving them the space to provide them with a sense of security that can give them hope for a better tomorrow, Samra said. “We are also starting a project with UNHCR as well as with different Egyptian handicrafts businesses to teach refugee women as well as older orphans the art of toy-making. This is a very exciting project as it offers many benefits: it supports traditional crafts, opens opportunities for work for refugees and older orphans, and ultimately makes the children who receive the toys happy. We hope to grow and open more chapters in more countries so that we are able to collect and distribute even more toys in order to make even more children happy and spread smiles all around the globe,” he concluded.
