Anna Lindh Foundation sponsors cultural exchange between disabled persons in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Within the framework of its call for proposal granted projects, the Anna Lindh Foundation is supporting the project "Rights of disabled in tourism, recreation and cultural exchange", carried on by the Egyptian organisation Caritas - Egypt Center for Training and studies on disability, and which will be inaugurated in Alexandria on 2 December 2009 under the auspices of Adel Labib, Governor of Alexandria.

The opening will take place at the Small Theater in Bibliotheca Alexandrina on Wednesday, 2 December 2009, which marks the eve of the International Day of Disabled Persons and with the participation of over 150 officials and experts in the field of disability, culture and tourism.

The Project Coordinator, Alfred Georges, said: "The project aims to strengthen the rights of disabled people in tourism, culture and knowledge through a range of cultural and artistic activities, which promote cultural exchange, tourism and recreation between disabled people in four Egyptian provinces; Cairo, Alexandria, Minya and Qena, and four different Euromed countries; Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia and France ".

The project consists in forming a number of working groups of associations and centers operating in the field of disability within each province so that each team consists of a core group of people with disabilities, a group of trainers and volunteers working in the field to support this team in training and cultural activities. At the end, each province will nominate one team to represent it .The nominated team from each of the four Egyptian province will meet with for other teams from the Arab and European countries previously mentioned.

The project will conclude by organising a Festival on tourism and recreational activities for persons with disabilities, to be held in Alexandria in July 2010. The Festival will include artistic performances, and activities that reflect the cultural heritage of the various countries involved in the project.

In addition, the organisers will select one Egyptian team to travel to France to represent Egypt as a way to promote cultural and knowledge exchange between disabled people in both countries.