Our childhood memories continue to haunt us for the rest of our lives. Often frozen in virtual snapshots are the highs and lows, the growing pains and the utter delights of growing up. Among such memories are our sturdy relationships with our favorite teddy bear, our big (small) red truck, and the action figures we learn to adore.
But not all of us are privileged enough to have these shiny or fluffy objects stacked amid our memories. Marwa Fayed, therefore, has made it her mission to introduce joy-enhancing, memory-creating objects into the lives of orphaned children.
The idea of recycling toys with the aim of “making the world a little happier for orphans” came to Fayed one night last February, before she drifted off to sleep. Upon waking up, Fayed was at once inspired with the idea of Toy Run. “The next day, I immediately jumped into action and created the group and invited all my friends and asked them to do the same,” she says.
Fayed had been interested in charity work for some time, and was long considering establishing her very own organization. Despite being an “international child” (she was born in Kuwait, raised in Saudi Arabia and educated in Florida), Fayed is Egyptian–and that has in large part inspired her efforts.
“Egypt is one of the best places to remind you of how many people are living in poverty, lacking the simple things many of us take for granted everyday,” she says.
The old and dusty toys stacked in cupboards across Cairo signify simple things taken for granted. The Toy Run merely requires that you dig up things that once made you smile, or made your loved ones smile, for the sake of a young child’s grin. The Toy Run asks for toys, and toys only.
The reason why Toy Run is a uniquely niche charity, focusing solely on acquiring toys, lies in Fayed’s own exploration of the child psyche.
“Ever since my nephew was born, I’ve learned a lot about the psychology of a child,” she says. “Whenever I approach him with a toy, I become his new best friend. Whenever I bring back clothes or books, he would always stare at me blankly, waiting for the toy.”
Fayed found that the key to a child’s happiness lies chiefly in toys. “Frequent playtime with toys will expand their imagination, and will inherently lift up their spirits, even if just for a little bit.”
Fayed decided that the best way to lift the spirits of disadvantaged orphans was to provide them with a toy–be it a puzzle, board game, teddy bear, mask or costume.
“I didn’t want to start just another charity organization that simply asked people to donate money,” she explains. “I wanted to get the community involved and for every member to be as enthused about it as I am.”
And to relieve the symptoms of laziness and apathy, Fayed designed a charitable organization that fully engages donors, encouraging them to turn in toys packed with old recollections so they can become someone else’s brand new memories. “I have built the Toy Run in such a way that the laziest person can be a part of something great simply by making a phone call,” she says.
“The beauty of this charity is that you are not required to do anything except collect old toys from your own children, neighbors, friends and family and drop them off at a location,” Fayed adds. Drop-off points are scattered across Cairo, in Heliopolis, Nasr City, Maadi, Mohandiseen, Katameya and 6th October City, with exact location posted on the Toy Run for Orphanages Facebook group.
And for those unable to make it to drop-off locations, Fayed offers a pick-up service. Yet she recommends that donors take the time to drop off the toys, in order for them to truly experience their contribution.
Facebook has since become Toy Run’s home. But clicking a button and actually making donations are two very distant elements, as Fayed has come to learn. “Because the organization is based on Facebook, there was a fast response to people adding themselves to the group or ‘liking’ it–but there weren’t enough toys being donated, which is the core of the organization itself,” she says.
Desperate to keep the toy marathon going, Fayed began to diligently harass friends and family members to donate their toys. “Some donated toys just to get me to leave them alone,” she confesses.
But once enough toys were collected for distribution, the experience proved rewarding–to say the very least. “My first Toy Run experience was definitely filled with an overwhelming sense of emotion,” Fayed recalls.
With five or six garbage bags brimming with toys, Fayed and a friend arrived at an orphanage to hand-deliver them to the boys and girls residing there.
“As soon as the children saw the bags, they immediately stood up and were wide-eyed in anticipation,” she remembers. “They were simply staring at us and smiling and the gratitude in their eyes made me wish I had a whole truckload of toys to give out.”
A monthly flow of donations is Fayed’s ultimate hope for sustaining Toy Run. But awareness is needed to ensure that the organization does not run out of steam.
“I would love for Cairo’s Toy Run to be on everybody’s mind when they have toys to donate,” she says. “It also doesn’t matter if you have children or not, as you are bound to know someone who knows someone who has a neighbor who has a child.”
Fayed plans to carry the Toy Run still further. Becoming the premier charity for toy recycling in Egypt is one plan she strives to achieve. Others include sponsorship by regional toy manufacturers, branching out into educational toys, and spreading the Toy Run concept across the Middle East.
But for now, spreading awareness and collecting toys are at the top of her agenda. “The more people find out about the group and join it on Facebook, the more access to toys I will have and the more happy smiles we can all create on orphaned children’s faces.”
