Plan Egypt Annual Progress Report 2010

A YEAR IN

EGYPT SUMMARY REPORT

2010

Vocational training will see many girls go on to start businesses in embroidery

3

GOOD REASONS

OUR PRIORITIES

why Plan works in Egypt

in Egypt

• 66,000 children under five die every year, many of preventable causes • Seven per cent of children aged 5–14 are engaged in child labour

• Protecting the rights of marginalised children and those with disabilities and promoting their inclusion within their communities • Bringing clean water and decent sanitation to communities and making sure children grow up in a healthy environment

• 96 per cent of women aged 15–49 have undergone female genital mutilation or cutting

• Supporting health and education services for children under five, and protecting women’s sexual and reproductive health • Raising the standard of healthcare and education for children • Promoting opportunities for families to improve their financial security

Tigri

s

English and French Climate: Temperatures over summer average between 27°C and 32°C, and can reach up to 43°C on the Red Sea coast. In winter, temperatures average between 13°C and 21°C. Snow falls on Sinai’s mountains and some of the north coastal cities such as Damietta, Baltim and Sidi Barrany and occasionally in Alexandria. A steady wind

from the north-west helps keep down the temperature near the Mediterranean coast.

The Khamaseen, a wind that blows from the south in Egypt in spring, brings sand and dust, and sometimes raises the temperature in the desert to more than 38°C. Economy: Egypt’s economy depends mainly on agriculture, media, petroleum exports, and tourism; there are also more than three million Egyptians working abroad, mainly in Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and Europe.

Minya LIBYA

Bur Sa’id

JORDAN

Cairo South SAUDI ARABIA

Assyut Qena

Aswan

EGYPT Country Office Program Units

Euph

As Suways Cairo East

Nile

Alexandria Alex Cairo Beheira Giza

Egypt Facts Capital: Cairo Population: 83 million Languages: Arabic (official),

ISRAEL

Qalyoubiya

Youth leaders interviewing people from their communities

SUDAN

Nil

e

IRAQ

Focus on:

household economic security Plan is equipping families in the poorest parts of Egypt with the skills and knowledge they need to increase their household incomes and ensure their children enjoy a healthier, more secure future. Our work includes vocational training to give people better opportunities for employment or the knowledge to start small businesses.

We assist women in starting credit and loans groups. We offer agricultural training for farmers to help them increase their yields, and we support rural communities in developing farming activities that will help to generate income.

Saving to Make a Difference Marwa knows what it means to count the pennies.

Marwa lives in Nay, a poor, rural community in Upper Egypt. Not long ago, she and her family were entirely dependent on her husband’s income as a casual, unskilled worker. When he died, the family were left with just a small pension to live on.

‘I was in complete shock,’ says Marwa.

‘My life changed forever.’

Finding that she could not meet the cost of educating her children, Marwa found a job.

But even then she did not make enough money to provide for her family.

Around two per cent of Egypt’s population are struggling like Marwa. They survive on less than US$1 a day and such poverty has a devastating effect on their children. Families do not have enough food and cannot afford medicines when their children are ill. When the cost of schooling becomes too great, children are forced to leave, abandoning any hope of learning skills that would secure them a better future.

Savings group For Marwa, however, there was a solution.

Like a growing number of women in the communities where Plan works, she is a member of her local Savings and Loans Association. These are groups of neighbours who have joined together to save small amounts of money. The savings are pooled into a central fund, which is drawn upon to make loans to individual group members.

‘I feel empowered because as community members, we are the ones who are bringing the money into the group and are not dependent on other people’s charity’

Typically, members use their loans to set up small businesses, creating extra income for their family and giving their children a better quality of life. When they repay the loan, it is usually with a nominal amount of interest. With Plan’s training and support, each association learns how to manage its savings fund and offer loans.

At first, the idea of saving is unfamiliar to many people in poor communities. Families have so little money they do not believe they have any to put aside. But they quickly learn how small savings can bring huge benefits.

Marwa explains how joining the savings and loans association worked for her. ‘I have always dreamed of having an income-generating project to cover my family’s life expenses and overcome our economic hardship,’ she says.

‘Prior to the forming of our group, Plan organised information sessions regarding the program. Because I thought the group was such a great idea, I even helped the coordinator to find more people to join.

‘At the beginning, I only saved a very little amount of money. But now my savings are up to 100 Egyptian pounds (A$20). I took out a loan for 300 Egyptian pounds (A$60) and bought a sewing machine. Now, I am able to pay instalments on the loan using the money that I have generated from selling the clothes I have made.’

Plan encourages such enterprise by offering vocational training to community members, helping them to develop their business skills or secure jobs that pay a decent wage.

Added benefits Marwa is making her loan work hard for her family. She can now provide for her children and has an extra source of funds, should she need it. But for her, financial security is only part of the project’s success.

‘I feel empowered because as community members, we are the ones who are bringing the money into the group and are not dependent on other people’s charity,’ she explains. ‘Joining this project has changed my life completely. I used to have a dull life and now I have a more prospective life and I am hopeful for the future.’

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons.

Produced for Egypt by Plan International Australia.

Dental checks are conducted for children at a Plan-supported clinic

The Bigger Picture Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Egypt. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Egypt with this report but over the past year we also: • Improved the quality of healthcare for children by offering training courses for 152 health workers • Launched the Learn Without Fear campaign to stop violence in schools and promote safer learning for children • Protected the health of children by supplying 600 families with clean, safe water • Assisted 358 women in forming 24 village savings and loans associations, helping them save and secure loans to boost their family income Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Egypt. Thank you for your involvement!

To learn more about Plan’s work in Egypt visit plan.org.au/ourwork/southernafrica/egypt

‘When the cost of schooling becomes too great, children are forced to leave, abandoning any hope of learning skills that would secure them a better future’