efg-hermes foundation donates us$500,000 to school feeding in egypt
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed today a US$500,000 contribution from EFG-Hermes Foundation to support the education of thousands of vulnerable children in Egypt by providing them with take-home rations of food.
“The collaboration symbolizes WFP's growing relations with the private and business sector. We are thankful for EFG-Hermes Foundation's initiative to support poor and vulnerable children who are often excluded from education due to poverty, and we hope this sets the groundwork for long-term cooperation in the future," said WFP Egypt Country Director Bishow Parajuli.
The donation will be used to support children engaged in or at risk of engaging in exploitative child labour, as well as children who are enrolled in community schools with a special emphasis on girls’ education.
Take-home rations of food will be purchased for approximately 9,250 children in the four governorates of Sohag, Beni Sweif, Assiut, and Red Sea.
"It is the responsibility of the business sector to contribute to poverty reduction and development efforts in Egypt," said EFG-Hermes Foundation Chief Executive Officer Hanaa Helmy.
“Child labour is indeed a pressing issue in Egypt that we hope to overcome through integrated efforts, and EFG-Hermes Foundation is proud to contribute to such worthwhile causes,” she added.
The food assistance encourages poor families to send their children to school. The rations also improve the nutritional value of children's diet and improve attendance and retention rates.
WFP is implementing a project in cooperation with UNICEF, ILO and various government and civil society groups to combat child labour through education in Egypt. The project is part of WFP’s food-for-education activities in some of the poorest areas in Egypt which is meant to encourage enrolment and attendance rates especially of girls and vulnerable working and street children.
Since the establishment of the Programme in 1963, WFP has assisted Egypt during humanitarian crises and launched development activities to improve the food-security status and quality of life for thousands of Egyptians, with a particular emphasis on women and children. The total amount of assistance delivered since then amounts to US$637 million.
EFG-Hermes Foundation is an independent non-profit non-governmental initiative established by the leading regional investment bank EFG-Hermes.
