Partnership for Empowerment

Partnership for Empowerment

The SDGs offer an inspiring and inclusive vision of the future and provide us with a framework that allows us to make the global goals local, empowering individuals and communities and working towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

Whether we are working with Upper Egyptian villagers, school students or contemporary Egyptian artists, we seek partners who share our vision and who are willing to collaborate on CSR projects that have a sustainable development dimension and tangible, positive impact on people’s lives.

Gaining Momentum: The EFG Hermes Foundation

Ever since the founding of the EFG Hermes Foundation for Social Development in 2006, one of its main tenets has been that partnership is the only way to realize sustainable development on a scale that has tangible impact. Over the years, our signature integrated development projects have achieved critical mass, gaining a reputation for effectiveness and attracting new partners both from the public and private sectors and from civil society. Donors, in particular, recognise the value added of the Foundation’s years of experience in integrated development and are keen to deploy their development funds as efficiently as possible in synergistic partnerships for the greater good.
EFG Hermes Foundation Integrated Development Projects: A Historical Progression

Ro’ya
2007 - 2010


Al Makhzan
2014 - 2016


Naga’ El Fawal and El Deir Village
2017 - present


Location Beni Sweif Governorate Qena Governorate Luxor Governorate
Value EGP 30 million EGP 9 million EGP 70 million
Beneficiaries 10,000 20,000 Over 75,000
Partners - The Ministry of Social Solidarity
- Beni Sweif Governorate
- Local authorities
- Community associations
 - The Kuwaiti Initiative for the Support of the Egyptian People
- The Ministry of Social Solidarity
- Qena Governorate
- Local authorities
- Community associations
 - The Kuwaiti Initiative for the Support of the Egyptian People
- The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD)
- Orascom Construction
- LThe Ministry of Social Solidarity
- Luxor Governorate
- Local authorities
- Community associations

The Development Frontline: Naga’ El Fawal and El Deir Village

Under the leadership of the EFG Hermes Foundation, the EGP 70 million Naga’ El Fawal and El Deir Village Integrated Development Project takes a holistic approach to the SDGs, tackling many targets simultaneously. Benefitting over 75,000 inhabitants, the ambitious project involves the rehabilitation of an entire community starting with infrastructure development and encompassing economic and human development initiatives, as well as access to a variety of services.

Rapid population growth and a lack of job opportunities have contributed to a variety of challenges in the community in recent years including high rates of poverty, unemployment and degradation of housing and infrastructure conditions. The overall aim of the project is to empower the community by providing skills, environment and tools to lift themselves out of poverty and improve their prospects for a brighter future. Thanks to our partner donors - The Kuwaiti Initiative for the Support of the Egyptian People, the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Orascom Construction-it has been possible to maximize resources and work towards broad and lasting impact. The success of the project also hinges in no small measure on the support we have received from the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Luxor Governorate and the local authorities as well as on the enthusiasm and passion of community members.

We chose to partner with the EFG Hermes Foundation
on this project because they share our understanding
that empowering individuals is the key to providing a
community with a bright future.
Noura Selim
Executive Director
SFSD




We were attracted to this project because of our strong
commitment to good corporate citizenship … All of
the partners in this project are doing incredible work,
and we are excited to see the long-term effects of this
investment on the vitality of the community.
Osama Bishai
CEO Orascom Construction




The success of the cooperation between local
institutions and the EFG Hermes Foundation
demonstrates the immense potential for publicprivate
partnerships to play a key role in addressing
Egypt’s most pressing challenges and revitalizing its
communities.
Dr. Mohamed Badr
Governor of Luxor

A GROWING PARTNERSHIP

Hermes Foundation and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) announced the addition of a new partner in the Naga’ El Fawal and El Deir Village integrated development project.

Orascom Construction’s contribution of EGP 15 million brought the total budget of the project executed in partnership with the Kuwaiti Initiative for the Support of the Egyptian People to EGP 70 million.

The new investment will make it possible to expand the reach of the project, which aims to rebuild 90% of Naga’ El Fawal’s existing homes inhabited by an estimated 234 families.

Empowerment through Education

The education component of the project is built around the concept of empowerment:

  • Empowering the residents through illiteracy eradication and placing them on a path to financial independence.

In 4 months, 23 beneficiaries were able to read, write and improve their numeracy and hence their capability to handle their finances and launch small businesses.

  • Empowering teachers with the skills to handle students with different abilities.

Using the Montessori method, teacher training was conducted for 23 beneficiaries in collaboration with the MOVE Foundation for Children with Cerebral Palsy. Based on the demands and needs of the Naga’ El Fawal community, a further 24 beneficiaries received MOVE training to be able to identify different types of disabilities. An inclusive and safe Montessori-based nursery was established and will include a class for children with special needs.

I never had an opportunity to learn
before - now I can read and write and count.
Um Fatma
Naga’ El Fawal Resident

Clean Water and Sanitation

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Foundation and the Luxor Company for Water and Wastewater (LCWW) to replace the asbestos-containing water pipe network and provide all houses with clean water. Work on the water network is complete and the Foundation is now working on the sanitation network and the establishment of a wastewater treatment plant in cooperation with the community and the LCWW.

We thought we would just get cosmetic
improvements but what we got was greatly
improved infrastructure.
Esraa
Naga’ El Fawal Residents

Access to Health Services

At the outset of the project, the health unit in El Deir village was a run-down, derelict building with no functional facilities. In 2018, development and refurbishment of El Deir Health Unit was completed by the project. Serving more than 75,000 citizens from the villages and their surrounding areas, the unit was inaugurated by senior government officials and includes all required medical equipment.





Before, you couldn’t even tell it was
a hospital - it wasn’t fit for humans.
Thanks to the EFG Hermes Foundation,
we now have decent health care
facilities. We never thought this was possible
Ahmed
Naga’ El Fawal Resident


Urban Renewal

Thanks to Foundation efforts, Naga’ El Fawal has been included in the official governmental urban plan. On the housing front, licenses, legal paperwork and beneficiary approval have been obtained for the demolishment and reconstruction of the first phase of houses with 17 houses ready and 7 more in the pipeline. Currently, a number of families share the same living space. Houses have been designed in a way that each family has an independent unit, reflecting the humane development aspect of our project.

Economic Empowerment

Land has also been allocated to the EFG Hermes Foundation to establish a community centre that includes a nursery, a sewing workshop and a training centre in collaboration with the Luxor governorate, Luxor city and the local unit. The community has also taken ownership of the project, establishing a local community development association (CDA), the El Fawal Association for Integrated Development, registered under the Ministry of Social Solidarity. Its board members are from Naga’ El Fawal and it will be responsible for managing the local income generating projects. The Foundation is currently working with the local CDA and the local unit on land allocation to establish a bakery.


Skills for Life

When we articulated our social purpose, we ‘committed to leveraging our financial expertise and capitalizing on our human talent to create sustainable value for our stakeholders and the communities we serve’. As part of that commitment, EFG Hermes has been sponsoring the Model Egyptian Stock Exchange (MESE) in partnership with Egyptian Universities for several years now. This year, the programme was extended to high school students at two Cairo schools, Notre Dame des Apôtres and New Ramses College. This comes as part of EFG Hermes’ commitment to increasing financial literacy in general. With the MESE project, we aim to empower Egyptian youth and equip them with skills that improve their employment and entrepreneurship prospects in line with SDG target 4.4.


This year, 13 volunteers from EFG Hermes staff conducted the financial literacy programme at Cairo University campus and Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. The EFG Hermes Financial Literacy programme was attended by 655 students.


Art Connection

The EFG Hermes Egypt CEOs’ Dinner brought together CEOs from Egypt’s top listed, privately-held corporations and multinationals offering them the opportunity to meet with government officials and global financial institutions and investors. The gala dinner is part of the wider Egypt Day Summit, which took place in Cairo in December 2018.
To add a sustainability dimension to this prestigious dinner, EFG Hermes partnered with Arts-Mart Gallery to showcase representative pieces by 35 young Egyptian contemporary artists. The pieces were chosen to represent a variety of art styles and backgrounds in painting and sculpture, presenting a unique viewpoint of Egypt’s social and cultural transformations. By supporting new generations of artists, EFG Hermes hopes to encourage interest in Egyptian contemporary art and culture locally and internationally and empower the country’s most promising artists by increasing awareness and appreciation of their work.