As part of their commitment to advancing economic empowerment and improving the quality of life for Egyptian citizens, Sawiris Foundation and Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand the third phase of the “Bab Amal” (Door of Hope) program in Sohag Governorate. The expansion will support an additional 465 vulnerable families, increasing the total number of beneficiary households to 2,520. The Egyptian Association for Human Development implements the program in Sohag.
Through the partnership, Sawiris Foundation will continue to provide technical and financial oversight and maximize the impact of the program for all target beneficiaries, while Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development will support the expansion and provide technical and financial supervision, further strengthening implementation quality and transparency.
The Sawiris Foundation launched the “Bab Amal” program in 2018 to support the most vulnerable families in graduating out of extreme poverty through an integrated development model built around four core pillars: livelihoods, social protection, financial inclusion, and social empowerment.
The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Essam El Wakeel, Chairman of Banque Misr and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Banque Misr Foundation, Mr. Hisham Okasha, Chief Executive Officer of Banque Misr, Eng. Naguib Sawiris, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sawiris Foundation, Mr. Hossam El Din Abdel Wahab, Deputy CEO of Banque Misr; Mr. Raafat Shafik, Assistant Minister of Social Solidarity for Social Protection, Economic Empowerment and Human Development, Dr. Ali El Saidi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, Dr. Fatma El Goly, Member of the Board of Trustees of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, Ms. Heba Hussein, Executive Director of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, alongside representatives of Sawiris Foundation and distinguished leaders from the participating organizations.
On the partnership, Eng. Naguib Sawiris, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sawiris Foundation, said: “Addressing multidimensional poverty is a shared responsibility that no single institution can achieve alone. This is why we are committed to building partnerships with organizations that believe in investing in sustainable development solutions. Our partnership with Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development reflects this vision by demonstrating that combining resources and expertise around proven development models is the most effective way to expand their impact and reach more families. These are the kinds of long-term partnerships we need—partnerships that build on what works and help vulnerable families achieve independence and dignity.”
Mr. Essam El Wakeel, Chairman of Banque Misr and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, emphasized that the signing of the MoU reflects the Foundation’s belief in strategic partnerships as a key pillar for achieving sustainable development by combining efforts, expertise, and resources to maximize the developmental impact of initiatives targeting vulnerable communities and deliver more comprehensive and sustainable solutions.
He added that “Banque Misr Foundation is committed to implementing integrated development programs that place people at the center of development by economically and socially empowering them through capacity building and sustainable livelihood opportunities that improve living standards and quality of life.”
He explained that the Foundation’s contribution to expanding the third phase of the “Bab Amal” program in Sohag aims to support vulnerable families through an integrated package of multidimensional interventions addressing both economic and social challenges. These interventions include livelihood support, enhanced food security, improved access to healthcare and education services, life skills development, and strengthening beneficiaries’ ability to become self-reliant.
He further stressed the Foundation’s commitment to continuous monitoring and impact measurement to ensure that the partnership achieves its intended outcomes and maximizes its long-term developmental impact for beneficiary communities.
Dr. Ali El Saidi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, stated that the “Bab Amal” program represents an effective development model capable of creating lasting impact in the lives of vulnerable families. He noted that the expansion of the third phase in Sohag reflects the program’s success and its ability to reach more beneficiaries, thereby strengthening its social and economic impact.
He also expressed his appreciation to all implementation partners, emphasizing that continued collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders will further advance the program’s development objectives and maximize its sustainable impact on targeted families.
Ms. Laila Hosny, Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, said: “At Sawiris Foundation, we believe the quality of any development intervention is measured not by the amount spent, but by the impact it creates in people’s lives. That is why we follow a clear methodology based on piloting, measuring impact, continuous learning, and then scaling models that prove successful. ‘Bab Amal’ is a prime example of this approach, enabling us to develop evidence-based interventions tailored to the Egyptian context and deliver measurable, sustainable results. Today’s expansion marks another important step toward amplifying this impact and reaching more vulnerable families through a proven development model.”
The “Bab Amal” program is the Egyptian adaptation of the internationally recognized Graduation Approach to tackling extreme poverty, originally developed by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, and successfully implemented in more than 50 countries. Since its launch in 2018, the program has reached more than 13,000 of the poorest families across Upper Egypt.
The program has been specifically adapted to the Egyptian context through a time-bound, integrated package of interventions combining livelihood support, social protection, financial inclusion, and social empowerment to help families build sustainable sources of income and strengthen their resilience against future shocks.
The expansion aligns with Sawiris Foundation’s 2023–2028 strategy, which focuses on reducing multidimensional poverty and empowering changemakers. In collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity and a broad network of civil society organizations and development partners, the Foundation continues to support the gradual scale-up of the program, align its tools with Egypt’s national social protection system, strengthen local implementation capacities, document lessons learned, and foster new partnerships among government entities, the private sector, donors, and civil society to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability and expand its impact.
This partnership also builds on the strategy of Banque Misr Foundation for Community Development, which has worked since its establishment in 2007 to improve the quality of life of Egyptian citizens by integrating community development with economic empowerment. The Foundation implements a wide range of development programs and initiatives in economic empowerment, education, healthcare, social solidarity, women’s empowerment, and support for persons with disabilities, in cooperation with numerous civil society organizations. Through its extensive development portfolio, particularly in rural and underserved communities across Egypt, the Foundation has benefited nearly 1.5 million people through its projects and initiatives over the past five years.