Background

The Egypt Network for Integrated Development (ENID/El Nidaa) is a ten-year initiative that was established in April 2012 as a project of UNDP under the umbrella of the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation. Its purpose is to develop viable and sustainable employment opportunities in Upper Egypt with a set of four programmes: Upgrading Basic Services, Promoting Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) and Entrepreneurship; Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme; and Knowledge Dissemination and Policy Advocacy. ENID/El Nidaa works mainly in Egypt’s third poorest governorate, namely Qena, where the poverty rate reaches 52%, as well as Sohag and Luxor, with a goal of replicating the approach across rural communities to address rural-urban disparities in poverty and economic opportunity.

Over the past seven years, ENID/El Nidaa has been piloting innovative interventions in the most marginalized communities in Upper Egypt, creating jobs and livelihood for local youth. It was created to become an ultimate Knowledge Hub for job creation in Rural Upper Egypt by tapping on the expertise of scientists in Egypt and best practice models in the developing world. ENID/El Nidaa is consolidating its knowledge on best practices for around 50 different activities in 60 different rural locations in collaboration with over 70 local NGOs and CDAs.

Objectives

ENID/ El Nidaa’s long-term objective is to contribute to the socio-economic empowerment of disadvantaged women and youth in rural Upper Egypt through skills formation for employability and jobs creation including:

• Provides Feasibility studies and technical assistance for scaling up 50 viable and sustainable business projects that are employment intensive as well as income generating in Agriculture, MSMEs and Services.
• Acts on behalf of young entrepreneurs and production cooperatives to identify markets at home and abroad and operate a “Fair Trade” website and e-shop.
• Produces policy briefs and case studies to document its unique experience to encourage policy makers and MSMEs to scale up in rural Egypt.

Accomplishments

Upgrading Basic Services: Combined Literacy Classes and Vocational Training Workshops:

• 1,984 females from 39 villages joined literacy classes to date
• 34 Literacy courses completed till 2018 (672 beneficiaries graduated from 16 villages)
• 29 Vocational Workshops: completed (513 beneficiaries)
• Optical Tests conducted (288 females) and 97 medical glasses provided

Community Awareness Building:

• 82 community awareness sessions held (1,834 beneficiaries)
• NGOs Capacity-building for ENID/El Nidaa’s 56 local NGOs partners

Medical Convoys and Healthcare Services:

• 28 medical convoys conducted in 27 villages (789 beneficiaries)
• Medical Operations: 10 beneficiaries.

Healthcare Units:

• 2 healthcare units renovated  (35,000 beneficiaries/local inhabitants)
• 2 medical ToT (47 members of the medical staff)

Promotion of MSMEs and Entrepreneurship

OVOP/Apprenticeship:

• ENID/El Nidaa piloted the Japanese inspired One- Village-One-Product (OVOP) best practice model in 27 villages in Qena
• 1,442 beneficiaries (1,375 women and 67 men) – 95% women

Medium-Sized Enterprises

• Establishment of the first Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Factory in Qena Governorate in El Maana village, employing 200 women
• Establishment of the first Furniture factory in El Gamaleya village, Qena, employing 100 women

Marketing Activities:

• Acquired Fair Trade Certification as a provisional member.
• ENID/ElNidaa’s e-shop is technically running and operating, and for the time being, the delivery will be on a door to door basis. Link to e-shop: https://shop.elnidaa.org/
• Exhibitions: ENID/ElNidaa participated in over eight exhibitions during 2018, including Craffiti, Le Marché, and China International Import Expo.

Project Document

• English