CRS Work in Egypt
Small Loans for Entrepreneurial Women
Small loans coordinated by Catholic Relief Services allow Egyptian women to start their own businesses to support their families. With loans of $90 to $350, women can raise chickens, bake bread to sell or run small, neighborhood grocery stores. Beneficiaries form groups of up to 10 women who guarantee each other’s loans, keeping the default rate low.
These loans have helped tens of thousands of Egyptian families become self-sufficient. With income from their businesses, women can buy food for their families, get medical treatment and pay their children's school fees. Especially in remote areas, revenue from small businesses has helped families achieve higher living standards. More people are able to afford household items like refrigerators.
Water and Sanitation
CRS programs provide sanitation services to more than 55,000 Egyptian villagers. In a region called Fayoum, CRS has set up pump stations and sewage treatment systems for six villages. Pipes and drains were installed, minimizing the collapse of houses due to groundwater problems. The project provides trash collection and encourages villagers to properly dispose of garbage instead of throwing it in nearby canals.
CRS' Fayoum program uses "green" methods like composting agricultural waste in an effort to raise environmental awareness in areas where pollution and improper waste management cause illness. The program also distributes trees to plant to reduce soil erosion and dust.
In many Egyptian villages, CRS holds classes in health, hygiene and nutrition to educate people on disease prevention. Pregnant women and new mothers receive training from their peers on how to wash, feed and care for their babies. They also learn how to prevent and treat tapeworm, lice and childhood infectious illnesses.
Education for Refugee Children
Located between conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, Egypt receives thousands of refugees each year, especially from Sudan, Somalia and Iraq. Refugee children are often not able to attend public schools because they are not citizens. CRS works with the United Nations to raise tuition money for refugees to attend private schools. Recently, the U.N.-CRS project provided educational vouchers so that nearly 7,000 refugee students could attend school in Egypt.
Democracy and Good Governance
Sometimes people remain poor because they have no voice in their local government or how resources are allocated. Typically, rural Egyptian women tend not to participate in elections, or else they are pressured to vote for certain candidates. Through awareness sessions that inform women of their voting rights, CRS encourages poor Egyptian women to take part in their government. CRS programs also help women obtain the government identification cards that allow them to vote.
CRS' programs have reached over 15,000 Egyptian women, many of whom also participate in CRS' small loan program. As a result, thousands of women have voted and several women have run for local office; three won. The successful candidates are working to improve health care in their villages and ensure that government-subsidized bread reaches poor villagers.
CRS' democracy programs also help college students from impoverished areas of Egypt get involved with their local government. Through neighborhood interviews and brainstorming sessions, the young people identify their communities' needs. They then receive small grants for projects, which might include improving water sources or village schools. In the process, the college students learn how to work with local councils and government officials—experience that prepares them to be effective, proactive citizens in their communities for years to come.
