By Yasser Abdullah
Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine el-Qabbag on Wednesday met with Paloma Adams, Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Karen Vargas, Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator of the USAID, and Lily Reid, Director of USAID Egypt.
El-Qabbag said her ministry is working on several axes in protection and social care for women, children and the disabled.
Some 5.2 million families are beneficiaries of the cash support programme Takaful and Karama, which possesses the largest database in the Middle East with details of some 5.2 million families who are beneficiaries of the programme, plus persons qualifying for economic empowerment programmes.
Cash support programmes depend on a registration system with careful review of all data for the provision of health and social insurance services, along with details of property ownership, el-Qabbag said.
Egypt is witnessing great efforts in economic development and there are great challenges it faces as a result of population growth, she said, noting that the ministry is working on awareness issues and the importance of family planning, el-Qabbag added.
The ministry is also working to enhance the financial inclusion of the beneficiaries of its services, as 11 million Meeza cards have been issued, whether for beneficiaries of cash support programmes or pensioners.
The ministry is also working to provide micro-lending and financing projects for the most vulnerable groups, in partnership with many international agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The meeting also discussed partnership with the USAID with regard to confronting violence against women.
