Our Work for Children in Egypt

Save the Children has been a leading charity for children in Egypt, including through sponsorship, since 1982.We work to address the needs and rights of the most vulnerable girls and boys, their families and communities.

Our programs focus on maternal and child health, early childhood care and development, basic education, adolescent and youth development and child protection. We also address the needs of vulnerable refugee children and their families.

Here are some recent examples of our work:

A healthy start in life

• We’re improving the health of mothers and children, enhancing caregiving knowledge and practices, reducing infant malnutrition, strengthening community health systems and filling in gaps in food and health care access
• Through sponsorship, we provided over 30 mobile health caravans to conduct medical exams and meet the needs of mothers and babies in remote areas
• We renovated school latrines and handwashing facilitates, so children, including those with disabilities, can stay healthy and in school

The opportunity to learn

• Our early childhood programs help prepare toddlers and young children for school by giving them access to quality preschools and early literacy programs
• Our primary school programs work to transform students into lifelong learners by building strong curriculums and passionate teachers
• Through sponsorship, we adopted our Building Brighter Brains approach, with a focus on cognitive and physical development, including parent training for children with disabilities
• We’re providing health education and care to children in need through our school health programs to help children stay healthy, well-nourished and in school
• We’re working with the government to combat poverty by empowering youth to participate in entrepreneurial activities

Protection from harm

• We’re working to protect girls and boys from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence; ensure children live in a protective environment; and help develop stronger national policies and standards for at-risk children
• We strengthened and expanded our Healing and Education through the Arts (HEART) psychosocial support program for vulnerable Egyptian and refugee children, integrating the program into schools and child-friendly spaces

Gender equality and empowerment

• Through our Ishraq program, we provide safe spaces for girls who have dropped out of school, so they can learn, socialize and develop life skills, with resulting changes among boys: decreases in acceptance of violence against girls, greater support for girls’ mobility and schooling, and agreement that girls should make their own decisions about marriage
• We’re promoting equal treatment for girls by working with young boys and adolescents in our Choices program in rural Egypt to improve their views on girls and girls’ role in Egyptian society, with the goal of keeping girls in school and stopping gender-based violence
• Through our Women’s Equity through Economic Empowerment project, we helped disadvantaged women start, sustain and scale up small businesses to help alleviate poverty and reduce barriers to women’s economic participation

Emergency response

• Through sponsorship, we conducted a situational analysis of refuges and other vulnerable populations to determine gaps in health, education and protection, so we can effectively address the needs
• We continue to reach thousands of displaced and refugee children through our child-friendly spaces, where we provide supervised, supportive psychosocial care and activities
• Our teams are a daily presence in refugee camps and host communities, where we run food and nutrition programs, offer health care and support children in recovery from the distress of their war experiences – benefitting hundreds of thousands of children