Egypt announced the allocation of a fund worth EGP 100m with the aim of empowering people with special needs, during the ‘Different, We Are Able’ event held in Cairo, in celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities(PwD), which was attended by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Monday.
The event came few hours after Prime Minister Madbouly issued the executive bylaws, regulating the recently passed PwD Law.
A total of EGP 80m will be provided from the Long Live Egypt Fund, while the remaining EGP 20m is to be granted from the ministry of endowment, stated the Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wally.
Wally said that these allocations will be put together into a newly-established fund, which is specialised in implementing services to people with special needs, noting that these amounts are not enough to meet the challenges of the disabled people in Egypt, calling on the parliament, government, as well as the Egyptians to donate to this fund.
She pointed out that the board of directors of the Nasser Social Bank agreed on the establishment of the fund, in cooperation with companies and private banks, with the banks aiming to raise EGP 100m to be used for services for individuals with disabilities.
The event witnessed the attendance of a large number of persons with disabilities and their families, with the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, a number of celebrities, ministers, public figures, as well as high-ranking officials.
The minister highlighted the government’s recent efforts to empower and integrate PwD into the community, pointing out to a newly passed law, and the training of 400 disabled people for jobs in the tourism sector. Egypt also provided financial support worth EGP 4.2bn to 900,000 people with disabilities, and offered educational scholarships and jobs for 1,900 people in the private sector in 2018.
