The German Development Bank (KfW) and Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation have signed a €15m agreement to support the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Egypt, according to the German Embassy in Cairo.
The financing comes as part of the Egyptian-German Debt Swap Programme 2020, and will be used to launch a new project entitled “Investing in Human Capital in the Rural Areas of Upper Egypt”. The two-year project is dedicated to supporting nutrition and education projects aimed at 136,000 families across Upper Egypt.
The programme also aims to provide income generation opportunities for women and youth. It also looks to provide families with the support to withstand the social and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and make them less vulnerable to future challenges.
German Ambassador to Cairo Cyrill Nunn said the fund reflects the long-standing and fruitful cooperation between Germany and Egypt.
Nunn said,” In light of the challenges caused by the pandemic, we must not forget the most vulnerable people, and the debt swap programme is a great opportunity to help people in need.”
The programme will be implemented by the WFP, in cooperation with Egypt’s Ministries of International Cooperation, Education, Health, Housing, Social Solidarity, and Agriculture. The National Council for Women (NCW), the National Institute of Nutrition, and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank will also be involved.
The programme builds on previous successful partnerships between the WFP and the KfW as part of the “Food for Education” programme. It will use the life cycle approach that has been implemented under the previous Egyptian-German Debt Swap Programme.
