Friday March 29th, 2024
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Swiss Embassy Creates Jobs in Aswan

With a whopping LE37 million the Aswan youth employment project aims to create 6,500 jobs in upper Egypt.

Staff Writer

Proving that they willing to act and are not so neutral after all, the Embassy of Switzerland’s Office for International Cooperation, CARE International in Egypt and World Fish have officially launched a new Youth Employment in Aswan Governorate Project.

CARE Egypt is part of one the largest global NGOs known as CARE International. With a presence in 90 countries, CARE has been able to improve the lives of over 83 million people around the world. Partnering with the Embassy of Switzerland’s Office for International Cooperation, World Fish, and under the watchful eye of the Governor of Aswan, Mr Moustafa Yousry, The Youth Employment in Aswan Governorate Project is a three year initiative, with an estimated budget of CHF 5 million (37 million LE), that aims to create employment opportunities and to increase the income of a total of 6,500 young men and women in rural Aswan.

“With this project, we want to foster innovative entrepreneurs among the youth in Aswan. We want to support the development of high-value products and improved value chains in the areas of livestock, fish and horticulture, to create employment opportunities and to improve livelihoods in the region,” said Markus Leitner, the Ambassador of Switzerland in Egypt. This initiative couldn’t have come sooner as Aswan currently holds the highest unemployment rate in Upper Egypt, which has only gotten worse in the aftermath of Egypt’s 2011 uprising.

“Our strategy is to increase marketing opportunities and collaborate with private sector, civil society and the Egyptian government,” said Dr. Hazem Fahmy, Country Director at CARE International in Egypt. “We will work together to create a new social enterprise foundation, one that has a social mission achieved through a private sector mindset, and promote entrepreneurship in Aswan.” he added. This partnership will go a long way in benefitting youth and women, while helping Non-governmental Organizations and cooperatives improve their services.

Egypt needs more job creation initiatives like the The Youth Employment in Aswan Governorate Project, especially outside of Cairo, if it ever hopes to reduce unemployment rates.