Reforming education through school renovation is at the heart of HEPCA as children are the life force and future of our society. Many thousands of children in Egypt are receive little or no education, often in school buildings that have inadequate facilities for learning, playing or even washing.
Since 2007 HEPCA has been working together with the Vodafone Egypt Foundation and investors from the private sector in an educational and community project – known as Madrasty.
This Madrasty initiative hit right at the core of Egypt’s primary school education system which originates from a belief that quality education, as a right for all, must work hand in hand with a healthy environment. In an attempt to provide equal access for quality education, the most underprivileged communities with the most deprived primary schools had been selected by the Madrasty partners in remote villages across Egypt.
During the first phase, HEPCA was in charge of the Governorates of Red Sea, New Valley, Sohag, Aswan, North Sinai and Matrouh to renovate the five most underprivileged schools in each of the regions. In addition to the practical renovations, a board of trustees of every school received HEPCA training in internal governance, fund raising, advocacy and financial management.
At the conclusion of the first phase, the Madrasty Initiative won the Best Community Program Award in the 5th Corporate Social Responsibility Summit (CSR) of the Middle East, held in Dubai on June 15th 2008. The project was selected among 180 entries from different companies and countries.
In 2008 HEPCA was awarded the contract for the next phase of the groundbreaking Madrasty Project. In this subsequent step, HEPCA took responsibility for another 80 schools in 8 governorates throughout Egypt completing the renovation as in the onset of the program which included capacity building trainings focused in hygiene, volunteerism, active learning, and social responsibility.
By the end of the phase I and II, in partnership with other four NGOs and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education and the General Authority for Educational Building, HEPCA and Vodafone Egypt Foundation renovated 300 schools, 4000 classrooms, bathrooms, libraries, labs and playgrounds in 29 Egyptian Governorates; moreover they raised awareness among more than 200,000 people including teachers, students and members of the local communities on the importance of having a healthy school environment.
It has been with great satisfaction for HEPCA to know that hundreds of kids have been positively impacted from this project. HEPCA looks forward to making an even greater influence in the following phase, My Health in My School Initiative which built 816 clinics in 12 governorates. The goal is to build together over 2000 clinics throughout all the Egyptian public schools.
Yet again, HEPCA proves, together, we can make a difference in the lives of the children of Egypt.