CAIRO - 19 December 2018: Non-profit Professional Development Foundation announced on Dec. 18 the names of the Non-governmental organizations that won its 2018 Excellence Award for their positive influence on society.
A number of 12 civil society organizations in 12 governorates have been granted the Excellence Award; four of them were awarded a sum of money ranging from LE 50,000 to 150,000 for each organization. Four other NGOs were granted in-kind prizes, while four others were granted certificates of appreciation.
The first prize went to Community Development Association in El-Gorah in North Sinai for its project on providing psychological support to children affected by the security situation in the governorate. The NGO was granted LE 150,000 ($8,368).
PDF honors NGOs that won its 2018 Excellence Award - Egypt Today/AmrKandil
Minya's True Light Society serving persons with sight-impairment ranked second for their project on rehabilitating and empowering disabled people, their families and people interacting with them. The prize amounted to LE 100,000 ($5,578).
PDF honors NGOs that won its 2018 Excellence Award - Egypt Today/AmrKandil
The third prize amounting to LE 75,000 ($4,184) went to Community Development Association in al-Qasr, in New Valley governorate for their project aiming to revive the traditional and Bedouin crafts. Shabab Masr for community development occupied the fourth place for their project aiming at establishing societal class rooms, and engaging children dropping education.
PDF honors NGOs that won its 2018 Excellence Award - Egypt Today/AmrKandil
The Excellence Award Competition takes place for the third year in a row under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Solidarity to highlight the importance of improving NGOs and engaging them in building and developing the Egyptian society.
Mohamed Farouk Hafeez, CEO of the Professional Development Foundation (PDF), said he is pleased with the continuation of the competition for the third year, adding that the competition aims at encouraging NGOs to work on supporting the society.
Hafeez added that the competition also helps highlight the efforts of thousands of these organizations that are spreading across the districts and villages of Egyptian governorates.
PDF honors NGOs that won its 2018 Excellence Award - Egypt Today/AmrKandil
Anoshka, a renowned Egyptian singer and actress, was invited to the event launched on Tuesday. In her speech, she said she is proud to attend such an event honoring charitable NGOs, adding that she hopes next year she can become part of a charitable NGO, instead of being present just to honor them.
Anoshka, a renowned Egyptian singer and actress, was invited to the event launched on Tuesday. In her speech, she said she is proud to attend such an event - Egypt Today/Amr Kandil
The Professional Development Foundation was established as a non-governmental and non-profit association in November 1998 with the aim of activating the work in the field of human resources development. The PDF launched the Excellence Award for Civil Society Organizations in 2016. The winning societies are announced at a special ceremony under the patronage of Ghada Wali, minister of social solidarity.
PDF honors NGOs that won its 2018 Excellence Award - Egypt Today/AmrKandil
The assessment criteria of the PDF include the NGO's rate of innovation, the impact of its projects or services on the community, the number of beneficiaries of its programs, the planning and implementation stages.
2018 Excellence Award poster - Egypt Today/Amr Kandil
2018 Excellence Award poster - Egypt Today/Amr Kandil
2018 Excellence Award poster - Egypt Today/Amr Kandil
Supporting NGOs
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly decided naming a number of civil society organizations to be "of public benefit," according to media reports on Wednesday, Dec. 19. The decree protects the named non-governmental organizations from confiscating all or part of their funds.
In November 2018, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi agreed to form an official committee to discuss a law issued in 2017 governing the operation of foreign NGOs in Egypt, as a prelude to possible amending.
During his participation at the second edition of the World Youth Forum, the Egyptian leader said the law might be amended after several studies and discussions took place regarding its articles.
In June 2017, President Sisi signed law no. 70/2017 on NGOs and their operation in Egypt, as an annulment to the previous law no. 84/2002, after being passed by two-thirds of the Parliament in Nov. 2016.
The government had been working for years on a new law regulating NGOs in a bid to preserve the country’s security by monitoring NGOs, their activities and the funding they receive.
Provisions obliging NGOs to inform authorities before collecting and spending donations will bog them down and stifle their work, NGO workers say.
Under the new law, donations exceeding LE 10,000 must be pre-approved, while failure to inform authorities could result in jail terms of up to five years and fines of up to LE 1 million.
The law also gives the government power over deciding who can establish an NGO and for what purpose. It obliges groups to stick to the “state’s development plan”.
The law also bans domestic and foreign groups from engaging in political activities or anything that harms national security, public order, public morals or public health.
Minister of Social Solidarity Wali announced in November that the value of foreign grants to NGOs in Egypt recorded more than LE 376 million ($21 million) in October, adding that they were approved by Egyptian authorities, in accordance with the law, and that spending will be observed.
Wali explained that 55 foreign entities provided 151 grants to 112 NGOs in Egypt working in the fields of development, charity, and micro-finance.
The grants were directed to programs targeting childcare, elimination of homeless children phenomenon and violence against children, healthcare, rural development, poverty and unemployment reduction, environment preservation, recycling and ending violence against women.
Furthermore, some funds were channeled into providing care for the disabled, education and building schools.
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