As many as 1.1 million people with disabilities in Egypt have benefited from the national social cash support efforts at a cost of EGP 5 billion annually, an official report read on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, summarizing the social solidarity ministry’s efforts in this regard. 

There are 3.6 million families, or 14.7 million individuals that benefit from the ‘Karama and Takaful’ cash support, up from 63,000 beneficiaries in 2014, according to earlier statistics provided by the ministry. 

In coordination with the private sector’s companies and factories, 3,235 people with disabilities have been employed, the report read. Also, coordination is ongoing to secure training and rehabilitation opportunities for 7,000 others. 

This includes securing loans for 3,000 women under the national project: ‘Mastoura’ which provides micro-finance to Egyptian women nationwide, in cooperation with Nasser Social Bank. 

The report also sheds light on the national efforts to urge young people with disabilities to benefit from small projects, “productive families” projects, as well as women’s projects provided by the ministry. 

They are supported and are to be represented in the committees concerned with handling their issues and their involvement in issues concerning rehabilitation as well as employment, the report added. 

The efforts also include integrating 368 people with hearing-impairment into the faculties of specific education in nine Egyptian universities.

The ministry has provided grants to both male and female students with visual impairment in governmental universities, at a cost of EGP 900,000. 

The report added that the ministry has also provided psychological and rehabilitation services to 1,789 people with disabilities as well as, services to develop skills for language expression for 245 children with disabilities. 

Th ministry has also coordinated with the housing ministry to allocate people with disabilities five percent of the social housing units. 

In November, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at a meeting urged consolidating the state’s efforts to produce advanced prosthetics in Egypt, based on the latest technology, with the assistance of foreign expertise, the presidency added. 

El-Sisi also urged securing prosthetic rehabilitation programmes to ensure people with mobility impairment can properly use these prosthetics. 

These programmes aim at integrating people with disabilities into society and the job market, especially youth, children and women breadwinners. 

Attending the meeting, Social Solidarity Minister Nevine Al-Qabbaj reviewed a programme for community development dubbed 'Waiy' (Awareness). 

The programme includes development initiatives for many families, including programmes for the early detection of a disability as well as programmes for family planning, child health, drug control and others to combat addiction, illiteracy and poverty.