The UK is joining the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt’s ‘Kemama’ (mask) campaign, in partnership with the Alternative Finance Lab and Neya, on 7 March.

The ‘Kemama’ campaign is part of the UNDP regional “Solidarity Against COVID-19” campaign aiming to engage communities in supporting local solutions to this global crisis.

The campaign supports women in Upper Egypt working for Al-Nidaa Foundation while curbing the adverse socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

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To face the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are working on addressing its impact on people’s livelihoods and the economy.

In Egypt, ‘Kemama’ was launched last year amid the COVID-19 outbreak, as Al-Nidaa Foundation quickly responded by shifting its activities from producing ready-made-garments to producing medical masks.

Through the campaign, around EGP 300,000 were raised, securing the jobs of more than 100 women beneficiaries working at the factory in the governorate of Qena to fight COVID-19.

The factory has produced nearly 63,000 masks at competitive prices for Qena, Sohag, and Luxor’s vulnerable communities since the launch of the campaign.

The UK’s £10,000 financial contribution is supporting women’s economic empowerment in Upper Egypt and sustaining livelihoods which would otherwise have been lost due to COVID-19.

British Ambassador to Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams said “we are proud to be part of this initiative, which has already had real success in helping vulnerable communities protect themselves against COVID-19. By supporting this campaign, we are also directly supporting the employment and economic empowerment of Egyptian women, a top priority for the UK. This is part of our wider partnership with Egypt and other countries around the world to ensure that — whether through PPE supplies, medical training, or vaccine access — we all build back better from COVID-19.”

Managing Director of the Egypt Network for Integrated Development (ENID) and Member of the Board of Trustees of El-Nidaa Foundation Heba Handoussa highlighted that “Al-Nidaa Foundation is very happy to partner with the British Embassy, which has joined ‘Kemama’ along with the UNDP and Neya, and is offering generous support towards our mask production in Qena.”

“This is a model for all private sector companies to partner with civil society organisations to fight the COVID-19 pandemic while contributing to women’s empowerment! The women’s testimonials show how strong they are when fighting against stereotypes in one of the most conservative communities in Egypt. The foundation takes pride in being able to change mindsets in Qena, where parents and husbands now support their daughters and wives to step up and lead the way, beyond taking care of house chores.”

The ‘Kemama’ campaign is part of the UNDP’s regional “Solidarity Against COVID-19” campaign aiming to engage communities in supporting local solutions to this global crisis.

UNDP Egypt’s Resident Representative Randa Aboul-Hosn outlined the importance of the ‘Kemama’ campaign in creating an enabling environment for the socio-economic empowerment of the most vulnerable communities of Upper Egypt.

She highlighted that “The poorest are the least able to cope with the effects of the pandemic. Supporting ENID means more employment and income generation opportunities for people, particularly for women, and a direct contribution to the implementation of the sustainable development goals.”

Founder and CEO of Neya Hana El-Sadat stated “We are happy to be able to support our local community and partners through such a difficult time.”

You can join ‘Kemama’ campaign online by using: #TogetherAgainstCOVID19 #Kemama.