A reading of the impact of the seventh session of the “Misr Al Khair Award for Pioneering Charitable and Sustainable Development” on the eighth goal of sustainable development

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-EG;">The Arab Center for the Sustainability of Civil Work

134 civil society organizations, 9 Egyptian governorates, and 1,200 job opportunities. What do the award numbers say about the ability of civil society work to contribute to decent work and economic growth?

 

Is its role limited to meeting the needs of today, or contributing to building sustainable solutions for the future? Hence the Misr Al Kheir Award for Leadership in Charitable Giving and Sustainable Development, which has reached its seventh session, and has linked the community initiatives of civil society organizations to the eighth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, related to decent work and economic growth, in line with “Egypt Vision 2030.” This article reviews the most prominent results, figures and experiences revealed by the session that can be built upon in the future..

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">From honor to a development system

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The award is no longer just a platform for honoring, but has become a tool for changing the civil work environment and a system for developing it. Its philosophy, as formulated by Dr. Ali Jumaa, is based on the principle ofEarth Architecturethat is, transforming development knowledge and ideas into a tangible reality that achieves public benefit. This principle believes that the continuation of giving and reconstruction is “proof against all manifestations of corruption or destruction.” Continuing construction is the practical response to demolition. This session was also an executive translation of the “Community Vision Document for the Development of the NGO Sector in Egypt” issued by the Arab Center for Sustaining Civil Work.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Goal 8 calls for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Its goals include supporting productive activities, entrepreneurship and small enterprises, and reducing the percentage of young people outside education, work and training. NGOs are often closer to the target groups than others, and reach communities that traditional tools do not easily reach. Hence the importance of the award measuring the impact of projects on employment and income, and not just on the number of beneficiaries.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Reading the numbers of the seventh session of the award:

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">134 NGOs representing 9 governorates applied. Then 63 organizations qualified with their projects to the field matching stage, and 18 NGOs reached the presentation and evaluation stage before an independent jury, and the matter ended with three winning positions being crowned. The award applied filtering criteria to ensure the quality of projects with an economic impact. The competition here is based on the ability to achieve true sustainability, not the idea alone.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Most importantly, the value of the prize is not limited to the winners. Every association that passes the first screening stage receives specialized training in sustainable development concepts and goals. Each organization receives a performance analysis report that identifies its strengths and development gaps, and prepares an advisory document for internal institutional reform. In this sense, the competition turns into a learning path from which the participant emerges stronger than he entered.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Development success stories: from need to sustainable impact

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The practical value of the award was embodied in the models of the winning associations, which transformed the needs of their local communities into productive projects and sustainable job opportunities.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Al-Rahma Charitable Society in Shebin El-Kom in Menoufia Governorate, which won first place, presented a model of economic empowerment for people of determination, by training them in a number of heritage crafts, such as carpets and ceramics, which helped enhance their participation in society and transform them from service recipients into productive elements.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In second place, Afdal Association for Community Development in Al-Salem Al-Bahriyya, Assiut Governorate presented a model in agricultural development by developing the value chain of medicinal and aromatic plants and extracting oils, which contributed to providing more than 800 job opportunities and supporting about 10,000 farmers.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As for the Bashindi Local Community Development Association in New Valley Governorate, which won third place, it worked to revive the traditional craft of kilims and handmade carpets, and provided a stable source of income for a number of families.

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">These models demonstrate that the impact of civil society work is not measured only by the number of beneficiaries, but rather by its ability to create job opportunities, improve income, and build sustainable capabilities whose impact can continue within society. mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The impact matrix can be summarized in four axes:

Labour-intensive projects:Supports direct economic empowerment and provides job opportunities.

Monitoring and honoring best practices:Enhances repeatability mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">) and turns success into a role model.

Integrating youth in field implementation: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> Ensures the sustainability of value chains for development services and facilitates the transfer of expertise.

Compatibility with Objective 8: Aligns civil society work with the national and international development agenda.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Award as a Policy Laboratory:

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The award went beyond the role of honor to the role of a laboratory for performance development. Through expert roundtables, a “policy paper” is produced at each session and presented to relevant decision-makers. Thus, civil society moves from the role of implementer to the role of partner in formulating development policies, and field experience turns into adoptable recommendations.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">What to build on:

The results of this course support four conclusions: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> The transition of temporary individual initiatives into sustainable entities with strong administrative and technical structures, the ability of successful practices to be expanded and replicated in other regions, and improved governance and transparency, which increases the ability of organizations to attract partnerships, and integrate development roles in confronting unemployment and enhancing community safety. To build on these conclusions, four steps can be considered:

1. Such as stability, income, and protection, and follow up on these indicators one or two years after the project.
2. Allows smaller organizations in other provinces to replicate it without starting from scratch.
3. to include more than the nine participating governorates, increasing access to less fortunate groups.

mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Conclusion:

mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The experience of the seventh session of the Misr Al Khair Award for Pioneering Civil and Sustainable Development Giving indicates that civil society work can be a real partner in economic growth when it is managed with an institutional approach, its impact is measured accurately, and it is linked to public policies. This is the practical meaning of“Earth Architecture”: ceaseless giving that builds people and creates opportunities for decent work.