Sawiris Foundation and ExxonMobil Egypt have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their collaboration in support of the “Bab Amal” Program, Sawiris Foundation’s flagship initiative designed to empower the most vulnerable families in Upper Egypt to transition from extreme poverty to more stable and sustainable livelihoods.
The partnership reflects the shared commitment of both organizations to advancing long-term development solutions that address multidimensional poverty through integrated, evidence-based interventions.
The “Bab Amal” Program is built on a comprehensive development model that empowers the most vulnerable households through interconnected pathways. These include strengthening social protection by connecting families to essential services, improving livelihoods through skills training, capacity building, and the provision of productive assets that enable income diversification, promoting financial inclusion through financial literacy, savings groups, and linkages with financial service providers, and fostering social empowerment through community solidarity committees that provide psychosocial and community-based support to participating families.
In its current phase, the program targets the poorest households in Assiut Governorate in Upper Egypt. Under the newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, ExxonMobil Egypt has increased its contribution to the program, bringing the total number of families supported through this partnership to 122 households.
Sawiris Foundation provides the program’s technical leadership, oversees implementation quality, and strengthens the capacities of implementing partners to ensure effective delivery and sustainable development impact through continuous monitoring and evaluation. Field implementation is carried out in partnership with Giving Without Limits Association.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Eng. Youssef Hany Hafez, Board Member and Government & Public Affairs Manager at ExxonMobil Egypt, and Laila Hosny, Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, at the Foundation’s headquarters, in the presence of Nasr El-Din Hamdy, Chairman of Giving Without Limits Association. Commenting on the partnership, Laila Hosny, Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, said: “We do not view poverty simply as a lack of income, but as a complex reality that affects the stability of the entire family and limits its ability to plan for the future and make decisions with dignity and independence. This is why the ‘Bab Amal’ Program goes beyond providing temporary assistance; it equips families with the tools and opportunities they need to build more sustainable livelihoods.”
She added: “We are proud to continue our partnership with ExxonMobil Egypt because meaningful impact is not achieved through short-term interventions, but through long-term partnerships that support sustainable development solutions. This collaboration reflects the importance of bringing together the private sector, civil society organizations, and government institutions to empower the most vulnerable families and help them move beyond meeting their immediate needs toward building more stable and resilient futures.”
For his part, Eng. Youssef Hany Hafez, Board Member and Government & Public Affairs Manager at ExxonMobil Egypt, stated: “We have witnessed the positive impact of the ‘Bab Amal’ Program on participating families in Assiut Governorate, which has encouraged us to continue supporting this successful initiative led by Sawiris Foundation and expand its reach to benefit more families, in collaboration with Giving Without Limits Association, the project’s implementing partner.”
