CARE Egypt is an international non-profit, non-sectarian development NGO that works with the most marginalized communities in Egypt as part of CARE International. CARE began work in Egypt in 1954 with a nationwide school-feeding program. The project was closed by the 1967 war, but CARE returned to Egypt in 1974, and for several years created and managed a diverse set of development projects.

These activities provided material and equipment support services to fishing communities in the Aswan High Dam Lake areas, water supply and agriculture development in North Sinai, food assistance to Bedouin families in Sinai, and food incentives to encourage attendance at family planning centers in six governorates. Since 1986, CARE Egypt has expanded its activities to comprise a wide range of projects in more diversified areas, and has shifted away from direct service delivery towards more sustainable methods aimed at building the capacities of people and local institutions to solve their own problems.

Today, CARE's work is focused primarily on Upper Egypt, where it works closely through a rights-based approach with the poor and marginalized, civil society, and government institutions to improve livelihoods on a sustainable basis. Using community-generated strategies and local resource mobilization, CARE's work encompasses a number of different sectors including Women Rights Water and Sanitation, Education, Good Governance, and Agriculture and Marketing.

CARE works within the framework of the Basic Agreement between the Government of Egypt and CARE signed in 1976 ratified by the Presidential Decree # 702. CARE has a well-established working relationship with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, formalized by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1998. CARE receives the endorsement of Governors of each Governorate to continue and/or expand operations. CARE activities build on existing and strong institutional relationships with the local governments and other local development organizations. Steering and Advisory Committees are established at the District and Governorate levels and comprise representatives of CARE, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, relevant line Ministries, Local Development Units and others. The role of the District and Governorate committees is to support effective quality program implementation, establish strong coordination mechanisms, and access appropriate resources.

www.care.org.eg