Chairman and CEO of Nestlé North East Africa, Moataz El-Hout signed a cooperation protocol with Rotary District Governor, Abdelhamid Al-Awa to establish the first floating hospital project in Egypt and the Middle East region for child and mother care in the governorates Upper Egypt including Aswan, Luxor, Menia, Assiut, Beni Suef, Qena, Sohag. The floating hospital starts its first tours on March 1st until April of 2019, where it will anchor for a week in each Upper Egyptian governorate. The hospital possesses 15 child care clinics and subsidiary ones for ophthalmology, hearing and communication, and Otolaryngology on board, in addition to a team of specialized doctors and nurses that provide the required support. The floating hospital mainly focuses on providing all the necessary care for mothers and their children through a variety of awareness activities and economic and social development programs. The project also provides trainings for nurses, young doctors, teachers, parents and child caregivers. Moreover, the project includes awareness programs dedicated for children, mother care and health centers that aims to enhance nutritional habits among children. In light of this event, Nestlé's Chairman and CEO emphasized how the project embodies a live example of Nestlé's philosophy in creating a healthier future for children and their families. He highlighted the company's commitment to achieving developmental sustainability and creating shared value that serves the Egyptian society through raising its awareness of healthy nutrition for children and mothers. El-Hout added that Nestlé collaborates with governmental entities and NGOs to create initiatives that aims at teaching parents and child caregivers about adequate nutritional habits among children. "We are keen to cooperate with entities that will have a positive impact on the health of future generations. Our goal is to help all Egyptians, especially mothers and children lead a nutritionally, psychologically, and physically healthy life.” Furthermore, Abdelhamid Al-Awa, Governor of Rotary District 2451, expressed his delight for pioneering of the project being the first of its kind in the MENA region. Al-Awa stated: “The child is the cornerstone for the growth and development of society. In Rotary Egypt, we believe in the importance of combining the efforts of the government along the civil society's to support sustainable development. We focus on health and early education to support the child's development during the first six years." "We are partnering with various governmental and civil society organizations as well as private sector companies that support the project and contribute to its development," stated Al-Awa. On the sidelines of this project, Rotary will be launching a number of economic and social support programs for the deprived. It is also initiating several activities to promote tourist attractions in the provinces mentioned. It will also include social entertainment under the name of "Al-Mouled” displaying used products in good condition such as clothes, books, toys and furniture.
