CAIRO: The EFG-Hermes Foundation donated Thursday LE 650,000 to two projects in Menya governorate, a Habitat Project and a Water and Latrines Project, both to be led under the Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development (BLACD) NGO. The Nazlet Hussein (Habitat) Project aims to repair or construct 1,000 "up-to-code homes via loans of up to LE 6,000 provided by BLACD. Executive Director Hanaa Helmy explained that some homes needed simple repairs while others needed complete overhauls or were built from scratch. Menya resident Sabah Fawzaiha is waiting for her loan in order to complete her home, which she says is small and only half-finished. Her old home was constructed of mud bricks and was not big enough for her, her husband, her seven children and the cattle kept in the same area. She hopes to soon have brick walls, an additional room, and windows for ventilation. Rasha Mohamed has already built a room for her new family, allowing them to move out of her father-in-law's home. In the Water and Latrines Project, 3,000 homes are targeted for installation of water taps and latrines in Mansheyet Samalout and Bani Khaled communities. Gamalat Nagdy, a local resident who works with BLACD told The Daily Star Egypt that residents use holes dug into the ground, causing many health hazards. At the press conference Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Moselhy told BLACD he would match EFG-Hermes Foundation's grant if the projects prove successful. EFG-Hermes Foundation is a non-profit NGO established by EFG-Hermes investment bank in September 2006. Since its inception it has allocated LE 12 million towards its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, which have included projects dealing with paper recycling and street children.
