CAIRO: The Ahram Beverage Company (ABC)-Sawiris Foundation (SFSD) partnership agreement, which began in August 2009, launched three new initiatives to leverage the community development projects implemented by partner NGOs. The initiatives will focus on the fields of education, street children and environment. The existence of street children is a somber reality and the number continues to rise to alarming figures worldwide. Such children are deprived of their most basic rights such as health and education in addition to the hazardous situations that they encounter daily. ABC's outreach to Cairo's street children comes as part of its belief in finding solutions to provide a safe haven for those children and offering them an opportunity to lead a better life. Marc Busain, ABC's CEO said that Al Ahram Beverages Company, jointly with Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, is strongly backing this initiative of providing an integrated approach to the phenomena of street children. He added, "We need to empower the street children to fully realize their potential and integrate them within the society and eliminate the reasons that drive them to the streets. The initiative will comprise of a Reception/day care facility, one for boys and another one for girls. The objective of the facility according to Busain is, "to provide fun-based educational activities and corrective programs that will enable those children to develop their personalities in addition to attending to their basic medical needs. Gannat El Samalouty, Sawiris Foundation executive director, commented on the Sawaseyaa Project for street Girls, which is a part of ABC's initiative to empower street children. "This project attempts to change the way these children view education and above all, the way they view themselves and society at large, she said. This educational initiative, El Samalouty added, will aim at establishing venues for street children where attractive learning activities will be provided. Busain further added that ABC, a member of the Heineken Group, is seeking to become the World's Greenest brewer by 2020 and is unveiling a new project, under this umbrella, with the partnership of the SFSD for solid waste source separation and maintenance of green areas in Haram City to ensure a pollution-free environment through recycling. Syada Greiss, president of the Association for the Protection of Environment explained that this environmental initiative would focus on poverty alleviation, creating jobs and generating high quality recycled products. In addition, the project aims at maintaining and increasing the green areas at Haram city mainly around school and nurseries. Busain has also commented on the progress of the ongoing project with SFSD, The Hepatitis C awareness and vaccination project that began in November 2009. He explained that Phase 1 of the project has witnessed a great achievement through conducting medical tests, preparing for pre and post treatment steps, home awareness campaigns and organizing seminars. Egyptian Liver Cancer Society's President Wahid Doss highlighted the progress of the Children Free of Virus C project, which began in 2009 and is a joint effort between ABC and SFSD. According to Doss, Phase 1 of the project has witnessed a number of accomplishments such as establishing and equipping the main center for the project and the Medical Advisory Committee for Children set the therapeutic protocol. In addition, orientation sessions were held for doctors and an agreement to supply the drug "Interferon, at a special price, was concluded with a Pharmaceutical company to ensure curing more children. -Daily News Egypt
