“We want to break all barriers and challenges that block women from agricultural practices. In fact, I am sure that women will help in enhancing Egypt’s agricultural sector if we take care of her, and we provide her with the required materials and knowledge,” said PepsiCo Egypt CEO, Mohamed Shelbaya at the “She Feeds The World” Memorandum of Understanding signing yesterday.
PepsiCo Egypt, CARE International in Egypt, and Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity signed the “She Feeds The World” MOU, at Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino, on October 26.
The program aims to enhance and sustain nutrition, food security, financial services, and agriculture for female farmers, by empowering small scale women producers living in underprivileged rural areas. The program also targets gender equality, as if focuses on the gender gap in the agricultural market by challenging the barriers of entry that female farmers face.
The launch event was attended by Her Exellency Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali, PepsiCo Egypt CEO Mohamed Shelbaya, and Country Director for CARE Egypt, Hazem Fahmy. The efforts conducted by the three entities comes in recognition for the female farmers workforce, and their significant potential in enhancing their familiy’s nutrition and financial status.
“This protocol has several meanings, the first in the name of the program that we are launching today “Aysheen Bekherha”, we are really living with the good of our country and I pray that we continue living for the good of this country. The second is that the protocol includes all the pillars of any true development, the ministry of social solidarity represents the public sector, CARE Egypt represents the civil society organization and the private sector is represented by PepsiCo Egypt, this cooperation and integration is the best formula to achieve great success in this program,” said Ghada Wali, Ministry of Social Solidarity.
Both actresses Yasmine Ghaith and Mariam El Khosht attended the event as part of their role in enhancing the campaign’s exposure, shedding light on Egyptian women capabilities and the significant role that they play in society.
The event included two panel discussions that tackled the role of public-private sector partnerships in improving the nutritional wellbeing of society and empowering women, and to discuss the impact that women posses on nutrition, family and positive agriculture.
CARE’s Fahmy ensured that when female farmers boost their production and increase their income, it will help their children go to school, keep their kids healthy over the course of their lives, feed their families nutritious meals, build savings to help them weather tough times, and expand their businesses and employ others.
Around 390,000 Egyptian women will benefit from the program that is currently being executed in four governorates, which will include Giza, Beni Suef, Minya and El Beheira. The budget allocated for the three-year program is 60 million EGP, and the program will feature resources supply and technical support.
