Takaful and Karama budget hits LE 25B with 22M beneficiaries: Minister of Social Solidarity

CAIRO – 13 September 2022: Minister of Social Solidarity Nivine el Kabbag said on Monday the budget of the Takaful and Karama cash transfer program has hit EGP 25 billion with 22 million beneficiaries.

In a phone interview with Al Mehwar TV channel, Kabbag reiterated that her ministry works on providing social protection for the most needy, including female breadwinners, people with disabilities, the elderly, children and irregular workers, among others.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has directed the social solidarity ministry to allocate an exceptional long-term social package for the most needy families, the minister said.

She added that 1.5 million families have been included in the program, while exceptional aid was disbursed to some 8 million families through six months.

Takaful wa Karama provides conditional family income support aimed at increasing food consumption, reducing poverty, while encouraging families to keep children at school and providing them with needed health care.

Along with ensuring that vulnerable families receive basic nutrition, the goal is to build the human capital of the next generation and give them a path out of poverty.

The program is "conditional", meaning that households receive a monthly transfer of LE 325 providing they are compliant with certain clearly defined requirements.

These include all household children should be aged 6-18 and have at least an 80 percent school attendance record, four visits per year to health clinics by mothers and children below the age of 6, where child growth monitoring records are maintained, and nutrition awareness sessions are attended.

The sessions help promote better child feeding practices, regular immunizations, and antenatal and postnatal care of women. Households are given additional support for every 0-6 year-old child (LE 60), primary stage student (LE 80), preparatory stage student (LE 100) and secondary stage students (LE 140).

The program covers a maximum of three children per household and reviews the eligibility of beneficiaries every three years.