Wataneya Society celebrates 10th anniversary

CAIRO – 18 November 2018: In the presence of the Ministry of Social Solidarity's representatives, Wataneya Society celebrated on Dec. 9 its 10th anniversary and the success of “Quality of Care for Children without Parental Care” project, held in cooperation with Drosos Foundation.

The five-year project, “Quality of Care for Children without Parental Care”, was organized by Wataneya NGO and Drosos Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The project targeted to build the capacities of institutional care homes to improve the quality of services provided to children without parental care.

The project’s focus was centered on four main pillars, including developing institutional homes to ensure they meet the quality standards of alternative care; building the capacities of care givers, orphaned children & youth within institutional homes; building the capacities of fresh graduates to become capable & professional child care givers; and finally, building the capacities of the Ministry of Social Solidarity's staff to oversee and monitor the implementation of quality standards within child care homes.

“We, at Wataneya Society, recognize how crucial it is for children & youth without parental care to receive the right care and guidance required at such delicate phases of their lives, and thus, we work tirelessly through our different programs to ensure their needs are met,” said Founder and Chairperson of Wataneya Society, Azza Abdel Hamid.

She added, “We’ve accomplished a lot since our establishment, which is why our 10th anniversary campaign showcases the success stories of 10 champions, both orphaned youth and their care givers, who managed to overcome the challenges and become successful examples and role models.”

Wataneya is recognized as one of the leading NGOs that signed a protocol with the Ministry of Social Solidarity to apply and mandate the quality standard law for alternative care in institutional homes. Throughout the past 10 years, Wataneya trained over 2000 caregivers, 120 Ministry employees and developed over 120 institutional homes from 13 different governorates, improving the lives of their children.

Wataneya has also developed a Pearson assured training center (Amaan) which is the first certified training center in Egypt and the Middle East specialized in alternative care and qualifying care givers.

“In Wataneya, we believe that children without parental care deserve to have a happy childhood, fun memories, and the opportunity to explore the world around them and develop their talents. But to have this, orphans must be raised in a safe environment where they feel secure, loved and nurtured,” concluded Abdel Hamid.