SANAD Forum for Alternative Care addresses cause of Kafala under auspices of Ministry of Social Solidarity

CAIRO – 29 June 2021: Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El Kabbaj participated in “Sanad Forum for Alternative Care”, which was held virtually over 2 days by Wataneya Society, under the title “Kafala is Life”.

During the event, Wataneya Society launched the new alternative family project to activate the new mandated alternative families’ system across Egypt, aiming to provide a quality life for children and youth without parental care and raise awareness about Kafala. The project will be implemented within 3 years across Egypt, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Alex Bank.

During her speech at the Forum, Dr. Nevine el Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity, said: "I am always happy to cooperate with Wataneya and appreciate its role as an active civil society institution, creating a good and tangible impact on the lives of children who need to be cared for. In April 2021, we launched the alternative care strategy that we will present to His Excellency President El-Sisi, as he is personally following up on it. We are also in the process of finalizing the Alternative Care law.”

"There is tangible progress as we offer more than one alternative care form, such as safe families, small homes, as well as foster and alternative families. Now, the number of children in alternative families has exceeded the number of those in institutions, and this is what we’ve aspired to. We have received 2,608 requests from foster families, which is the most ever reached throughout the history of the Ministry of Social Solidarity," Kabbaj added.

Azza Abdel Hameed, Founder and Chairperson of Wataneya, and member of the Higher Committee for Alternative Families at the Ministry of Social Solidarity, said: “We will rest assured of the future of children without parental care when we manage to preserve their rights to receive the quality of care, self-respect and identity rights. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders influencing the child, starting with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, care homes, alternative families, civil society, schools, universities, as well as media and initiatives. Thus, we are holding the Sanad Forum so that we can unify the visions to make the dream come true where every child will have the right to belong to a society that contains them.”

Sanad Forum discussed Kafala from the legal, religious and psychological perspectives, with the participation of specialists, such as Mohamed Omar Al Kamary, Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Head of the Higher Committee for Alternative Families, Dr. Amr El-Wardany, Secretary of Fatwa of the Egyptian Fatwa Council (Dar Al Ifta’), and a member of the Higher Committee for Alternative Families, and Dr. Hala Hammad, Consultant and Psychiatrist for children, adolescents and family relations Moreover, families and youth participants who were involved in the Kafala system showcased several real-life stories.

The forum hosts today evening Director Mariam Abo Ouf, Director of the Arabic series “Leeh Laa” part II, which tackles the Kafala cause and sheds light on various legal and social barriers for the Kafala of children, and to which Wataneya contributed accurate data and real-life stories based on the entity’s expertise. In addition, the day will showcase social initiatives and their roles in reinforcing the Kafala ecosystem in Egypt, and care homes’ challenging role towards promoting Kafala.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Alex Bank, Wataneya will start implementing the new project to help provide a decent life for children without parental care in Egypt by targeting five main categories in the alternative families system, including employees of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, alternative families, relevant civil society institutions, orphanages and training centers.

Wataneya joined the Higher Committee for Alternative Families at the Ministry of Social Solidarity in 2016, and since then it has been developing the alternative families system, as well as developing mechanisms for assessing and following-up on families in collaboration with civil institutions.