Geographic Area:

Cairo, Aswan, North Sinai, Matrouh, Sohag

Area of Development:

Support to the economic and productive system

Sector:

Handicraft

Executive body:

DGCS and NGO: COSPE (Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries) 

Institutional counterpart:

Ministry of Social Affairs

Other Funding parties:

NGO: COSPE and local partner NSCE

Beneficiaries:

Associations of handicraft producers

Period of implementation:

1998 - 2001

Amount and nature of the funds:

Bilateral channel – 740,508,63 € [grant] (promoted project)

Type of intervention:

Technical assistance, training and financial support, capacity building

Objective:

Improving the economic prospective of handicraft production in Egypt through the strengthening of a self-managed organization by the producers to promote the marketing of their products, and to create new market outlets in Egypt and abroad.

Description of the Project:

The project, through activities of training, technical assistance, research and development, has reached the following results: 

1) The organization of the operative structure has been defined (structure of centralized marketing (Egypt Craft Center) and handicraft groups in various localities);

2) The lines of handicraft products have been enriched and their qualities improved;

3) Commercial strategies have been developed and new market outlets have been created in Europe for at least 600 producers through the Italian network of fair and equitable trade. In Egypt, the participation of 6 handicraft groups in fairs and bazaars has been guaranteed;

4) Furthermore, a rotation fund for financing the production has been committed;

5) Finally, leatherwork has been promoted through supporting a group of young women in Cairo working in this field.