After the Farmer-to-Farmer-Program, SEKEM is fostering for the second time a developmental USAID-funded project: “Forsa”, which means “opportunity” in Arabic. In the first project phase, 30 male refugees, who fled away from wars and livelihood crisis in different African countries, were invited to stay on SEKEM Farm for one week.
“Forsa”, the one-month project was provided to refugees and migrants by the Organization “Save the Children International” according to the plan of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The project was separated into tow focus areas: Vocational training for young men in cooperation with several local enterprises and training sessions for women on how to initiate and organise new startups and micro-projects.
Opportunities for refugees
“’Save the Children’ chose SEKEM Farm to be the suitable place for the rehabilitation of the refugees during fulfilling the project”, says Gamal El-Sayed, Chair of SEKEM Development Foundation. “The project ‘Forsa’ has been a real chance for these victims of crisis to re-develop their own employability skills, so that they can easily integrate into their new community”, he says.
Obviously, SEKEMs holistic development approach is not only dedicated to its employees, but to all other community members. In this context, SEKEM joined the United Nation’s Global Compact , an initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation already in 2003. Hence, building resilient sustainable communities, “where mankind is living together in social forms reflecting human dignity”, as it is included to the SEKEM Vision, has always been a main target.
Noha Hussein
Save the Children International
The United Nation's Global Compact
Rupert Neudeck about refugees in Egypt