Cairo, December 09, 2014

Grassroots Assistance

Japan Supports Nursing Services in Egypt
　

On Tuesday December 9th 2014, Mr. Takehiro Kagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt, and Dr. Sameh Karam, Chairman of the Word of Healing Foundation for Medical Services and Development, signed a grant assistance contract for Japanese Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Projects.

 
The grant of US$ 55,939 is extended by the Government of Japan for the project of providing Verena Training Center run by the Word of Healing Foundation with equipment for training nurses in Haggana district. This project addresses the significant lack of qualified nursing staff which is one of the biggest challenges facing the Egyptian health sector. The Foundation has helped the center train more than 100 nurses in the last two years and trained nurses are now working actively in public and private hospitals inside and outside Cairo. This grant is expected to help increase the capacity of the Center to give professional training to 130 trainees per year.

 
This project also has a great impact on the empowerment of women, which is one of the priority areas the Government of Japan is promoting. Given that a substantial number of nurses are women, the Foundation focuses on providing all possible means to encourage female trainees to have a commitment and dedication to nursing in their future careers. In addition to providing training free of charge, the Foundation provides trainees with monthly allowances and a nursery facility to look after their children during the training period. The Japanese Ambassador praised the foundation’s efforts to contribute to increasing the number of qualified and dedicated nurses.

 
The grant is extended under the Japanese Government’s Assistance Scheme for Grassroots and Human Security Projects, which gives support to non-profitable organizations and NGOs in fields such as health, social care, education, environment and vocational training. This scheme was launched in Egypt in 1994, and around 150 projects have been implemented to date, totaling about US$ 7 million.