The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Social Solidarity launched, via a virtual event, an initiative to support the Egyptian Red Crescent’s (ERC) network of 30,000 volunteers and health care professionals to conduct community outreach and help prevent the spread of COVID-19, as well as build ERC’s capacity to respond to future crises.
During the virtual event, U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Cohen stated, “It’s my great honor to acknowledge another step forward in the solidarity and cooperation between Egypt and the U.S. in the fight against the COVID pandemic and to celebrate our partnership with the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Government of Egypt as we try to stop the spread of COVID-19 in communities throughout Egypt.”
Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat stated, “This is the first development project launched virtually. We bring together all key stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector to work on addressing market needs that, in turn, helps contribute to Egypt’s social development and economic growth. This agreement reflects our longstanding and strong partnership with the government of the United States of America. Going forward we will continue working with USAID on sectors of national priority namely health, education, science and technology, agriculture, governance, and trade.”
Minister of Social Solidarity and Deputy Chairperson of ERC Nivine El-Kabbag said “We are proud of our cooperation with USAID to support the constant efforts exerted by the Egyptian Red Crescent, one of the most important NGOs in Egypt, whose mission is mostly focused on health and relief sectors, education and awareness, as well as supporting refugees in Egypt. The effective response to the impact of COVID-19 requires pulling efforts and combining resources of international organizations in providing the maximum possible protection for the most vulnerable groups and all humanity. Cooperation with USAID will have a major impact in the development of the Egyptian Red Crescent services and its access to a larger number of beneficiaries; and providing support during this critical time is a humanitarian and developmental responsibility.”
Uber’s Head of Public Policy North Africa, Ahmed Aly commented, “We are honored to take part in today’s conference to witness the significant joint efforts of the U.S. government, the Ministry of International Cooperation, and the Ministry of Social Solidarity against COVID-19, including bringing us together with the Egyptian Red Crescent to support frontliners. This partnership comes as part of our global pledge to help cities and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will continue to work closely with the Egyptian government and our partners to accommodate the societal needs.”
USAID’s 51 million Egyptian pounds ($3.2 million) in assistance to the Egyptian Red Crescent will support the distribution of hygiene kits to vulnerable rural and urban demographics and supplement ERC’s mobile resource centers to expand awareness of safe hygiene practices and provide initial fever screenings and referral services in addition to providing psycho-social support services to healthcare workers. USAID also facilitated a partnership between Uber and ERC for Uber to provide access to reliable transportation solutions for ERC’s front line health workers.
