Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” and Ashoka Arab World Celebrate the Graduation of the Second Cohort of the “Innovation Factory” Program in Egypt
Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global”, in partnership with Ashoka Arab World, organized the graduation ceremony of the second cohort of the "Innovation Factory" program in Egypt. The two organizations also celebrated the award-winning projects that aim to support these initiatives and enhance their societal impact.
The ceremony was organized under the patronage of Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, and was attended by Dr. Iman Bibars, Regional Director of Ashoka Arab World and Vice President of the Ashoka Global Board, as well as Ms. Reem Mallawi, Executive Manager for Global Initiatives at Alwaleed Philanthropies, and a distinguished group of experts in the field of social entrepreneurship in Egypt and the Arab world from various sectors, institutions, and organizations.
At the beginning of her speech, Dr. Iman Bibars sent a special greeting to Alwaleed Philanthropies, noting that it was the first to believe in the idea of "Innovation Factory" and empowering young social entrepreneurs, both men and women, to lead creative projects to solve the most pressing social issues. From here, the partnership project between Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” and Ashoka Arab World seeks to support young social entrepreneurs by providing them with real opportunities to discover their abilities and potentials in creating social change in their local communities.
She reviewed the key achievements of the "Innovation Factory" project in Egypt, and mentioned that 150 young men and women joined the electronic training camp, followed by the selection of 46 of them for an intensive training opportunity that lasted between (58 to 64) training days, with each training day lasting (8 to 9 hours.) She clarified that the training aims to equip participants with all the tools and skills necessary to expand and develop their initiatives, as well as critical and analytical thinking tools and how to present their work to various entities.
Regarding the prizes provided by the "Innovation Factory" at the end of the training program, Bibars explained that the project offers rewards to the winners, emphasizing that receiving these rewards is contingent on meeting a set of specified criteria and regulations, such as submitting business plans, providing a budget that matches the project and the grant amount, and conducting workshops to evaluate the project's impact and performance.
On another note, Ms. Reem Mallawi, Executive Manager for Global Initiatives at Alwaleed Philanthropies, stated that the main goal Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” strives for is to create sustainable intellectual change through focusing on building strategic partnerships between countries to support and develop communities. She clarified that the partnership between the foundation and Ashoka Arab World is one of its distinguished projects, as it has extended to support social entrepreneurs in three countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco.
The partnership with Ashoka Arab World in Egypt has resulted in providing more than 265 direct job opportunities and has contributed to improving the lives of 1,325 people indirectly, confirming that these figures reflect the sustainability and continuation of impact.
She emphasized that all that is needed is one step to start achieving the social impact we aspire to. She also mentioned that during the two years of partnership in Egypt, the number of direct beneficiaries exceeded 78,000 people, with more than 157,000 people benefiting indirectly, expressing her deep hope that the social change achieved will extend to many future generations.
Announcement of the Winners and the Organization of an Exhibition for the Second Cohort's Projects of the "Innovation Factory" Program
During the ceremony, a special exhibition was organized showcasing the various projects that graduated from the "Innovation Factory" program. A distinguished group of experts who had significant and impactful contributions with the second cohort’s trainees were also honored.
The winners of the second cohort's awards for the "Innovation Factory" program were announced. Initially, only three projects were supposed to win, but due to the excellence of the projects, Alwaleed Philanthropies “Global” and Ashoka Arab World decided to award nine projects instead of the initially planned three. The winners are:
- 1st Place – Plstka – Gharbia Governorate
- 2nd Place – EZR3LY – Beheira Governorate
- 3rd Place – Cotton Town – Cairo Governorate
- 4th Place – The Hero School Project for Children with Disabilities – Fayoum Governorate
- 5th Place – Cure – Fayoum Governorate
- 6th Place – Artika – Aswan Governorate
- 7th Place – Blue Bead – Beni Suef Governorate
- 8th Place – SDS Egypt – Disability Community – Cairo Governorate
- 9th Place – Learnova – Cairo Governorate
