Community Spark Project reaches finish line

Under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Microsoft Egypt and CARE International in Egypt, celebrated the final event of the Community Spark project. The event took place at the Maadi Olympic Center and was attended by a number of government officials and social entrepreneurs.

Community Spark started in May 2014 through June 2016 and was implemented in Beni Suef and Sharkeya Governorates through partnering with Youth Centers and CSOs experienced in Youth Empowerment activities.

The project’s main objective was to empower the Egyptian youth and assist them in becoming a valuable asset to their communities by enhancing their social entrepreneurship skills. It has targeted public university students and fresh graduates from both genders aged between 18 and 24. After a registration process, a selection panel was formed and a total 150 youths (50 per governorate) were chosen and offered a series of trainings, aiming at increasing their employability competencies and enhancing their social entrepreneurship skills, while gaining different soft skills such as communication, negotiation, business writing, leadership, and ICT skills that will enable them to promote their proposed solutions in order to meet societal needs.

The finalist teams came up with ten different project proposals in the environment, health and job creation sectors, where eight teams will present their projects today, and the best three will be rewarded.

CARE has a long history in supporting youth and encouraging social entrepreneurs to engage with local issues and advance the status of their communities”, said Hazem Fahmy. “Through our partnership with Microsoft, we are pleased to give youth a chance to find their passion and empower them to follow their dreams and build their future.” Hazem Fahmy, Country Director - CARE International in Egypt.

Community Spark is a branch of Microsoft’s YouthSpark initiative, which aim to increase access for all youth to learn computer science, empowering them to achieve more for themselves, their families and their communities. The initiative created educational, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for more than 300 million youth around the world.

“Microsoft is keen to build the capacity of Egyptian youth and help them address the opportunity divide”, said Khaled Abd El-kadr. “We have a long successful partnership with CARE and it is reflected in the impact that this project has created in Upper Egypt.” Khaled Abd El-kadr, Country General Manager - Microsoft Egypt.

CARE has a long history in partnering with the private sector to reach out for the community and enhance their entrepreneurial skills. With over 60 years in Egypt, CARE has helped thousands of people find their way out of poverty through initiating small to medium scale enterprises.