DUBAI — Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education (AGFE) and Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) on Tuesday announced the signing of an MoU to support education opportunities for youth across Egypt. The MoU agreement aims to see both foundation platforms collaborate through their respective youth programs to advance the education and development of young people in Egypt. With COVID-19, distance learning platforms are now more crucial than ever, and key to ensuring and continuing the education of youth, despite global challenges. Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of AGFE, and Eng. Noura Selim, executive director of SFSD, signed the MoU during a virtual ceremony to provide youth across Egypt with access to the Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program (YTP) . AGFE will offer its Young Thinkers Program (YTP) platform to SFSD beneficiaries as well as additional training to the SFSD team to support outreach efforts. Members of different SFSD programs will also be trained on the YTP platform. This MoU represents the first official partnership for AGFE in Egypt with regards to the Al Ghurair Young Thinkers Program. Through the partnership, the YTP digital platform and online learning tool will be offered as support to youth who are interested in exploring their career options, developing the soft skills required for success, and gaining valuable education to employment guidance. “Our strategy is to work closely with our partners to leverage a bigger impact in achieving our common goal of assuring young people have high quality educational opportunities for elevated livelihoods. We are pleased to sign with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development in Egypt as an example of how Arab foundations work together for the greater good. “The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education and the SFSD share a joint purpose, to empower youth in the MENA region so that they will thrive and contribute to the development of the region,” said Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar. The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development will extend the YTP program to current and graduated beneficiaries from four main SFSD programs to reach 1,000 Egyptians including the Sawiris Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, Gouna Technical Nursing Institute Scholarship Program, German Hotel School in Gouna Scholarship Program, and the Don Bosco Scholarship Program. “We are proud to officially launch this valuable partnership with Al Ghurair Foundation to benefit Egyptian youths. For 19 years, Sawiris Foundation has invested significantly in both the education and the employability of youths, particularly the most marginalized. “This collaboration will allow us to further increase our impact. The Young Thinkers Program sits at the intersection of education and employment, helping to provide young students with the soft skills that they need to be more competitive for the labor market. The program was designed to be online, which makes it even more pertinent today. We are certain that this is just the beginning of a successful partnership,” said Noura Selim. Launched in the United Arab Emirates in late 2018 as a fully customized and interactive, bilingual education to employment resource, YTP has over 14,000 registered users. This partnership is the first step to increased expansion of the program across the Arab region, bringing this tool to youth between the ages of 13 and 35 who are developing their skills, knowledge and awareness of the world of work and the skills required for future success. — SG