SCHOLARSHIPS : Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD)

E4D Scholarships Programme at ETH Zurich 2022-2023

The E4D, “Engineering For Development”, scholarships program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, ETH Zurich, is now open to international students and professionals for the 2022-2023 academic year. ETH is an internationally renowned technical university located in Zurich, Switzerland. The main purpose of the E4D scholarships is to enhance the knowledge and skills of future leaders with a view to contributing [...]

The Foundation at a Glance

The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) was established in 2001 with an endowment from the Sawiris Family as one of the first national donor foundations in Egypt. Since its establishment, SFSD focused on addressing the most pressing issues facing the most marginalized Egyptians such as poverty, unemployment, provision of health services, and little access to quality education. Over the past 18 years, SFSD has succeeded in funding and delivering programs aimed at achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, in partnership with the governmental and private sectors, as well as civil society. This has resulted in the creation of thousands of job opportunities, availing quality education, and providing access to basic services for more than 280,000 beneficiaries. The geographical coverage of the foundation includes 24 governorates, with a focus on the most remote marginalized villages. The total budget allocated by the foundation since its inception is approximately EGP 960 million.

Vision

As a partner in development in Egypt, we seek to present a pioneering model for the role of civil society organizations, through promoting and supporting innovative solutions targeting comprehensive and sustainable development.

Mission

Our mission is to support sustainable development solutions in order to alleviate poverty and social and economic exclusion, as well as provide equitable educational opportunities for the most marginalized groups in Egypt. This is done through cooperation with civil society, and the private and governmental sectors.

Objectives

Our primary objective is to support developmental projects, programs and initiatives that improve the lives of the most marginalized communities through:

1. Economic Empowerment:
   • Financing training programs that lead to employment;
   • Encouraging the development of small and microenterprises by providing technical, administrative and financial assistance through grants and loans;
   • Supporting and financing programs for agricultural development.
2. Increasing Access to High-Quality Education:
   • Providing scholarships for distinguished Egyptian students to complete their studies at home and abroad.
   • Establishing specialized higher education institutions capable of meeting the urgent needs of society.
   • Supporting and financing education programs at all levels: kindergarten (KG), primary, technical and vocational education, as well as higher education.
3. Social Empowerment:
   • Improving access to health care services (e.g. fighting Hepatitis C, liver transplants, improved maternal and child health).
   • Providing marginalized children with the needed protection and support.
   • Improving the infrastructure of the most underprivileged villages and areas.
   • Empowering women.
4. Encouraging Artistic and Cultural Creativity:
   • Providing scholarships for distinguished Egyptian students to complete their studies at home and abroad. 
   • Establishing specialized higher education institutions capable of meeting the urgent needs of society. 
   • Supporting and financing education programs at all levels: kindergarten (KG), primary, technical and vocational education, as well as higher education.

Core Values

We are committed to the fundamental principles and values that boost our mission and objectives, including accountability, transparency, equity, justice, and integrity. Hence, all of our work seeks to promote the best developmental practices and to effectively respond to the needs of the Egyptian people.

How SFSD work?

The SFSD adopts an approach based on five pillars:

1. Building effective partnerships with civil society, as well as the governmental and private sectors;
2. Adopting a labor-market-responsive employment and training model, in which labor market needs are comprehensively assessed prior to the design and provision of training in order to maximize job potential for trainees;
3. Promoting the spirit of honest competition and celebrating excellence among beneficiaries through annual competitions, scholarships and cultural awards;
4. Boosting the best practices in the design and management of development projects through impact measurement, follow-up, evaluation and capacity-building of partner NGOs.
5. Scaling- up successful initiatives to maximize impact and ensure sustainability of results.

Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD)