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1974-1984,
1984-1994, 1994-2004.
The Cooperative for American Remittances
to Europe "CARE" as born in the difficult
days following World War II, in 1945, when ordinary
people in the United States and Canada wanted to help
those suffering hardship and deprivation in Europe.
More than 100 million CARE Packages were sent to help
feed those whose lives had been ravaged by war.
In the 1960s, CARE took a more international perspective,
becoming the Cooperative for Assistance & Relief
Everywhere, ÒCAREÓ. Today, CARE International is a confederation
of twelve organizations, providing assistance to people
in need and long term solutions to ending global poverty.
CARE is one of the worldÕs largest private humanitarian
relief and development organizations. CARE has projects
in over 65 countries around the world with its International
Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The CARE International
Secretariat co-ordinates the efforts of these twelve
autonomous CARE member organizations in the following
countries: Australia; Austria; Canada; Denmark; France;
Germany; Japan; Thailand; Netherlands; Norway; United
Kingdom; United States of America.
CARE began its activities in Egypt with a nationwide
school meal program that reached three million children
annually from 1954 to 1967. Following a request by the
Egyptian government in 1967, CARE Egypt closed its operation
until 1974.
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In 1974, CARE returned to Egypt.
After signing an agreement with the Egyptian government
that would oversee the work of the organization. In
1976, CARE Egypt began managing a variety of programs
primarily as a direct provider of development and relief
services.
During this decade, CARE focused on two geographic areas;
Sinai and Aswan. Between 1977 and 1986, CARE Egypt ran
a relief-feeding program for Sinai Bedouins that reached
70,000 people daily. CARE also managed a potable water
project in North Sinai from 1979 to 1982.
In Upper Egypt, CARE started the High Dam Lake Basic
Services Project in 1979. This project was operational
until 1989 and provided materials, equipment and support
services to fishing villages in the Aswan High Dam Lake
area. CARE boats visited the fishing villages to provide
health and family planning services. CARE also helped
build pre-fabricated shelters for the fishermen on the
shores of the lake.
In the early 1980s, CARE began to shift from these direct
service models, such as the food assistance and family
planning classes, to more interactive methods aimed
at building the capacities of people and their local
institutions to solve their own problems.
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During this period, CARE Egypt's
focus slowly shifted from Sinai to Upper Egypt. The
end of 1992 saw the end of CARE's activities in Sinai
with the phasing out of the South Sinai Fisheries project
that had started in 1988 and which was preceded by the
Agricultural Development project between 1984 and 1987.
In 1986, CARE started to implement the Village Self-Reliance
(VSR) project in four governorates of Upper Egypt. The
project's goal was to establish a sustainable and expansive
community action process leading to improved socioeconomic
conditions for 100,000 people in 4 governorates (Aswan,
Sohag, Fayoum and Qena ) through 65 Community Development
Associations (CDAs).
The VSR project was the nucleus of change for the way
CARE Egypt would conduct its business. CARE moved from
the direct service delivery style to a mix of methodologies
that included institutional strengthening and umbrella
grants and fund management. The project also helped
CARE shift its attention to Upper Egypt where the demand
for services and support for poor communities was among
the highest in Egypt. It also helped identify an entry
point for promoting income-generating activities for
women.
CARE's work during this period focused on three main
sectors namely; the environment; microfinance and small
economic activities; and agriculture and animal husbandry.
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The beginnings of the 1990s came
with a new vision of program opportunities to fight
poverty. CARE expanded its work to cover all of the
nine Upper Egyptian governorates in a multitude of sectors
including, to girls' education, environment, income
generating activities, water and sanitation, institutional
strengthening, capacity building, and agriculture.
During the last decade, CARE's work was motivated by
the belief that the development process should be owned
and managed by a society supported by good governance
and a robust civil sector. Through building capacity
and a sense of ownership in local organizations and
the constituencies that they serve, CARE enhances civil
society and the long-range sustainability of its interventions.
CARE's work in partnership and local capacity building
is based on a learning approach: CARE and its partners
work side by side and learn together.
CARE has worked with over 300 Community Development
Associations (CDAs) through many projects, such as:
>
Growth in Small and Micro-Enterprise
(GSME 1994-1999)
>
Community Action for
the Environment (CAFE 1994-2000)
>
AgReform Project (1996-2004)
>
The Enhancing Participation
in Civics Pilot Project (EPIC 1997-1998)
>
Community Action in Support
of Education Project (CASE 1997-2000)
>
The Microfinance Technical
Unit (MFTU 1999-2003)
>
The Capability Enhancement
through Citizen Action Project (CAP 1999-2004)
>
EnviroNet (2001-2003)
>
Information Technology
Pilot Project (2003-2004)
At present, CARE Egypt is implementing
a number of projects such as the Safe Agriculture for
Egyptian Farmers (SAFE), the Integrated Development
with Emphasis on Water and Sanitation project (ALIVE),
the Euro-Med Participatory Water Resources Scenarios
(EMPOWERS), the Enhanced Livelihood from Smallholder
Horticultural Activities Managed Sustainable (EL SHAMS),
Awareness Against Aids (AAA), and the New School Program.
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