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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
Cairo, Egypt, 2012/02/23 - Alashanek Ya Balady Association for Sustainable Development's introduces its latest projects aiming to empower 10,000,000 Egyptians to rise above the poverty line by the year 2020 - AYB-SD.org.
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In line with Alashanek Ya Balady Association for Sustainable Development (AYB-SD)’s “Foq El Khat” campaign (Arabic for “Above the Line”) to empower 10,000, 000 Egyptians to rise above the poverty line by the year 2020, AYB-SD is currently working on several developmental projects all aimed at achieving its ultimate aim, poverty eradication.
In this regard, AYB-SD’s most recent endeavor is introducing the socially innovative concept of micro-franchising in for the first time in Egypt. Micro-franchising is the process of scaling down a successful business model and creating a pre-packaged business that can be replicated by the most underprivileged individuals who often have little or no formal education or training, and has emerged as an innovative and successful tool for poverty alleviation. Through this model, AYB-SD will provide youth with constructive, sustainable and profitable job opportunities, and businesses with a motivated, skilled workforce to stabilize and advance the country. This project aims to support Egyptian businesses — over 80% of which are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises — in order to offset economic decline and protect the livelihoods of millions of Egyptians in the wake of the revolution, as well as support immediate job creation for unemployed, underprivileged youth. This model is designed to achieve its desired outcome within a 24-month time frame.
In the last year, AYB has managed to train, employ and help nearly 2500 individuals start their own projects, which in turn enables nearly 12,000 people to graduate from the circle of poverty simply by being supported by these individuals. AYB was able to accomplish this through two models; Formal Employment and Informal Employment. Both models involve participants undergoing technical, vocational, and soft skills trainings to either be able to be formally employed in companies or factories or other enterprises, or informally employed by receiving small and micro loans to be able to set up their own projects.
Further poverty alleviation efforts include a series of vocational training workshops on carpentry, mechanics, textiles and leather making, aiming to train and empower individuals to either become formally employed in related businesses or be able to later on start their own businesses. In addition, to further promote “Foq El Khat”, a selection of materials (notebooks, weekly organizers, desk calendars, bookmarks and coasters) that have been designed by AYB-SD employees are currently being sold at several stationary shops all over Cairo. The profits of selling these items go directly towards the “Foq El Khat” campaign.
“Foq El Khat” embodies AYB-SD’s development model, which is designed to sustain a dignified life for those who currently live under the poverty line, aiming to secures their families’ livelihood and enable them to permanently graduate from the circle of poverty.
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rama.maher[.]ayb-sd.org 
