EFB, SFSD, and IFPRI Join Forces for Seminars on Linking Development Policies with Scientific Evidence
The Egyptian Food Bank (EFB), the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) partnered to host a ground-breaking seminar series titled "Bridging Evidence and Policy" (BEP). The series seeks to spark conversations about the efforts and initiatives of the Egyptian civil society, with a special emphasis on the three collaborating entities, in tackling critical issues including social protection, food security, climate change, and agricultural development, as well as providing essential food to various beneficiary groups. The seminars aim to underscore the significance of precise scientific research to ensure that intended beneficiaries receive the desired benefits while highlighting the impact of these activities on society.
The opening seminar, which took place on Sunday, May 7, 2023, focused on "Impact Evaluation of Social Protection Programs" and hosted distinguished guests, including H.E. Nevine El-Kabbaj, the Minister of Social Solidarity, Dr. Khaled El Attar, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Kibrom A. Abay, Country Program Leader and Research Fellow in the Development Strategy and Governance Division at IFPRI in Cairo, and Eng. Noura Selim, Executive Director of SFSD, among many representatives from international organizations and NGOs.
The seminar delved into several social protection programs, principles, and other initiatives that showcases their implementation and their impact on the Egyptian society. Programs discussed in the event included: EFB’s General Feeding Program, Bab Amal, Takaful and Karama, and Forsa. The session shed the light on the pressing need to adopt scientific evidence when setting policies and implementing development programs. The session emphasized the importance of collaborative civil society efforts across all sectors in Egypt, to link development policies with scientific evidence. The session also featured an extensive presentation of the scientific evidence gained from the latest social protection programs with the participation of various experts from EFB, SFSD, and IFPRI.
According to Mohsen Sarhan, the CEO of Egyptian Food Bank, "Our collaboration with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the International Food Policy Research Institute contributes to consolidating the principle of practicing development work according to scientific and methodological bases, relying on evidence and studies that ultimately contribute to providing the best services and programs that effectively impact on the lives of the most vulnerable groups."
Dr. Kibrom A. Abay, a Research Fellow at IFPRI, added, “In line with IFPRI’s mandate to reduce poverty and improve food and nutrition security through research, we are happy to partner with the EFB and SFSD, two major philanthropic entities in Egypt, in what we believe is a major step towards realizing this goal in Egypt. EFB’s and SFSD’s commitment to research and impact-oriented investment has allowed us to apply rigorous impact evaluation methods to quantify the absolute and relative impacts of EFB’s programs. I am confident that these efforts and evidence will help bridge potential gaps in policy design and implementation of similar development programs and projects. We hope that, through this partnership, we will contribute to improving the efficacy of development and social protection programs in Egypt.
Noura Selim, Executive Director of SFSD, said, "Our partnership today with EFB, one of the most prominent stakeholders in the field of food security in Egypt, and with IFPRI, the research institution specializing in producing and publishing evidence and evaluations with regards to food security is a live example of participatory learning and collaboration to shed light on scientific evidence guiding and supporting policy and decision-makers in alleviating poverty in Egypt."
The partners aim to create the necessary momentum for designing evidence-based programs, providing NGOs and the civil society with basic tools to shift from being results-orients to become impact-driven using scientific methodologies while capitalizing on global and local best practices across the private and public sectors. To that end, the launch of the BEP seminar series aims to place the groundwork for upcoming events advocating for sustainable development and evidence-based poverty alleviation programs in Egypt.
For fifteen years, EFB has been supporting low-income and underprivileged households
that are food insecure, directly contributing to combating poverty and food insecurity matters
on national level. The Egyptian Food Bank (EFB) is an impact-driven non-governmental
organization (NGO), established in 2006 toaddress food insecurity in Egypt.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 500 employees working in over 70 countries and works with a wide range of partners. It is a research center of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network.
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 addressing many of Egyptian society's critical and pressing issues. Since its establishment, the SFSD has been working to create opportunities, drive change, and achieve sustainable development that is based on knowledge and exchange of experiences and best development practices. For more than 20 years, the foundation has succeeded in consolidating the sustainable development approach instead of the charitable approach, by adopting pioneering initiatives in the fields of education, scholarships, economic and social empowerment, as well as arts and culture.