Takaful program
The Takaful program contributes to improving the living conditions of families by providing monthly financial assistance worth 325 Egyptian pounds to each family, provided that several conditions are adhered to, aimed at promoting education and health.
School-age children must be enrolled in school and maintain an attendance rate of at least 80%. Mothers and children under the age of six must also visit health clinics four times a year, participate in nutritional awareness sessions, and maintain health records to monitor the children’s growth.
The program provides additional support for children from birth to six years old, worth 60 pounds, and for students at different educational levels, amounts ranging from 80 to 140 pounds. This assistance is provided to a maximum of three children per family, and benefit from the program is renewed every three years. Currently, approximately 8.3 million individuals benefit from the Takaful program, representing 87% of the total beneficiaries.
As for the Karama program, it targets the most needy individuals such as the elderly over 65 years of age, people with severe disabilities, and orphans, as they receive a monthly pension of 450 pounds without conditions.
The value of the pension was recently increased to help them cope with rising prices. The state adopts a new model for assessing disability that takes greater account of human rights dimensions. The program currently includes more than 300 families, 17% of whom are elderly, and 82% of whom are people with disabilities.
Entities participating in the implementation of the Takaful and Karama programmes
The Ministry of Social Solidarity plays a pivotal role in implementing support programs, as it is responsible for examining and selecting eligible families and issuing smart cards that are used to disburse aid to them. For its part, the Ministry of Education undertakes the task of monitoring the attendance rate of the children of these families in schools, which must not be less than 80% of school days, to ensure that they continue to benefit from the program.
As for the Ministry of Finance, it provides the necessary financial support for the program in accordance with the budgets determined by the Ministry of Solidarity, as it allocated an amount of 400 million pounds for the first phase of the program, of which 310 million pounds have been disbursed so far.
In the same context, the Ministry of Interior is working to verify the accuracy of the data provided by families wishing to join the program, to ensure transparency and fairness in distribution. The Postal Authority facilitates the process of disbursing financial support, through its wide network of offices spread throughout the country.
It is worth noting that programs such as Takaful and Karama attract attention and follow-up from prominent international institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Development Programme, in order to ensure effective implementation and close follow-up, especially in areas related to employment.
Advantages of implementing a Takaful program
The “Dignity and Solidarity” program aims to improve the living conditions of families suffering from difficult circumstances, by providing them with the necessary support. The program summarizes its efforts in the following areas:
The program contributes to reducing school dropout rates immediately, as it provides financial assistance to children in schools, and requires families to commit to the academic achievement and health follow-up of their children. This aid includes monthly grants ranging between 60 and 100 Egyptian pounds, depending on the educational stage, as well as tracking the health status of children up to the age of six and mothers in health centers.
The program provides support and social protection for people with special needs and the elderly over the age of 65, by giving them aid ranging between 350 and 400 pounds each, provided that the support does not exceed three individuals per family.
The program works to confront the conditional aid provided by religious groups in some areas to orphans and widows, by providing alternatives that prevent the exploitation of these groups by these groups.
In the places where it is implemented, the “Dignity and Solidarity” program spreads hope among the poor by showing the government’s concern for their situation and suffering.
The program aims to achieve tangible improvement in the lives of beneficiary individuals and families throughout the country, to ensure a decent life for them.
