How UNFPA’s “Saeed-Hub” empowers social entrepreneurs in Upper Egypt?

24 / 07 / 2024

By Marwa Nassar - -

“Saeed-Hub” – launched by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in cooperation with the National Council for Women and Outreach – is meant to empower social entrepreneurs to design sustainable solutions that are both profitable and have a social impact for the elimination of female gentile mutilation (FGM) in their communities.

On June 30, UNFPA, the National Council for Women and Outreach organized a “Saeed-Hub” graduation ceremony for the 20 selected candidates in Luxor. The top 5 candidates presented their ideas and the top 20 winners were awarded seed funding to kickstart their projects.

This phase of the incubator targeted Luxor and its neighboring governorates in Upper Egypt, and provided technical and financial support to develop innovative solutions that take into account the societal context and provide opportunities for them to design and implement community-led creative solutions to development challenges related to the mandate of UNFPA.

UNFPA will continue the post-incubation phase where the social entrepreneurs will be provided with technical and financial support and opportunities for upscaling through partnerships on the local and national level.

The first cycle focused specifically on FGM in Upper Egypt with the “Dafayer” initiative, and empowered young people to design sustainable solutions that are both profitable and have a social impact for the elimination of FGM in their communities.