Cairo, 24th August 2011. Suez Cement Group of Companies (SCGC) has, in collaboration with the Egyptian Food Bank (EBF), distributed foodstuff to thousands of families in areas surrounding Helwan, Tourah, El-Minya and Suez plants in holy Ramadan. A number of SCGC employees have taken part in delivering food boxes for beneficiary families on the database of the Egyptian Food Bank.
“We are pleased to support our local communities and we believe that the private sector should play a social and humanitarian role ,” said SCGC Managing Director, Roberto Callieri, said.
Expressing appreciation for the work done by the Food Bank, Callieri said that Suez Cement is grateful for its collaboration with the Food Bank as this has enabled it to carry on its social role towards thousands of families, “I would like to thank the food bank for ensuring that our help reaches those who really deserve it, I would also would like also to thank our own employees who participated in this wonderful and really successful initiative", he said.
Meanwhile, Moez Al-Shahdy, board member of the Egyptian Food Bank, emphasized corporate social responsibility and the rule of private sector and business people in solving community problems. "EBF has become one of the most important links between those who are able to contribute including companies and business people and those who are in a dire need, given the experience we acquired in the past few years", Mr. Shahdy said.
Suez Cement Group of Companies
SCGC is one of the largest Egyptian cement producers, with an industrial network composed of five production facilities located in Tourah, Suez, Kattameya, Helwan and El Minya. These facilities produce approximately 12 million metric tons of clinker per year.
In line with the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), SCgC is strongly committed to improving the quality of life and social well-being of the communities where it operates. The social initiatives promoted by SCgC are based on the local needs of the people living in these communities.
Building on its firm belief that there is no duty more important than ensuring that children rights are respected, their welfare is protected and their lives are free from fear and want, SCgC carried, out through NCCM, a project aiming to prevent children dropout from school and enhance the importance of education.
The school feeding program in Maasara &Kafr El Elw schools started on October 24, 2010 targeting primary stage and lasted only 37 days due to the mid-year exams with a total distribution of 392952 snacks at Maassara and 213467 at Kafr El Elw. Poor nutrition of school children partially contributes to the inefficiency of the educational system and accordingly results in irregular school attendance, repeated grades and dropouts. The program experience shows that improving children nutrition and health can lead to better performance, less repeated classes and preventing dropouts. Additionally, school fees for EGP100.000 have been covered for students unable to pay to motivate parents to enroll their children and 3000 school bags were given out to encourage children to go to school.
Fully convinced that healthy children mean a healthy and promising society, SCgC exerts every possible effort to promote better health care for children. Medical caravans were organized at Bani Khaled village for 975 patients in the following medical specialties: pediatrics - dermatology - internal medicine –urology - ophthalmology -gynecology- bones- ear, nose and throat. Moreover, prescribed medications were distributed for free to all the patients. Also a series of medical caravans were arranged covering 6 schools at Maasara for total beneficiaries of 7892 students in collaboration Kasr Al Ainy School of Medicine.
In the environment field, 1000 water filters were installed to purify piped water at Bani Khaled houses and filter cartridges were also give along with the filters. Six water purification stations were installed at Bani Khaled schools and 14 stations at Maasara schools.