ALEXBANK – the Egyptian subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo Group - along with the United Nations World Food Programme support child education in Bani Suif

Vercelli: The agreement supports the government’s efforts of improving the quality of education and eliminating child labor As part of ALEXBANK’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and its commitment to boosting sustainable development in Egypt, ALEXBANK has signed a partnership agreement with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in order to encourage school enrollment through supporting school nutrition programs across Egypt’s governorates, especially in the remote areas of Upper Egypt governorates. ALEXBANK and Intesa Sanpaolo Group have contributed, through this agreement, a sum of EGP 1 million that will benefit approximately 7500 direct beneficiaries; around 1500 children in 53 primary community schools and 6000 of their family members, over the course of one year. Roberto Vercelli, Managing Director and CEO of ALEXBANK said, “The agreement stems from ALEXBANK’s belief in the power of education and its ability to confront challenges facing the nation. The project supports the government’s efforts at improving the quality of education, reduces short-term hunger and encourages higher regular school attendance rates especially amongst girls who represent 85% of children.” “We are very glad to have Egypt’s private sector support our projects that invest in Egypt’s future – that is, a new generation of children who will have a brighter future because of education and good nutrition,” said Lubna Alaman, WFP’s representative and Country Director in Egypt. “We are grateful for this contribution from ALEXBANK, which will help bring more children back to school and give their families a strong incentive to keep them there during difficult economic times.” This partnership agreement is the first between ALEXBANK and the WFP to execute the Food for Education programme (FFE). As ALEXBANK will support the most underprivileged school children in Beni Suif governorate for a whole year, the programme aims to fight hunger and encourage school enrolment between children while enhancing the knowledge of teachers and children on basic health, nutrition, and hygiene by implementing tailored awareness raising programmes.