Final Report Hyat

PROJECT FINAL

REPORTApril 2017 – March 2020

HAYAT-SOHAG PROJECT FINAL REPORT: April 2017 – March 2020

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PROJECT FINAL REPORT April 2017 – March 2020

30 September 2020

Prepared by: Cristina Pitassi, Project Manager, UNIDO

This document has not been formally edited.


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Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................................. 3

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 4

Project Data ........................................................................................................................... 7

Map of Sohag Governorate ................................................................................................... 8

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 9

1. Project Context and Background .............................................................................. 10

2. Project Overview ........................................................................................................ 14

2.1 Project Description........................................................................................................ 14 2.2 Project Logical Framework and Theory of Change ....................................................... 16 2.3 Project Sustainability and Exit Strategy ........................................................................ 18 2.4 Project Implementation ................................................................................................. 19 2.5 Project Monitoring and Evaluation ................................................................................ 20 3. Project Achievements ................................................................................................ 22

3.1 Quantitative Achievements against Targets .................................................................. 22 3.2 Achievements, Successes and Challenges .................................................................. 23 4. Output Delivery ........................................................................................................... 34

4.1. Quantitative Achievements against Targets ................................................................. 34 4.2 Summary of Key Activities by Output ............................................................................ 35 5. Knowledge Dissemination ......................................................................................... 48

5.1 Knowledge Products..................................................................................................... 48 5.2 Project Visibility ............................................................................................................ 49 6. Lessons Learned and Recommendations ................................................................ 51

Annex 1: Project Logical Framework (as per M&E Plan) ..................................................... 56

Annex 2: Financial Report (as of 11 September 2020)........................................................ 59

Annex 3: Testimonials from Beneficiaries ........................................................................... 62


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AbbreviationsandAcronyms

APC Agricultural Pesticides Committee

EE Entrepreneurship in Education

GoE Government of Egypt

HSF Human Security Fund

ILO International Labor Organization

LARU Local Administrative Reform Unit (of the MOLD)

LDF Local Development Forum

LED Local Economic Development

LIU Local Implementation Unit (of the UELDP)

MoALR Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation

MoETE Ministry of Education and Technical Education

MoLD Ministry of Local Development

MoTI Ministry of Trade and Industry

NGO Non-Government Organization

PSC Project Support Costs

SDC Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

TOT Training of Trainers

TVET Technical Vocational Education and Training

UELDP Upper Egypt Local Development Programme

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organisation


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ExecutiveSummary

This is the final report of Project 150141 “Inclusive and Sustainable Local Economic Development in Upper Egypt (Sohag) – Phase 2 Hayat”, which was implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), under the aegis of the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) and the Governorate of Sohag, and with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In response to the Government’s strategy for inclusive economic development in Upper Egypt, the Project endeavoured to build sustainable communities in the Governorate of Sohag, that is, communities that would be economically viable, maintain the long-term productivity of their natural resources, and offer equal opportunities to current and future generations. The project strategy was centered around four key pillars:

• Enhancement of local development governance (Output 1) • Improvement of communities to act together (Output 2) • Advancement of people’s wealth creation strategies through productivity gains

(Output 3) • Promotion of a more entrepreneurial attitude in students before entering the world

of work (Outcome 4). The target beneficiaries were farmers, small producers, teachers and students, with special emphasis on women and youth. Secondary schools, civil society associations and community members were also engaged. The counterparts were the Ministry of Local Development and the Governorate of Sohag. In addition, the Project constantly interacted with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and corresponding departments at governorate level. Partner institutions were the University of Sohag, the Agriculture Pesticide Committee (APC), the General Authority for Veterinary Services, Dandarra Foundation and Shandawal Research Station in Sohag. Project implementation started in spring 2017 with an inception phase concluded in early 2018 with the endorsement of the target districts and sectors by the Steering Committee. The Project ended in March 2020. The Project consisted of complementary interventions, which were people-centered, context-specific and gender-responsive. Target economic sectors included livestock (animal farming and backyard poultry), horticulture (loofah and onion), agricultural inputs (plant seedlings and fodder) and light manufacturing (loofah products for personal care and wooden furniture). Secondary technical/vocation education was used as the main channel to foster entrepreneurial alertness in youth, whereas all-round education on safe use of pesticides was a key lever to build environmentally healthy communities. Socio-economic empowerment of youth and women was a cross-cutting goal. By the end of implementation, Hayat Sohag had achieved all its quantitative targets, except for output 1. It reached 4,984 persons, of which 2,123 (42.6 percent) were women


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and 1,935 (38.8 per cent) youth. It supported vulnerable women in their income generating activities (micro enterprises and livelihood activities especially in household poultry farming). It motivated farmers, artisans, small-scale producers and agricultural students to introduce environmentally-friendly and good agricultural practices to raise productivity; encouraged beneficiaries to diversify activities along the horticultural value chains and start-up new value-added productions of loofah sponges for personal care, quality plant seedlings, and fodder mixtures; and alerted communities of the hazards of unsafe use of pesticides for their health and environment. The Project fostered TVET teachers to adopt more student-centred approaches to build entrepreneurial alertness in their students; and built the skills of residents and community-based organizations to develop projects. The Project emphasised knowledge-sharing through multi-stakeholder networks. Besides training, coaching and exposure visits, knowledge was disseminated through a variety of technical guidelines, use of electronic media, newspapers and events. By contrast, the Project’s contribution to operationalizing governance structures for local development was marginal, mainly confined to training of members of Local Development Forums, elaboration of viable business opportunities and promotion of eight pre-feasibility studies. Output 1 was too ambitious vis-à-vis the Project resources and entirely subject to the progress of the Upper Egypt Local Development Program (UELDP). In this rather short-term period, several issues were addressed and measures taken to underpin the sustainability of the many initiatives. Lessons were learned and improvements made; however much remains to be done by the Government and beneficiaries to foster capacities and an environment under which local communities can thrive. It is anticipated that the on-going UELDP, which will continue until 2022, will substantially improve infrastructure and mechanisms for economic growth. The key lessons learned from Hayat-Sohag and suggestions for future action are as follows.

• Design and operationalization of governance structures for local economic development are a complex and lengthy process, which goes beyond the timeline of most TC projects. It is, thus, recommended that TC projects for local development develop realistic outcomes/goals; identify feasible pathway(s) through which results are expected to occur; and prepare a risk management plan.

• To achieve behavioural changes, training is to be accompanied by systematic coaching and mentoring by the field project staff and local experts.

• Use of digital technology for training/coaching should be planned carefully and adjusted to the local specificities.

• Exit strategies and sustainability plans reflect the pathways through which development objectives are expected to be reached. These interconnected components need to be agreed upon with the partners at the beginning of the project and reviewed, if necessary, as project results unfold.

• As defined in the project document and M&E Plan, some of the KPIs at outcome and objective levels were, at time, of difficult construction. Therefore, approximations had to be used. Special attention should be devoted to the


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definition of KPIs at outcome/objective level and ensure that their compilation is manageable within the project resources. If possible, a theory-based study (where project beneficiaries are the subjects) should integrate a TC project so as to contribute to the academic literature on development.


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ProjectData

Project number: 150141

Project title: Inclusive and Sustainable Local Economic Development in Upper Egypt (Sohag) – Phase 2 (Hayat)

Duration: 36 months

Actual start date: 17 March 2017

Completion date: 31 March 2020

Project site: Sohag and Tahta districts in the Governorate of Sohag

Government counterpart agency:

Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) and the Governorate of Sohag

Cooperating agencies:

Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE), Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MoALR)

Executing agency: United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Donor: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Total UNIDO budget: USD 1,161,615.27 excl. support costs (13 per cent)

Total funds received to date: USD 1,161,615.27 excl. support costs


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MapofSohagGovernorate

Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/a-Location-and-regional-geological-map-of-

the-Sohag-area-TEGPC-and-CONOCO-1987-b_fig6_226524829 on 12 September 2020.


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Introduction

This is the end-of-project (final) report of Project 150141 “Inclusive and Sustainable Local Economic Development in Upper Egypt (Sohag) – Phase 2 Hayat” (interchangeably referred to as “the Project” or “Hayat-Sohag”). The Project was implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) between April 2017 and March 2020, with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The project counterparts were the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) and the Governorate of Sohag. Cooperating Ministries were the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MoALR) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). The Report was prepared by the project team and is based on project field data, progress reports and the general correspondence files. The Report begins with an overview of the project context and background in Chapter 1, followed by a presentation of the project objectives, strategy and implementation in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 describes the project achievements, while Chapter 4 summarises the interventions completed during the entire project life. Chapter 5 focuses on knowledge products generated and visibility initiatives. Chapter 6 ends the Report by detailing lessons learned and providing recommendations for future project design and/or implementation.


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1. ProjectContextandBackground Since the aftermath of the popular protests in Egypt 2011, there has been a push towards good governance and economic reforms. In the long term, these measures are likely to assure socio-economic benefits to the nation. However, in the short term, the post Arab Spring transition saw a sudden economic downturn that exacerbated both poverty and unemployment. At the time of project formulation in 2015, national statistics from Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) indicated that between 2009 and 2015 poverty in Egypt had risen from 21.7% to 27.8%. By the time Hayat-Sohag started in 2017, the percentage of Egyptians living below the poverty line had further increased to 32 per cent, despite increasing growth rates.1 Poverty rates have been traditionally higher in Upper compared to Lower Egypt, and among rural compared to urban areas2. Table 1: Poverty Rates in 2015-2018

Regions 2015 2017/18 Change (%)

Metropolitan 15.1 26.7 11.6 Lower Egypt - Urban 9.7 14.3 4.6 Lower Egypt - Rural 19.7 27.3 7.6 Upper Egypt - Urban 27.4 30.0 2.6 Upper Egypt - Rural 56.7 51.9 (4.8) Egypt 27.8 32.5 4.7

Source: Adapted from Armanious, D., (2020), p. 3. Although poverty had been reducing, at the time the Project started, rural Upper Egypt continued lagging behind the rest of the country in economic growth, job creation, connectivity, and access to quality infrastructure and services.3

In the rural communities of Upper Egypt, women and youth carry a double burden due to their status and location. Young people see little or no connection between what they learn in school and the skills needed in the labour market, and described most technical and vocational training currently offered as “too theoretical” and often not useful for securing employment. Approximately 70 percent of young women are neither in school nor in the labour force.4 This statistic is attributed to a lack of opportunity-including access to credit-and traditional, cultural norms inhibiting greater engagement in the labour market. Those women who do work are either young single girls trying to finance their weddings or older females who are widowed or in severe economic need.5 These women predominantly perform agriculture and farming-related activities on family owned land as

1 Armanious, D., (2020). “Accelerating Global Actions for a World without Poverty: Egypt Experiences”, 2020 Expert Group Meetings, Panel Discussions and Seminars on Accelerating Global Actions for a World without Poverty, DESA, 4-6 March 2020. 2 Ibid. 3 World Bank, 2016. Local Development Project. Program-For-Results Information Document. 4 World Bank, 2012. Reclaiming their Voice: New Perspectives from Young Women and Men in Upper Egypt 5 World Bank, 2018. Women Economic Empowerment Study


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unpaid labor, as well as for non-family members, as paid workers. Whilst women may work in agriculture and farming, they have little control over land or productive resources, even if they own the asset.6

The Governorate of Sohag

Within Upper Egypt, the governorate of Sohag ranks among of the poorest. It is home to approximately 5.6 million people, of which 48.3 per cent are women and 78.8 per cent live in rural areas.7 Administratively, Sohag Governorate is classified into 11 districts, 10 cities, 270 villages and 1,217 small villages. 250 of those villages ranked among the 1000 poorest villages of Egypt. In 2010, Sohag recorded a Human Development Index score of 0.711, ranking the fourth lowest amongst governorates, just before Minya, Fayoum and Assiout. In terms of food insecurity, it ranked third among all the governorates, with 2.1 million people having poor access to food. Yet, Sohag is richly endowed with natural resources, holding significant potential for economic growth driven by agribusiness. Agriculture is the key economic sector, employing almost 50% of the labour force. The cultivated land is estimated at about 322,000 acres, of which approximately seven percent (more than 20,000 acres) is allocated to horticultural production. By contrast, manufacturing is limited and concentrated in few sectors. As per the 2006 Establishments Census Data, Sohag accounts for 2.2% of Egypt’s manufacturing establishments and 1.3% of its manufacturing workforce, with microenterprises (less than 5 workers) providing livelihood to nearly two-thirds of the manufacturing workforce. 8 Nearly 80 per cent of manufacturing enterprises produce wearing apparel except apparel (20.9), wooden furniture (19.9), grain mill products (17.9) bakery products (13.4) and other fabricated metal products n.e.c. (5.9). 9

Host Country’s Strategies and Programmes

In 2015, the Government of Egypt (GoE) launched the Inclusive Economic Development Program for Lagging Regions - 2015/16-2020/21 (IEDLR). This programme is guided by (i) Constitution Article 236, which defines lagging regions as Upper Egypt, Matrouh, Nubia, and Sinai, and indicates that a citizen engagement approach will be used to guide economic development of these lagging regions; (ii) Constitution Article 176, which aims for administrative, financial, and economic decentralization, through local administrative units; and (iii) Constitution Article 27, which emphasizes the principle of achieving prosperity through sustainable and inclusive development. IEDLR aims to create more and better jobs -especially for rural youth and women -and improve livelihoods through quality services delivery, citizen engagement and private

6 World Bank, 2012. World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development. 7 CAPMAS, Egypt in Figures. Retrieved from http://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/StaticPages.aspx?page_id=5035. 8 Entrust Development & Management Consultants, 2016. Rapid Assessment of Sector Competitiveness and Opportunities in Qena and Sohag. Final Report for the World Bank 9 Ibid.


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sector led growth. The programme drives social and economic development through three main types of intervention: decentralization; capacity building of local communities; and encouraging inclusive community participation. In support to these efforts, in 2016 the World Bank's Board approved the Local Development Program-for-Results Project for Upper Egypt (UELDP), a 500 million loan agreement to the Government of Egypt. The Program became effective on 14 March 2017 and the counterparts are the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). UELDP aims to improve the business environment for private sector development and strengthen local government capacity for quality infrastructure and service delivery in the governorates of Qena and Sohag in Upper Egypt.10 To date, a 22-month extension is underway. The mid-term review conducted in February 2020 confirmed the relevance of the program and its alignment with the Government’s objectives. In addition to the World Bank loan, in July 2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a joint five year project with the MoLD, ‘Supporting the Ministry of Local Development in Integrated Local Economic Development and Decentralization with Special Emphasis on Upper Egypt”.11 This programme supports the efforts of MoLD to create a modernized and decentralized local administration system at the central and local levels in selected governorates12, which promotes excellence in local public services delivery as well as local economic and social development.

UNIDO’s Prior Programmes for Upper Egypt

In response to the prolonged political unrest and economic downturn experienced by Egypt since 2011, UNIDO alone, or in partnership with other UN agencies, has been providing Upper Egypt with technical assistance for almost a decade. In particular, from 2013-2017, UNIDO—as the lead agency—implemented a joint programme on “Human security through inclusive socio-economic development in Upper Egypt” (known as Hayat-Minya) with UNDP, UN-Habitat, UN Women, ILO and IOM, and its government counterpart, the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD). The project aimed to strengthen the human security of vulnerable communities of the Governorate of Minya. With a budget of over USD 6 million, this programme supported at least 18,000 beneficiaries to become more economically active and self-sufficient. Additionally, between 2014 and 2015, UNIDO implemented a project on ‘’Enhancing Youth Employability and Local Economic Development in Upper Egypt” to build the employability and entrepreneurial capabilities of local youth, while boosting the capacity of local MSMEs to provide new employment opportunities for young women and men in the Qena region. In 2017, UNIDO launched the IMKAN project focusing on diversifying

10 World Bank, 2016. Local Development Project. Program-For-Results Information Document. 11 UNDP, 2019. Ministry of Local Development and UNDP team up to foster local development capacities in Egypt 12 At the time of the Project’s completion in late 2019, selection of the target governorates was yet to be determined. It was not clear whether Sohag would be included in UNDP programme.


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the local economy by stimulating the business environment for start-ups and MSEs, aligning the skills of the labour force to the labour market needs; and promoting entrepreneurship learning in secondary education.


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2. ProjectOverview In view of the threats to decent, sustainable livelihoods, Sohag was the target governorate selected for the Project. While it displayed high levels of persistent poverty, it had a resource endowment with high potentials for economic development and poverty alleviation. The Project was a geographical extension of the “Human security through inclusive socio-economic development in Upper Egypt” implemented in the governorate of Minya. It aligned with IEDLR and, later, with UELDP.

2.1ProjectDescription

The ultimate objective of the Project was to enhance the human security of vulnerable households -with a particular focus on youth and women- through inclusive, pro-poor socio-economic development. With a view to strengthening socio-economic security in the target districts of Sohag and Tahta, the Project focused on building sustainable communities, that is, communities that were economically viable, that maintained the long-term productivity of their natural resources, offered equal opportunities to current and future generations, and were economically self-determinate. The following table below outlines the Project’s logical framework. Annex 1 presents the project logical framework as revised in the Project’s Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. Table 2: Project’s Logical Framework

Hayat-Sohag Logical Framework

OUTPUTS OUTCOME IMPACT

OP1. Participatory governance framework for local development established and operational

Improved local participation in target communities, and strengthened socio-economic security of beneficiaries

Human security of vulnerable households, youth, women and children is improved in target communities through inclusive pro-poor socio-economic development

OP2. Human Security Fund (HSF) established to realize community-based interventions in support to human (economic) security

OP3. Employability and economic empowerment of youth and women is improved through skills development training and support schemes for employability and productivity

OP4. Entrepreneurship programs for youth channeled via TVET schools complemented with financial education

To improve livelihoods, the project strategy was centered around four key pillars:


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• Enhancement of local development governance (Output 1). To foster local development is essential that the local government plays an instrumental role in initiating and maintaining the LED process, sustaining commitment and resources, and ensuring that the planning process is open to all stakeholders in the local area.

• Improvement of communities to act together (Output 2). Viable communities are those that can be sustained socially, environmentally and economically. This entails attention to the quality of life of their residents and involvement of those who are traditionally left out, such as youth and vulnerable women. It calls for mobilizing community assets, improving networks and thinking differently about problems.

• Advancement of people’s wealth creation strategies through productivity gains (Output 3). Training and extension services are important channels through which changes in people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors can be brought about. This is because knowledge and attitudes can help people to adopt better production practices and technologies as well as stimulate experimentation.

• Promotion of a more entrepreneurial attitude in students before entering the world of work (Outcome 4). Entrepreneurship education stimulates an awareness of possibilities, visions, rights that can have a long-term effect on their future lives.

Beneficiaries Direct beneficiaries: The target beneficiaries were farmers, small producers, teachers and students, with special emphasis on women and youth. Secondary schools benefitted from higher quality of teaching, whereas civil society associations and community members from capacity building and community development initiatives. Secondary beneficiaries: The larger community also benefitted from (i) revitalization of the local economy and (ii) awareness of environmentally sustainable practices. Local businesses benefitted from the increased availability of skilled labour, and the local government benefitted from a more competent pool of human resources. Main Stakeholders Besides the counterparts, namely MoLD and the Governorate of Sohag, the Project interacted on continuous basis with MoETE, MoALR and corresponding departments at governorate level. Partner institutions were the University of Sohag, the Agriculture Pesticide Committee (APC), the General Authority for Veterinary Services, Dandarra Foundation, Shandawal Research Station in Sohag and TVET schools in Sohag. Project Site Based on a rapid economic assessment of the socio-economic conditions, the districts of Sohag and Tahta were identified as the ones with the highest potential for growth and


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impact on livelihoods. The selection was endorsed at the first meeting of the project Steering Committee on 1 February 2018.

2.2 ProjectLogicalFrameworkandTheoryofChange

Table 2 above presents the key features of the project logical framework, as included in Annex I of the project document. Following a request from the donor and after UNIDO’s new Integrated Result Performance Framework (IRPF), a theory of change (TOC) was developed at the time of the independent evaluation, in early 2020.


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The TOC made the following specific assumptions for each of the causal pathways.

A1: (i) LED consultative groups and local institutions understand the benefits of the LED process; (ii) LED consultative mechanisms are established

A2: The returns on LED participation are positive and reinforce the commitment of the LED actors

A3: Government and Governorate earmark sufficient resources for planning, implementation and monitoring

B1: (i) Appropriate technical and managerial information reaches the target groups; (ii)

The target groups want to improve their operations B2: The returns from adopting good practices are positive, and encourage others to

imitate B3: Productivity gains are likely to result in increased incomes C1: (i) Appropriate technical information reaches the target groups; (ii) The target

groups want to improve their practice C2: Government institutions (APC and Department of Agriculture) continue to raise

awareness in the community C3: (i) Improvements in product quality are likely (ii) Reduced environmental

contamination leads to better health D1: Teachers feel confident in their newfound abilities and will be more willing to

experiment and apply their learnings in the classroom D2: Improved quality of teaching experience will increase student engagement and

motivation D3: Entrepreneurial youth are a driver for local development I1: LED strategies and plans are tailored to the community’s priorities I2: Improved livelihoods are likely to expand the range of choices available to

communities Based on the TOC above, the expected contribution to transformation was that the broader socio-economic environment in the selected districts would become more inclusive and, therefore, more likely to be sustainable. This would be achieved by improving livelihoods through direct interventions in value chains and entrepreneurship education, while simultaneously strengthening formal government processes at a decentralized level to support LED. For direct changes to appear, behavioral changes must occur. Smallholders need to realize the benefits to improved farming practices, value addition, and access to quality inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides. This also required broader communities’ and their households to understand the benefits of improved farming practices and pesticide application as well as development of more qualified service providers. The behaviour change required for teachers is the adoption of new teaching methodologies, which foster an entrepreneurial alertness in students, while for the youth is the realization that education is helping them to build their future working life. The specific preconditions and assumptions for project outputs to achieve anticipated outcomes and, through these outcomes, to achieve the development impact, the Project has made the following overarching assumptions:


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1. The Egyptian LED implementation processes are inclusive, 2. The government of Egypt intends to promote equitable and sustainable

development and that macro-economic policy is supportive, 3. Agricultural outputs are better managed leading to competitive advantages, 4. Key stakeholders perceive benefits and pursue LED opportunities from the

expected transformation. 5. Competition through cheap agricultural imports does not increase, consequently

lowering the value of domestic products.

2.3 ProjectSustainabilityandExitStrategy The project formulation considered sustainability from two perspectives: (i) local governance structures and institutions for local development and (ii) direct beneficiaries. On one side, the Project worked closely with and through governmental bodies, such as MoLD, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MoALR) and the Ministry of Education (MoETE) to ensure support, and, therefore, continuity of interventions beyond the project life. The private sector was also engaged in project activities to promote continued support and linkages to markets for agricultural beneficiaries. On the other side, the Project built the capacity of direct beneficiaries to use good practices in their income generating activities, in expectation that they would transfer lessons learned and best practices to peers over time. Capacity building was done through an extensive number of instruments that responded directly to the needs of beneficiaries across several sectors, including practical training, awareness and coaching sessions, technical support, exhibitions, events to increase visibility and connections among peers and with potential business and institutional partners, and dissemination of knowledge products such as manuals and informational videos. In addition, for women’s economic empowerment interventions, the Project used an approach that appointed selected women as “pioneers”, who acted as community information points for wider dissemination of good practices in their villages. In addition, the Project trained a number of community members in the LED process, to help them to participate effectively in joint decision making with local government. To operationalize this approach, a sustainability plan was developed by the project team in March 2019, following a request from the donor at the Steering Committee meeting in February 2019 to expand on the sustainability elements embedded in the project design. The sustainability plan detailed the activities, potential risks and mitigation measures that the project would pursue so that beneficiaries could continue to benefit after the project’s closure. Subsequently, the project team developed an exit strategy to be implemented from October 2019 to March 2020. It detailed the process of transferring responsibility of project activities under each output to the government counterparts and partner institutions.


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2.4 ProjectImplementation Time Frame The project document was signed on 17 March 2017 and implementation began soon after, with the establishment of a core project management group and a rapid economic assessment of Sohag governorate to select the target districts. With the inception phase completed by September 2017 and selection of districts approved at the first Steering Committee on 1 February 2018, the Project began implementation of core activities. Hayat-Sohag was initially planned to be carried out over 30 months, ending on 30 September 2019. At the request of project counterparts, the time frame was extended, through a no-cost extension, until 31 March 2020. The extension was granted (i) to consolidate sustainability of the results, by providing a modicum of technical support to the beneficiaries during the forthcoming growing season; (ii) to complete implementation of a number of Human Security Fund (HSF) initiatives for building environmentally healthy communities, which had been previously identified but faced delays due to procurement complications; and (iii) to conduct an independent evaluation that could assess the project results as a whole. Closure The Project ended on 31 March 2020. Due to travel restrictions and social distancing measures following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2020, the project closing event, scheduled for 29-30 March in Sohag, was cancelled. Financial Implementation At the end of the Project, total expenditures amount to USD 1,137,767.31 (excluding project support costs (psc)). The breakdown by output is provided below. Amounts are expressed in USD Table 3: Financial Report

SAP Code Project

code Description

Total budget (excl. psc)

Released budget

(excl. psc)

Expenditures (excl. psc)

amount

% of

released

budget

150141-1-01-01 Output 1 LED framework established 80,262.15 80,262.15 64,160.56 79.94 150141-1-01-02 Output 2 Human Security Fund established 355,784.34 355,784.34 353,672.73 99.41

150141-1-01-02 Output 3 Employability of youth and women improved

247,907.52 247,907.52 246,512.06 99.44

150141-1-01-02 Output 4 Entrepreneurship culture instilled 241,748.59 241,748.59 239,752.95 99.17 150141-1-01-02 Operations Project management 170,864.11 170,864.11 169,087.54 98.96

150141-1-01-02 Evaluation Independent evaluation conducted

65,048.56 65,048.56 64,581.47 99.28

150141 Total (excl. psc) 1,161,615.27 1,161,615.27 1,137,767.31 97.95


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Annex 2 contains the breakdown of expenditures by output and budget line as of 11 September 2020. The figures presented in the above table and in Annex 2 are not certified. Some minor divergencies from the certified financial statement may occur due to financial reconciliation.

2.5 ProjectMonitoringandEvaluation

Monitoring A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan was prepared by the project team and shared with donor and counterparts in early 2018. This plan specified the key performance indicators (KPIs), and the corresponding means for verification, frequency and method of data collection for supply-side activities (output level) and those for demand-side responses (outcome and impact level). The KPIs were taken from the project logical framework, with some additions to reflect the specificity of the project interventions as emerged after the inception phase and the value chain assessment. To ensure data was gathered in a sound manner, pre-defined data recording templates and protocols were used. These tools were used as a quality control mechanism, ensuring that the data was consistent and comparable throughout the project implementation period. An M&E Analyst oversaw the collection of data from the field and updated the tables of KPIs at outcome and output levels, regularly. Two monitoring field missions were conducted in March-April 2019 to capture qualitative information on project impact through semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries. Reporting As part of the M&E plan, and in line with the Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee, the project prepared five bi-annual progress reports and a final report. These reports included an analysis of KPI’s at output and outcome level, comparing actual versus target data, a descriptive summary of the previous semester’s activities, results and challenges, and an updated work-plan for the following semester. Three additional progress reports were prepared for the donor in conjunction with requests for release of payment installments. Evaluation In line with the M&E plan and according to the UNIDO guidelines on project evaluation, an independent terminal evaluation (TE) was conducted within three months of the operational closure of the project (January to March 2020). The Report covered the implementation period, from the date of signature of the project document to the starting date of the evaluation (early February 2020). Its main purpose was to assess the effectiveness, sustainability, efficiency and relevance of the Project and highlight lessons


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to feed into the design and implementation of similar future projects. The evaluation process was supervised by UNIDO’s Independent Evaluation Division. The TE rated the project as moderately satisfactory overall (with an overall score of 4.6/6). Impact and performance of partners were rated as satisfactorily (5/6) and project design as moderately satisfactorily (3.5/6). Practical training for agricultural beneficiaries and vocational schools were identified as key successes of the Project since significant behavioral change was observed and reported. Recommendations were made for future project formulation, with respect to identification and monitoring of human security criteria, and replicability and upscaling.


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3. ProjectAchievements The Project consisted of complementary interventions that were people-centered, context-specific and gender-responsive. The Project took a multi-sectoral and participatory approach to livelihood in Sohag. Target economic sectors included livestock (animal farming and backyard poultry), horticulture (loofah and onion), agricultural inputs (plant seedlings and fodder) and light manufacturing (loofah products for personal care and wooden furniture). Secondary technical/vocation education was used as the main channel to foster entrepreneurial alertness in youth; and all-round education on safe use of pesticides as a key lever to build environmentally healthy communities. Socio-economic empowerment of youth and women was a cross-cutting goal. By the end of its life, Hayat Sohag has achieved all its higher quantitative targets, except for community-led development plans due to a change in scope of the LED component. It has reached 4,984 persons, of which 2,123 (42.6 percent) were women and 1,935 (38.8 per cent) youth. It has supported vulnerable women in their income generating activities (micro enterprises and livelihood activities); motivated farmers, artisans, small-scale producers and agricultural students to introduce environmentally-friendly and good agricultural practices to raise productivity; encouraged beneficiaries to diversity activities and start-up new productions; fostered TVET teachers to adopt more student-centred approach to build entrepreneurial alertness in their students; alerted communities of the hazards of unsafe use of pesticides for their health and environment; and built the skills of residents and community-based organization to develop projects.

3.1 QuantitativeAchievementsagainstTargets

The table below details actual performance against the target values for each KPI at objective and outcome level.

Table 4: Progress towards Targets at Objective/Outcome Level

KPI CODE (Objective/Outcome

levels)

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Attainment Status Targets

Actual of which

at project end: women youth

KPI OB.1 Number of direct beneficiaries who received assistance from the project to help them improve their incomes/livelihood

1,000 4,984 2,123 1,935

KPI OB.2 Percentage increase in economic security perception by beneficiaries13

15% ≥ 30%

13 This KPI has been proven theoretically difficult to construct because of the unclear correlation between perception and actual performance. A theory-based model of perception formation should have been tested at the beginning of engagement with beneficiaries to understand what they understood for economic security and what factors influenced their perceptions, This was beyond the means of the Project. Therefore, the value reported approximates the percentage of beneficiaries who reported significant income improvements. Similarly, the independent terminal evaluation reported that 35 per cent of the beneficiaries surveyed (some 600) reported more than 50 per cent increase in agricultural product value (Table 3, p.15 of the Terminal Evaluation).


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KPI CODE (Objective/Outcome

levels)

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Attainment Status Targets

Actual of which

at project end: women youth

KPI OU.1 Number of community-led development plans elaborated/approved as a result, inter alia, of project intervention14

Modified

2 8

KPI OU.2 Number of persons reached through HSF interventions in the domain of economic security and other human securities

600 1785 490 378

KPI OU.3 Number of production units that recorded increased productivity and/or income as a result of project intervention

n.a. 4

KPI OU.4 Number of new start-ups established as a result of project intervention

5 6

KPI OU.5 Number of individuals with new or better employment as a result of project intervention

100 172

(178)* 38

(131)* 96

(264)*

KPI OU.6 Percentage of participants who applied knowledge or techniques from project training/awareness campaigns to improve their income generating prospects15

35% of benefici

aries (350)

≥ 50%

Note: (*) indicates number of students trained on micro-grafting, who have consequently better employment prospects.

3.2 Achievements,SuccessesandChallenge

Contribution to KPIs OU.3-OU.6 comes from all areas of project interventions. In view of the broad variety of initiatives that Hayat-Sohag covered and the aggregated nature of the above KPIs, this section will substantiate the above figures by providing information on engagement, knowledge, behavioural changes and advancements as well as challenges faced in the main domains of the Project. Testimonies from several beneficiaries are included in Annex 3.

A. LED Framework and Process MoLD and the Governorate of Sohag have been and will continue to be the driving forces of the LED process in Sohag, mainly through UELDP. This Program was officially launched in March 2017, approximately at the same time of signature of Hayat-Sohag. Consequently, implementation of Output 1 was modified and synchronized with MoLD’s operationalization of the LED governance structures in Sohag. Technical assistance (TC) for the establishment of LED and community consultative units became redundant and was re-directed to capacity building of members of LD Forums and raising awareness of business opportunities in the community. This approach avoided duplication of efforts, and allowed a more efficient use of the limited resources earmarked (USD 91,262) for LED governance structure under the Project.

14 This KPI has been modified to “number of pre-feasibility studies for consideration by the UELDP”. 15 This indicator is of difficult construction. The value reported is an average based on a sample of beneficiaries interviewed. It is an aggregate of all participants throughout all project domains.


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By the end of the project, a) 83 members of the LD forums, of which 34 were women and 11 youth, had

improved their knowledge of the potential of the LED approach as well as on how to map existing resources for developing their communities. Comparison between the pre- and post-training assessment questionnaires showed that by the end of the training:

• nearly all participants correctly understood the concept of local development (96% compared to 46% before the training) and three quarters had a comprehension of the various stages of the process (81% compared to 65%)

• most of the participants improved their understanding of the role of the LED Forums in the process (92% compared to an initial 38%)

b) awareness of viable business opportunities had been spread widely in the Governorate. Through an on-line campaign, a map of 25 business opportunities (BOs) with solid market potential was disseminated. The main post reached 158,014 people and engaged 7,976. In addition, 66 individuals participated in a survey to designate the most viable BOs as well as their preferred one from the map. Five of their preferred top BOs coincided with the eight most viable BOs according to experts.

c) 8 pre-feasibility studies for the most promising BOs had been prepared for consideration by MoLD. These include drying onions and garlic; onion and garlic extraction; tomato concentrate; non-traditional animal feed; high-quality aerobic compost; veterinary care for poultry farms; potato fridges; innovative PV systems. (see modified KPI OU.1 in section 3.1)

Challenges Although coordination of activities with UELDP was necessary, this meant that the pace of implementation of Output 1 depended crucially on the direction and pace at which MoLD was progressing in designing and operationalizing its participatory mechanisms, such as the LD Forums and LD Councils at district and governorate levels.

Understandably, this process of designing and operationalizing participatory mechanisms was not linear, resulting in frequent requests from LARU/MoLD to change the scope of the project activities and UNIDO asking for clarifications. However, the Project maintained a constructive dialogue with the Government but proceeded only when capacity building activities targeted members of forums/councils officially established. Consequently, significant implementation delays occur16.

B. HSF Initiatives The HSF was designed to enhance the ability of residents and community-based organisations to take purposive actions in response to economic, environmental, health and food challenges. The targeted 15 HSF interventions were completed, reaching out to 16 Details can be found in the last three project progress reports.


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1,785, of which 490 were women and 378 youth (see KPI OU.2 in section 3.1). The campaigns on cattle health care, safe use of pesticides and banana waste management were well-received. By the end of the project, the key results are detailed below. HFS initiatives 1-5: Enhancing core capacities for purpose action

d) 348 individuals had raised their awareness on how to mobilise local assets and improved their own abilities to underpin purposive actions and to bring about improvements in their communities. Notably, • seven projects were developed by 27 community members. Two of them are

ongoing: one on embroidery led by a group of teachers, and the other on production of silage. While the former runs smoothly on a very small scale selling artefacts mainly at school fairs, the latter has taken off as a sole-proprietor business. The remaining five community-projects have remained at ideation phase;

• 100 female poultry farmers learned how or improved their ability to read and write the Arabic alphabet letters, perform basic calculations and track their financial performance by recording revenue and expenses in a systematic manner. Reading and writing has opened up opportunities that were previously not accessible to these women, such as understanding what their children were studying at school, reading medical instructions and locating addresses in their community.

Challenges With the exception of functional literacy program for women, the interventions on building capacity among community members had mix results. Knowledge at individual level has improved but, the apathetic engagement of the LED unit in Sohag to follow-up individual initiatives is unlikely to stimulate development at grass-root level in the future.

HFS initiatives 6-10: Building environmentally healthy communities

e) some 600 individuals, of which 330 women and 167 youth, had become aware of the hazards of pesticides and waste for the environment and health, as well as of the business and job opportunities that safeguarding the environment may create. To these 600 individuals should be added the residents of Sohag and other governorates, who are currently watching clips of safe use and handling of pesticides produced by the Project and accessible through the web-site of the Ministry of Agriculture/ Agricultural Pesticides Committee (APC)17. A number of positive results from these set of HFS initiatives have already been observed. • 100 trained pesticide applicators, certified by APC have become the first

professional pesticide applicators in Sohag. While, for the time being, it is 17 At the time of writing, there is no information on the number of views.


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unsure whether they can engage with this work on a full-time basis, being a certified applicator has still generated an additional source of income;

• 300 women learnt good practices in safe use of pesticides in their homes. Comparison between the pre- and post-training assessment revealed that (i) 85-90 per cent of participants improved their technical skills in reducing exposure to pesticides; protecting children from poisoning; preserving food from pollution; and first aid from pesticide contamination, (ii) some 30 per cent improved soft skills such as presentation and communication skills, team work and taking the initiative to help those around; skills essential for spurring behavioural change in the community; and (iii) 10-20 per cent of them have already discussed safe use of pesticides with their families;

• 200 individuals, of which 30 were women and 82 youth, learnt about the potential of converting banana tree waste residue into bio-products. The majority found the information valuable and nearly 75 per cent anticipated increased income from applying the techniques presented. It is worth noting that 6 per cent of the participants in the on-line campaign on business opportunities in Sohag (see point b above) indicated production of fibres from banana waste as their top choice18;

• several positive spill-over effects have already emerged. First, appropriate use of pesticide in horticultural cultivations has resulted in improved crop quality and, in turn, increased revenues. Secondly, an imitation effect has occurred as certified pesticide applicator is now seen as a viable occupation leading some 300 people from Sohag to submit their expressions of interest directly to APC for such training. Further to this, the Ministry of Labour has recognised certified pesticide applicator as a vocational qualification, which can now be included in personal identity cards.

Way forward: This block of initiatives to build environmentally healthy communities focused on both supply-side and demand-side. This approach was crucial in a situation such as Sohag were awareness on the good practices in the use and handling of pesticides was limited. Accredited training on pesticide application was the necessary step to create a first pool of local experts (supply-side), who would use pesticides professionally, but not sufficient to safeguard the environment if communities were not aware of benefits and hazards. Thus, in partnership with APC, the Project made the investment in production of attractive animated clips for a mass campaign; and training of women as actor-of-change. The higher the awareness, the higher the probability of behavioural changes towards safe handling as well as demand for specialised services from certified applicators. To date, the response of women has been very positive. Through the combination of improved technical knowledge and soft skills, women have started to see their role in changing farmers’ behaviour patterns and rationalising the use of pesticides. The first building block has been laid. However, behavioural changes at group level

18 To date, the Project could not check whether the proponents had attended UNIDO seminars. Therefore, this coincidence combined with students’ interest in waste management (see top students’ business proposals at Hayat school competition in April 2019) indicate the emergence of an entrepreneurial alertness at governorate level in this domain.


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are a long process. Further capacity building in technical and soft skills, targeting pro-activity and self-confidence, would greatly assist rural women in confidently leading the use of good-practices in their households and local communities.

HFS initiatives 11-15: Strengthening access to knowledge and assets for LED This domain supported four community proposals to promote the adoption of improved technologies and practices and, in turn, economic livelihoods or start-up new businesses. To date, the key results are as it follows.

f) the University of Sohag has launched the model plant nursery at its farm in El Kawamel to serve as a production unit for the community as well as a hub for technical knowledge with respect to good-practices for micro-grafting and advice in nursery management. The goal is to improve the offer of quality seedlings in Sohag. At the time of writing, there are discussions between local green-house owners and the University to produce micro-grafting seedlings, commercially.

g) The two loofah processing workshops, which the Project helped to establish in early 2019, are operating successfully, having created new employment for 32 females from Beni Harb and Naga Abu Khors. Both workshops are engaging in value-addition activities by crafting and packaging new shapes of loofah sponges for sale. Since their establishment, both workshops have increased their production capacity and expanded production. The workshop in Naga Abu Khors has increased the number of machines to 7 (with average production capacity of 2,100 pieces per day) and employs 14 women. It also succeeded in concluding a two-year agreement with a major cosmetics company to supply loofah sponges with different designs. The other workshop in Bani Harb has increased the number of machines to 9 (with an average production capacity of 2,700 pieces per day) and employs 18 women in addition to providing temporarily job opportunities for local youth in supplying raw loofah sponges and marketing the products.

h) The community-based feed-mixer is providing female poultry farmers access to higher quality, lower cost animal feed. Its installation is expected to reduce input costs and increase the quality of chickens. A business plan has been developed with the association to guide its members to operate the business profitably. Been the installation completed in early 2020, tangible results are yet to be realised.

i) Substantial improvements in knowledge about the health of livestock and increased adoption of good practices have been recorded among livestock farmers. Notably,

• Of a total of 312 livestock farmers, 92.8 per cent can now recognize the Estrous

indicators signs; 98 per cent are confident in the artificial insemination process; 83 per cent have artificially inseminated or intend to artificially inseminate their animals (which compares to 31 per cent before the campaign); 65.2 per cent


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believe that artificial insemination is superior to natural insemination as it protects animals from diseases and infections, resulting in better quality milk and meat.

• Of a total of 234 female small-scale breeders, who produce milk for sale to

consumers or traders, 90 per cent learned to wash the udder and dry it before milking; 84.3 per cent to clean the teats with iodine after milking; and 27.8 per cent to filter and disinfect milk.

• Of a total of 526 livestock farmers, who have applied improved nutritional

practices, 89 per cent reported productivity gains. Specifically, 89 percent now prepare their own fodder for their animals, increasing the amount of milk produced by 88.9 per cent (compared to 31 per cent before the campaign). The average increase on the amount of milk is 2.18 kg, with amounts ranging from 0.5 – 7kg. Furthermore, 96.4 per cent of beneficiaries provide water to their animals three times a day as encouraged during the trainings.

j) Some 60 students, who participated in the Hayat school completion in April 2019,

have been linked to local start-ups in the sectors relevant to their business ideas. A positive outcome was that companies recommended students to undertake internships in their own or similar factories for more hands-on trainings before launching their business. The students now have practical exposure to the technical elements of a business, and have been advised by successful entrepreneurs on business models, capital and financing options.

C. Productivity Improvements in the Selected Local Value Chains

From a series of questionnaires administered in 2019, the following key results by value chain have been recorded.

k) Loofah growers represent a small cluster in Sohag as they are concentrated in a few villages near Tahta. The Project has invested in the development of this local value chain for its potential for growth and value-addition. The response has been very positive. Loofah growers have significantly adopted the good practices learned through the Project, recording significant improvements in terms of productivity and revenues, and the two workshops manufacturing loofah products for personal cares are developing (see section above). Specifically, loofah growers recorded: • 32 per cent increase in production of sponges between the 2017 and 2018

growing season (an additional 1,768 sponges produced for one acre); 43 per cent increase in the average size of the gourd (70cm in length compared to 40cm); 75 per cent of loofah gourds harvested in 2019 were Class 1 – the highest category (previously the highest class represented only 30 per cent of the harvested crop);

• 99 per cent increase in revenue (for one acre of loofah);


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• 86 per cent increase in profit in case of farmers cultivating small blocks of land (less than one acre) and 110 per cent in case of farmers cultivating more than one acre;

At institutional level, loofah growers were recognised as eligible for subsidies. In 2019, the Agriculture Directorate of Sohag issued an administrative instruction to Agri-Coop to provide loofah farmers in Beni Harb with subsidised fertilizer. As a result, the farmers saw their costs reducing by 32 per cent.

l) Small-scale poultry was targeted by the Project for its immediate returns in nutrition and important contribution to household income through sales. It is mainly in the hands of women, who are frequently unable to realize the full potential of the birds they raise. Training and awareness sessions on good practices in breeding, nutrition and health care, and financial literacy for business development have helped many female poultry farmers to improve their livelihoods by adopting better practices. Specifically, 800 farmers reported: • 59 per cent increase in the sale prices of poultry; 30 per cent increase in that

of ducks and 21-40 per cent increase in that of pigeons having switch to more popular/larger breeds;

• 50 per cent fall in cost of poultry feed due to a better understanding of animal nutrition requirements (40% reduction in the amount compared to previously);

• Better bird health and improved living environment resulting in more egg-bearing poultry and weight gains.

In addition, some 100 ‘pioneer women’ are acting as community information points for wider dissemination of good practices on household poultry production in their villages and providing links to veterinary services. Many of the pioneer women reported receiving regular requests for information and are in the process of encouraging home visits or regular meetings for the women poultry farmers in their community.

m) Sohag is one of the largest producers of onions in Egypt but with a declining market

share due to falling quality. It provides income to many small-holders. A total of 660 onion farmers were introduced to new varieties popular in the market, better and more modern cultivation practices, and linked to buyers and exporters. In view of the market potential of the local variety (el-Sabanee), the past growing season 2019/20 was mainly devoted to build capacity for local production of quality Sabanee seeds as a crucial step to upgrade the value chain. Again, the response of the onion producers has been positive, with the majority applying their newfound knowledge and skills. Specific results are as follows. • Nearly all farmers recorded an increase in profits as well as more nearly 70 per

cent saw an increase in productivity during the 2018/19 growing season;


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• Sabanee seed farmers (65) recorded an average increase in productivity from 300 to 350 kg per feddan19, totalling 17,675 kg production of Sabanee seeds from an area of 50.5 feddan during the growing season 2019/20. This amount of seeds is sufficient to plant approximately 8,800 feddan in the new season, based on cultivation rate 2 kg/feddan;

• Shandawil research station with the Agriculture Directorate of Sohag has started the registration process of the Sabanee onion variety from 2020/2021 season (cultivation, evaluation, pay a registration fees). The Agriculture Research Center has mentioned, for the first time, in the scientific bulletin for 2020 that Sabanee onion variety from Shandawil-Sohag is under registration and will be named “GIZA Sabanee”.

Way forward: The new method of cultivating onions through direct seeds, rather than seedlings, introduced by the Project can significantly reduce the costs of seeds and seedlings by some 90 per cent and reduce labour costs by some 96 per cent. To improve further onion seed production operations in the coming seasons, a guide on Sabanee onion seed was prepared and distributed to onion seed farmers in the Sohag Governorate. This guide is the first reference for farmers to produce onion seeds, enabling them to continue applying good-practices in the future. With the registration of Sabanee variety, it would be sensible to invest in a capacity building programme to protect this variety from deterioration and loss, and maintain the genetic purity of seed production in the future. This initiative will secure future income gains for Sabanee onion farmers as this variety ripens before all Egyptian and foreign onions, creating a competitive marketing edge and sale advantage.

n) Sourcing quality seedlings has been challenging and expensive in Sohag

governorate, with negative consequences on yields. The Project targeted this sector to improve the local supply of good-quality seedlings, especially of cucumbers, water-melons and tomatoes, whose demand was high. It built capacities in traditional and micro-grafting techniques for seedling production at two agricultural schools in Sohag and Tahta and at the University of Sohag. As a result, a pool of local expertise for micro-grafting as well as a market for locally produced seedlings are emerging as follows. • Agricultural students regard now plant nursery management as a potential

career. A questionnaire administrated to 77 agricultural students, who were trained in seeding production, revealed that some 75 per cent had acquired theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in seedling germination and propagation (compared to low levels prior to training) and more than 80 per cent were interested in working at existing nurseries in Sohag, with the aspiration to establish their own seedling business in the future. During the time of Hayat-Sohag, several students formed teams to attempt to raise capital and set up their own nursery businesses but encountered institutional barriers;

19 Feddan is an Egyptian unit of area, equivalent to 1.038 acres (0.42 ha).


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• In 2018, the Agricultural Secondary School in Sohag produced and sold 50,000 newly cultivated seedlings to local farmers. The batch included 35,000 tomato seedlings, 10,400 cabbage seedlings, 600 micro-grafted cucumber seedlings and 6,000 micro-grafted watermelon seedlings (produced for the first time). The school recorded a net profit of 7,890EGP which was reinvested into the school’s irrigation system. Monitoring in 2019 indicated that demand for all micro-grafted seedling produced by the school continued;

• The model plant nursery at Sohag University produced 6,300 high-quality micro-grafting watermelon seedlings in early 2020. Monitoring visits reported that staff and students used appropriate production methods to produce the watermelon seedlings and executed orders professionally. Customers promoted the university-produced seedlings among other farmers and greenhouses, increasing the likelihood of future orders.

o) To complement the campaign on animal health for small-hold famers under HSF,

the Project invested in enhancing the technical abilities of local veterinarians. If the campaign aimed at increasing demand for veterinary services, training of veterinaries aimed at raising the quality and offer of such services. Results are encouraging. • 42 veterinaries have been certified on artificial insemination, sonar, and

production system in cattle farms by the Animal Reproduction Research Institute. Five of these veterinarians conducted artificial insemination for 160 cattle heads, while one of the female trainees provided awareness sessions for female farmers on animal reproductive health;

• A group of three veterinarians established the first mobile health unit run by females in Sohag (see Dr. Abdel Rahman’s story).

p) Manufacturing of wooden furniture is one of the few manufacturing activities of the

governorate of Sohag. The sector is characterised by a myriad of micro- and small-scale companies, mostly located in Tahta, which buy semi-finished components from Damietta in Lower Egypt and assemble them into finished products of modest quality for the local market. The potential of this sector locally and regionally (especially for Upper Egypt and, maybe, the Gulf States) is substantial. Since the sector has been targeted under UELDP for infrastructure investment, the Project’s objective was to test how product quality could be improved, a necessary condition for the sector to grow. Practical training of 10 carpenters was motivated by the opportunity to respond to an order for wooden furniture from local shop-owners. Specific results are as follows. • On the carpenter side, all trainees believed they have acquired new skills and

would be motivated to attend future trainings. 7 of them supplied new orders since the training;

• On the side of the shop-owners, all of them reported that trainees had adhered to requested specifications and half of them reported the quality of products as ‘good’. All of them indicated they would place new orders in the future.


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Way forward: This is a sector with substantial potential. The policy and investment decisions of the Government under the UPLDP will be determinant for the future of this manufacturing cluster. If inadequate, the cluster will slowly disappear. A strategy for revitalization of the sector will have to focus on market orientation and product quality.

D. Fostering an Entrepreneurial Culture in Youth

Hayat-Sohag’s interventions to support entrepreneurial education has resulted in approximately 2,500 students attending 128 classes that incorporated entrepreneurial competencies and active learning methods at six technical schools, and 132 students applying their newfound knowledge and skills to develop business proposals for the Hayat school competition. The sustainability of this intervention lies in MoETE’s commitment to continuing the entrepreneurship learning within the framework of the school activity “innovation and entrepreneurship” launched by the Ministry in the academic year 2018/19. This clear institutional direction will drive the development of an entrepreneurial culture among youth in TVET into the future. Specific results disaggregated by teacher, student and school management are as follows.

q) 68 teachers out of the 96 trained by the Project have been applying the acquired new knowledge in their classes and designed and implemented some 788 lesson plans integrating entrepreneurial competencies and used student-centered learning methods. Notably, • 71 per cent of them strongly believe that they can develop teaching materials

relevant for their student context (compared to 41 per cent pre-course) and 76 percent strongly agree that they will develop and implement EE lessons in the future (compared to 65 per cent pre-course);

• Mentors observing teachers implementing their lesson plans saw improvements in allocating appropriate time to each lesson phase, building rapport with students and using strategies to motivate them, effectively facilitating class and group discussions and activities to foster meaningful student learning and formulating clear lesson objectives and using appropriate assessment strategies to evaluate them;

• A group of 34 teachers from the 2017 cohort took the initiative at the start of the 2019/20 academic year to train 151 new colleagues in EE competencies and student-centered pedagogy. The Project supported the independent initiative only with some minor supervision.

r) Some 2,500 students benefitted from mainstreaming entrepreneurship in their courses and 132 students participated in the semi-finals and finals of Hayat school competition with 16 business ideas developed. Teachers and school administrators observed:


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• Improved attendance rates; • Increased engagement and interest as a consequence of teachers using

student-centered activities group work and debates; • Higher levels of curiosity, independent thinking and positive attitudes displayed,

compared to non-EE students.

s) School managers from the six technical and vocational schools that participated in Hayat-Sohag welcome entrepreneurship learning and continued supporting it by encouraging teachers trained by the Project to establish communities of practices and coach colleagues. One school moved even further by organising for its teachers and students to participate in a community clean-up initiative. All technical school principals recommended the replication of the EE programme in other technical high schools.

Challenges The response of schools, teachers and students from the six technical/vocational schools has been very positive. By contrast, that from the two agriculture schools in Tahta and Sohag has been very modest, with the exception of a few teachers. A half-hearted response from these schools has also been noticed in the area of plant nursery. This might be attributed to the specific strategy adopted by agricultural schools, which focuses on employing the school resources (infrastructure, teachers and students) to delivery of projects for the community, on commercial basis.


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4. OutputDelivery

4.1.QuantitativeAchievementsagainstTargets

With the exception of three KPIs, the Project have achieved all targets as indicated in its M&E plan and, in several cases, even exceeded them. The table below provides a breakdown of each KPI for each of the four project outputs, recording actual performance against the target values. Table 5: Progress towards Targets at Output Level

OUTPUT CODE

KPI CODE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) Attainment

Status Targets Actual

OP 1

OP1.1 Total number of trainings conducted for LED units in inclusive and sustainable local development

3 5

OP1.2 Total number of persons trained from LED units

25 83

OP1.3 Mechanism for communities’ contribution into elaboration of development plans established Superseded 1 0

OP1.4 Total number of consultative meetings between LED units and representatives of communities Superseded 4 0

OP 2

OP2.1 Total number of trainings/workshops/awareness events in human security and local development conducted

6 11

OP2.2 Total number of participants in human security and local development awareness events

1,000 1,711

OP2.3 Total number of institutions trained in human security and local economic development

25 25

OP2.4 Total number of HSF concepts prepared, and interventions funded

Achieved 15 15

OP2.5 Total number of project concepts prepared for external sources of funding

2 4

OP 3

OP3.1 Total number of technical trainings conducted in good agricultural/livestock practices

8 27

OP3.2 Total number of trainings (subject specific) conducted in business development

Achieved 4 4

OP3.3 Total number of persons trained Achieved 300 2,335

OP3.4 Total number of awareness and capacity-building events in the area of agribusiness development (including peer-to-peer technology information events)

Achieved 8 25

OP3.5 Total number of participants in awareness and capacity-building events in the area of agribusiness development

Achieved 1,000 2,268

OP3.6 Total number of technical guidelines/manuals/videos disseminated among agribusiness stakeholders

Achieved 10 13

OP3.7 Total number of production persons/groups coached to increase productivity or diversify into new productions

Achieved 150 759

OP3.8 Total number of female production groups assisted to increase productivity or diversify into new productions

Achieved 6 368


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OUTPUT CODE

KPI CODE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) Attainment

Status Targets Actual

OP 4

OP4.1 Total number of TVET teachers trained in entrepreneurship competencies

Achieved 100 231

OP4.2 Total number of lessons prepared/delivered by trained teachers incorporating entrepreneurship competencies

Achieved 50 788

OP4.3 Total number of social entrepreneurship project concepts developed by group of students

Achieved 10 17

OP4.4 Total number of technical/business services offered to local small farmers/producer groups by production units of agriculture schools as a result of project intervention

Underachieved

3 2

OP4.5 Total number of classes teaching entrepreneurship

Achieved 100 128

OP4.6

(1) Total number of students participating in business ideation competition

132

(2) Total number of students attending classes in which entrepreneurship and active learning methods were incorporated

2,500

4.2 SummaryofKeyActivitiesbyOutput

Being in its closing phase, implementation remained largely unaffected by COVID-19 travel restrictions and social distancing measures. The only interventions that faced delays and required modifying the implementation approach were the mapping of business opportunities (Output 1), the training of women in safe handling of pesticides and the student study-tours (Output 2). Details are provided in their respective sections. Output 1 (OP1): Participatory governance framework for local development

established and operational

The realization of this output was incumbent on MoLD as the competent authority to pursue decentralization and local economic development (LED) in Egypt. During project implementation MoLD has, directly or through the Upper Egypt Local Development Programme (UELDP)20, introduced several institutional mechanisms for enhancing participatory local economic development in Sohag, including establishment of LD forums at district level, setting up a LED unit at governorate level and economic councils to endorse annual program investment plans. In view of the driving role played by MoLD—through LARU and UELDP Program Coordination Office—in setting up mechanisms for participation of the private sector and

20 The Upper Egypt Local Development Programme project document can be found at http://projects.worldbank.org/P157395?lang=en See also http://ueldp.gov.eg/en/upper-egypt-local-development-program/


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civil society in the local economic development, some of the planned activities became redundant or were modified. Hayat-Sohag, thus, focused on building capacity of members of the LD forums as well as elaborate a business opportunity map and eight pre-feasibility studies for the Governorate’s investment plans. The below table summarises the key activities.

Table 4: Progress towards Targets at Objective/Outcome Level

Project Interventions Achievement Status Remarks Exit Status

1 Assess training and institutional capacity building needs of the LED Unit vis-à-vis its mandate; agree on the proposed capacity building strategies proposed

A diagnostic assessment was conducted from 18 September to 4 October 2018, to determine the existing community strengths and needs for capacity building assistance. This exercise reached a total of 161 people, targeting community members and members of LD forums in Tahta and Sohag.

Phased over responsibility to MoLD Assessments, tools and training material handed over to LARU.

.

2 Establish/upgrade LED units (governorate and district levels) and provide on-the-job training on Human Security approach, local economic assessment and development, gender mainstreaming

A total of five (5) rounds of training, totalling 15 days, were conducted from September 2018 to July 2019.The trainings reached a total of 83 participants (34 women; 11 youth). The trainings developed understanding of the LED approach and skills in using tools such as asset mapping of stakeholders and community resources. N.B. The LED unit was established by MoLD directly.

3 Establish community consultative units at district and/or village level to guide the local socio-economic development process

Superseded This activity was superseded, as LD forums were established by the Governor’s Decree in January and November respectively. Within the frame of UELDP, the Program Coordination Office developed mechanisms for participatory local development to support select LED projects.

4 Support LED unit in conducting relevant baseline research and guiding studies including territorial analysis, mapping of local institutions and socio-economic profiling

Between November 2017 and January 2018, the Project undertook sectoral assessments of the main horticultural, livestock and wooden furniture value-chains, which were shared with MoLD.

5 Consultative committees identify the opportunities, prioritize the community needs, formulate and implement community action plans, and monitor the same. Provide inputs to the Sector Development Plans and Budgets

Following discussions among partners after the last session of the Steering Committee in November 2019, this activity was changed to map business opportunities with high success probability in Sohag and prepare a set of pre-feasibility studies. An online campaign through Facebook was launched to raise awareness among the population of Sohag.

Phased over responsibility to MoLD/UELDP Business opportunity map and the eight pre-feasibility studies have been forwarded to MoLD for inclusion in future community action plans.


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COVID-19 Challenges Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the mapping of business opportunities in Sohag was delayed, and the approach to engaging the community adapted. In response to the restrictions imposed by GoE, an online campaign was designed and launched from the 6th to 20th of July to engage youth and women in the identification of local business opportunities. While this overcame the issue of not being able to conduct the physical campaign planned for the end of March, the modified approach involved additional logistics, taking longer than initially envisaged. While using a digital channel meant time delays, the online campaign increased the number of people that were reached in Sohag, resulting in the main post on “HAYAT in Upper Egypt” Facebook page to reach and engage around 158,014 and 7,976 youth and women, respectively.

Output 2 (OP2): Human Security Fund (HSF) is established to realize community-based interventions in support of human (economic) security

Based on the identified needs of project stakeholders and beneficiaries, the Project met the target of 15 HSF initiatives. A brief account of each initiatives is provided in the below table.

Participants were asked to rank the top eight business opportunity out of 25, as well as choose one opportunity with the high potential for success. Eight (8) pre-feasibility studies include: - Drying onions and garlic - Onion and garlic oil extraction - Tomato concentrate - Non-traditional animal feed - High quality aerobic compost - Veterinary care for poultry farmers - Innovative PV systems

Project Interventions

Achievement Status Remarks Exit Status

Enhancing core capacities for purposive action

1 Orientation for LD Forums

A total of two (2) rounds of joint Hayat-UELDP training conducted in April 18-19, 2018. The sessions provided a platform for LD forum members to discuss roles in the LED process, and build understanding of asset mapping and how to bring about improvements in their communities via projects.

Phased-over responsibility to MoLD/UPLDP to operationalise LED mechanisms

2 Capital asset and administration training for TSS managers and administrators

One (1) round of training was conducted in 25-26 August 2018, which was attended by 143 participants (Agricultural high school teachers). These sessions were designed to expose participants to knowledge of rules and procedures governing

Phased-over responsibility to agricultural schools


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agricultural high schools including how to access funds and engage teachers, students and communities for capital projects.

3 Asset mapping training for selected community members for community enhancements

A total of five (5) days of training conducted from 25-30 November, 2018, which were attended by 32 participants. This training focused on building practical skills in mapping local assets using good-practice methodology, in order to generate potential project ideas

Knowledge transferred to community members

4 Community-project development training for selected community members

Two (2) rounds of training and coaching, totalling 14 days, were conducted in December 2018 and March 2019, attended by 27 participants. The sessions focused on building knowledge and skills in how to develop and assess the feasibility of a community-based project.

Knowledge transferred to community members Although the Project made any efforts to engage the LED unit in this activity, its follow-up with the communities was minimal.

5 Financial planning training for selected community members

A series of financial literacy sessions were conducted in cooperation with Dandarra (a local NGO) from July – October 2019, reaching 119 women poultry producers. These sessions built the capacity of women and girls to read, write and calculate revenues/expenses in order to take a more systematic approach to their micro enterprises. As part of these sessions, 25 women were assigned the role of ‘women pioneers’, acting as an information share point for others in their community.

Knowledge transferred to female poultry farmers. To reinforce sustainability over time, a “pioneer women” model was introduced.

Building environmentally viable and healthy communities

6 Training of youth to become recognised pesticide applicators

Training was conducted from 1st of April to 3rd of May 2018, in cooperation with Agricultural Pesticides Committee (APC). 100 individuals (mainly youth) passed the final test and were certified pesticide applicators by APC.

Phased-over responsibility to APC to promote actively the training. Knowledge transferred to pesticide applicators to offer their services professionally

7 Educational videos on safe use of pesticides

20 animation clips on the safe use and handling of pesticides were produced for rural communities. In July 2020, these clips were distributed by the Project via Facebook. They were also used as tools in the rural women training and awareness program conducted by APC.

Phased-over responsibility to APC to raise awareness. To date, the clips are available at the official online channels of APC and MoALR

8 Training programme for women on safe handling of pesticides at home

A total of twelve (12) rounds of training was conducted, February to September 2020, to teach women on safe handling of pesticides at home.

Phased-over responsibility to APC to promote actively women training.


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Before Covid-19, 8 sessions were conducted, reaching 199 women. The remaining four sessions were resumed in August, once Covid-19 restrictions were eased. A total of 300 women living in farming households was reached. In addition, 25 women were trained as leaders to act as disseminators of good practice in the safe use and disposal of pesticides in their rural communities.

Knowledge transferred to women and leader-women to raise awareness and adoption of good practices.

9 Awareness raising programme for agricultural high school teachers on pesticide applicator training programme to support greater uptake of the qualification amongst graduates

Modified

In late 2019, it became apparent that neither APC nor MoE were interested in organising awareness raising programmes for agricultural schools. Instead, a sensitisation campaign was designed and launched on the safe use and disposal of pesticides and their containers through the official APC and MoALR channel in summer 2020.

Phased-over responsibility to APC to promote adoption of good practices. Knowledge products (technical guidelines, training programs and animation clips) prepared by the Project will help APC to sustain benefits.

10 Awareness campaign on alternative uses of banana waste

A total of two (2) awareness campaigns on recycling of banana waste into bio products, was delivered in January and February 2019. 200 participants from Saktla and Dar El Salam villages (30 women, 82 youth) attended.

Phased-over responsibility to University of Sohag to disseminate information.

Strengthening access to knowledge and assets for LED

11 Establishment of model plant nursery

A model plant nursery was installed in September 2019. The agreement regarding the future management of the plant nursery was officially concluded with the University in November 2019. The plant nursery will be used to build the University students’ practical skills in micro-grafting, as well as to produce quality seedlings for sale. A business plan for the operation of the plant nursery was completed jointly with the University in early 2020.

Phased-over responsibility to University of Sohag to manage the plant nursery and promote actively micro-grafting technique and production of quality seedlings.

12 Establishment of a processing workshop for loofah products

Two loofah processing workshops were established in January 2019. Training of some 32 women followed suit. Business plan coaching took place in late 2019 and ended with the elaboration of a business plan.

Knowledge transferred to the beneficiaries to operate the workshops commercially. To date, both processing units are moving forward.

13 Establishment of a community-based feed-mixer for poultry farmers

Installation of the community-based feed-mixer for poultry farmers was completed and trained provided in the first quarter of 2020.

Knowledge transferred to the beneficiaries to operate the production unit commercially.


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COVID-19 Challenges Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the training on safe handling of pesticides (HSF initiatives 8 and 9) was delayed and the student study-tours to companies modified (HSF initiative no. 15). Specifically,

Business plan coaching took place in late 2019 and ended with the elaboration of a business plan.

14 Campaign on cattle health care

During 2019, four campaigns were conducted to support improvements in the health of livestock. (1) Feeding awareness From April to September 2019, 17 feeding and silage awareness sessions were conducted, reaching 651 livestock beneficiaries from 9 villages: Al Rawafe, Tounes, Nazlet Emara, balasfoura, Awlad Azaz, Nazlet el Kady, Al Gredate, El Sawalem, El Soufeha and Banga (2) Milk production and clean dairy From 27 to 29 May 2019, 3 milk production and clean dairy awareness sessions were conducted, reaching 234 livestock beneficiaries from 4 villages: Nazlet emara, tounes, awlad azaz and el Sawalem (3) Animal reproduction/insemination From May to August 2019, 6 animal reproduction awareness sessions were conducted, reaching 312 livestock beneficiaries from 6 villages: Al Gredate, Awlad Azaz, nazlet emara, tounes, el soufeha and el Sawalem. During this time, artificial insemination of cattle was applied to 190 cattle head: 117 pregnant cattle, 15 pending and 58 not pregnant. (4) Vet and vaccination campaigns: From April to September 2019, 10 veterinary convoys were deployed in 11 target communities to provide health checks, free vaccinations and medicine, and treatment plans for 4,473 cattle in the fields of reproductive diseases, surgery, insemination and diagnosis using sonar and ultrasound.

Knowledge transferred to the beneficiaries to adopt good practices systematically. As the campaigns were coordinated with the Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, it would desirable that the Directorate would replicate such campaigns in the future.

15 Student study-tours

In April 2019, 12 teams competed in the final Hayat business ideation competition. To provide them with an opportunity to meet successful businesses related to the sectors of their proposals, a series of company visits were organised in March 2020. Due to COVID-19, only two study tours took place. For the remaining teams, company videos were prepared and shared.

Phased-over responsibility to schools/Directorate of Education to organise company visits for students.


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Training programme and sensitisation campaign on safe handling of pesticides: In cooperation with APC, the initiative involved two activities: training targeting 300 rural women on safe use of pesticides; and conducting a sensitisation campaign on safe disposal of pesticides containers and devices in rural villages. Initially, both activities were planned to be completed between February to March 2020. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the activities had to be suspended in early March and were resumed by APC in August with all precautions taken. Before Covid-19, 8 training sessions were conducted, reaching 199 women. The remaining training sessions and sensitisation days were resumed in August, once Covid-19 restrictions were eased.

Student study tours: Due to COVID-19 restrictions in early March, the remaining study tours to local companies could not be undertaken. As a result, the approach to this activity was modified. The national consultant responsible for organizing the study tours recorded interviews with management of the selected companies, and shared it online with the student teams who were unable to attend physical tours. In this way, the students were still able to build knowledge and awareness about how to turn their projects to real business and be exposed to technical part of business.

Output 3 (OP.3): Employability and economic empowerment of youth and women is improved through skills development training and support schemes for employability and productivity.

All planned activities were completed successfully.

Project Interventions Achievement Status Remarks Exit Status

Loofah value chain

1 Technical support throughout cultivation cycle to harvest

Technical visits: During April to November, 2018, 27 farm visits by technical experts were conducted in Tahta, reaching 136 farmers. Technical support focused on using the trellis cultivation system, disease prevention, irrigation and fertilization, including pest management. This included one field day was also conducted for 25 lead farmers to visit the best loofah farms and loofah manufacturing workshops to understand new production and manufacturing processes. Training sessions: During August to November 2018, a package of training was delivered in attended by 300 loofah farmers. Training totalled 6 days of formal training on irrigation & fertilization, integrated pest management, post-harvest & value addition.

Knowledge transferred to beneficiaries to continue cultivation of loofah profitably.

2 Training on processing the sponge and BDS support

A total of 16 days of training conducted in February, April and December 2019 were conducted for 33 participants


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(loofah farmers and a processors from Tahta and Bani Harb). The trainings focused on loofah processing, quality control of final products and diversifying shapes of processed loofah. Loofah workers were coached from September 2019 to March 2020 to finalise two (2) loofah business plans which guide workshop sustainability.

3 Technical support for the 2019 growing season

A field visit was conducted in November 2019 to distribute 137 pheromone traps to loofah farmers in Tahta, upon request by the farmers as a response to fruit flies. The farmers were trained in how to wrap the pheromone traps in bags and how to install them on the loofah plants.

Household level poultry producers

4 Technical package on poultry, breeding, feeding and health

Awareness/Training Between September 2018 and April 2019, 24 training and awareness sessions were conducted poultry farmers These trainings focused on breeding, feeding and health care for poultry. Pioneer Women Between January and April 2019, 100 poultry farmers underwent further training so as to enable them to act a s pioneers and support wider dissemination of good practices in the communities. Advanced training A day training day was conducted in February 2020 and attended by 51 poultry farmers from El Farzaa and Nedaa villages. It focused on the general foundations of biosecurity and disease control in poultry care.

Knowledge transferred to poultry farmers to adopt good practices systematically.

5 Financial literacy for poultry producers

During June to October 2019, the project partnered with the local NGO Dandarra Cultural Centre, and delivered 38 training sessions that focucsed on financial literacy and basics in reading and writing over a series of sessions. These sessions were attended by 119 women poultry farmers from Sawalem and Shatoura villages.

See HSF 5 above.

Onion value chain

6 Package of trainings to introduce good agricultural practices and new varieties during the growing season 2018/19

Training Between October and November 2018, six demonstration plots were established, and a series of awareness and practical trainings conducted regarding cultivation of Sabanee and new varieties (spring, red and green garlic), fertilisation and

Knowledge transferred to onion farmers to produce higher-quality onions and increase. Phased over to Shandawal Research


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drip irrigation. During October to November 2019, a series of field visits to farms were conducted for 50 onion farmers from Juhayna and Dar El Salam to experiment with direct Sabanee seedling cultivation. Field days From December 2018 to March 2019, 10 field days were conducted for nearly 200 farmers, focussing on cultivation and production of onions. Technical assistance During January to April 2019, 25 days of technical assistance were provided to 165 onion farmers trained by the Project. It provided face-to-face support to farmers and followed up how cultivation was progressing.

Station to continue provide expertise on cultivation and quality control of seed.

7 Technical training for production of quality seeds (Sabanee veriety) during the growing season 2019/20

Awareness and technical training During August 2019, two awareness sessions on Sabanee onion specifications were conducted for 25 participants including lead farmers from Gerga and Dar El Salam and one NGO from Awlad Yehia for community development. From November 2019 to March 2020, 34 technical visits were conducted to follow up on demo plots set up to produce Sabanee seeds and face-to-face training in order to embed good cultivation practices and resolve challenges identified in the 2017 season. Onion farmers were reached from 9 villages; Awlad Yehia;Juhayna; El Kawamel; Awlad Salama;Al Mansha; El Oseyrat; Beit Daoud; Beit Khalaf and Oseyrat. Registration of Sabanee variety The Project assisted the Shandawal research station, the Agriculture Directorate and lead farmers to prepare a technical file to be submitted to MoALR for registration of Sabanee variety.

Phased over responsibility to Shandwal Research Station in Sohag and Agricultural Department to protect and promote cultivation of onions (Sabanee variety).

8 Business development support to support value addition and onion sales

On 5 March, 2019, a match-making event was organised and attended by lead onion farmers from Sohag and 10 onion exporters and manufacturers. The event linked companies to farmers to promote an understanding of market demand by producers, as well as to open up new opportunities for the sale of onions after harvest by buyers/exporters.

Direct business linkages established between traders and farmers to increase trade in the future

Input supply – Plant nursery for seedling production

9 Theoretical and practical training to support good nursery management

Theoretical training: From February 2018 to February 2020, a total of 44 training and awareness sessions were conducted,

Knowledge transferred to university students and greenhouse


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and attended by 965 individuals (private nurseries, teachers in agricultural high schools, students from agricultural high schools and workers in existing nurseries). Training built awareness of conventional, grafting and micro-grafting vegetable seedlings in greenhouses. Practical training: From September to October 2018, and January to December 2019, a total of 15 days of practical training were conducted for 150 individuals including students from two agriculture schools, university students and staff of the faculty of Agriculture at Sohag University, and nursery owners and farmers. The sessions focussed on practising conventional and micro-grafting techniques for seedling production.

owners to develop the sector and offer quality seedlings in Sohag. Phased-over responsibility to University of Sohag to manage the plant nursery and promote actively micro-grafting technique and production of quality seedlings.

10 Technical support and monitoring to nurseries

From January to March 2019, and December 2019 to February 2020, the project field team conducted a total of 21 field visits to follow up the grafting of rootstocks and planting in school and university greenhouses as well as the demonstration plot established in Om Doma. A total of 45 individuals were supported including workers at the university farm, green house farmers and nursery owners and farmers.

11 Business development support to facilitate plant nursery management in Sohag

Study tour: From 10 to 12 February 2019, a study tour was conducted for 25 students from Sohag agriculture school and University to visit nursery businesses in Egypt’s Delta. It aimed to increase technical knowledge and develop business linkages to spread awareness of the potential benefits of micro grafting and local availability of good quality seedlings. The aim was to show students the career opportunities in nursery management. Business linkages: In October 2018, an awareness workshop was conducted for 25 greenhouse farmers from Tema district. It focussed on the importance of cultivating cucumbers from micro-grafted seedlings in greenhouses and linked them with the Sohag University. Model nursery business development support and business plan From October 2019 to February 2020, 20 training sessions were conducted for university students, graduates and farm workers of faculty of Agriculture – Sohag University to enable them to operate productively the model plant nursery of the University. In addition, an expert coached the nursery


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management team at the University to develop a business plan to sustain the production capacity of the nursery into the future.

Livestock value chain

12 Training veterinarians and assistant veterinarians

Basic and advanced training: From April to August 2019, 21 days of veterinary training was conducted for 43 veterinarians by the Animal Reproduction Research Institute. The basic training sessions were held in April and June, followed by an advanced level training in August. Extension trainings: From 20 to 27 August 2019 veterinary extension trainings were conducted for 63 participants - veterinarians, livestock extension officers, and newly veterinary graduates on extension services.

Knowledge transferred to veterinaries to offer better commercial veterinary services.

13 Awareness raising on cattle health and breeding

See HSF 14 in the above session.

Knowledge transferred to beneficiaries to follow good practices. As the campaigns were coordinated with the Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, it would desirable that the Directorate would replicate such campaigns in the future

14 In country study tour to modern cattle raising stations

In July 2019, a study tour was organised for a group of cattle farmers (men and women) to the Sohag University farm. The visit focused on improving animal husbandry and included building knowledge on the best way of preparing animal feed, how to take care of animal health, milking tools and cow and buffalo varieties.

Wooden furniture value chain

15 Wooden furniture pilot to improve techniques

On-the-job training conducted in 2018 for 12 carpenters (10 carpenters and 2 technicians) from the Tahta. The training was conducted at the vocational training centre of the Ministry of Local solidarity. These practical trainings focused on increasing product quality, finishing and colour, improving the treatment of wood waste and reducing the overall cost of products. The aim was to meet the order of 50 wooden furniture desks of different specifications by applying the knowledge and skills learnt ‘on-the-job’.

Knowledge transferred to beneficiaries to produce better quality items.

Output 4 (OP4): Entrepreneurship programmes for youth channeled via TVET schools, complemented with financial education

In view of the newly launched initiative for a business incubator at the University of Sohag as well as the problem of sustainability over time of youth volunteer schemes (YIELD), it was decided to focus this Output on mainstreaming entrepreneurship education into the


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existing technical vocational and training (TVET) curriculum in eight industrial, commercial and agricultural technical schools (3-year programmes) in Sohag and Tahta districts. This orientation was in line with MoETE’s efforts at changing the TVET curriculum into a competence-based one as well as at introducing entrepreneurship education (EE) in technical schools during the academic year 2018/19 on pilot basis. In consultation with MoETE and the education directorate in Sohag, implementation of Output 4 was completed as planned. By the end of the Project, nearly 100 teachers had been trained for two consecutive academic years, a school competition launched and the trained teachers supported in transferring their knowledge to their colleagues.

Project Interventions

Achievement Status Remarks Exit Status

1 Training of TVET teachers’ to introduce enterprising in their lessons

Training Two rounds of six-block training on EE were delivered in 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic years for a total of 96 teachers. The training covered approximately modules 1, 2 and 4 of the Innovation and entrepreneurship course launched by MoETE in 2018. Two rounds of a one-day training of trainer (ToT) was conducted for teachers from the 2017 cohort in September 2019. Coaching/Mentoring Two rounds of coaching sessions per academic year were conducted to support the teachers to design and implement lesson plans. Specifically: • 2017 teacher cohort: During

November to December 2018, 43 teachers received 83 mentoring sessions (an average of 2 sessions per teacher). In addition, 28 ToT’s were mentored when conducting training for 2019 teachers.

• 2018 teacher cohort: During February to April 2019, 25 teachers received 45 mentoring sessions (an average of 2 sessions per teacher). An additional 50 mentoring sessions were conducted for these 25 teachers during October and November 2019.

Phased over responsibility to School-to-Work-Transition Unit of MoETE and Directorate of Education of Sohag to continue supporting entrepreneurship learning in secondary education Entrepreneurship subject continued to be taught in the current academic year, showing the commitment of the education department to scale-up entrepreneurship learning beyond the duration of the project.

2 Student entrepreneurship competition

Training and coaching: A series of capacity building on ideation for 26 groups of teachers and students participating in the business ideation competition were held in September 2018 and February-March 2019. This was followed by supporting the development of proposals for the competition during January to April 2019, which consisted of group coaching, idea filtration, boot camp. Student competition:

Phased over responsibility to schools and Directorate of Education of Sohag to support actively school-community initiatives and events.


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The semi- final and final Student Ideation competition was held in April 2019. In February 2020, study tours to selected companies were conducted for students who participated in the finals of Hayat school competition. The tours exposed the students to business management practices in the sectors identified in their business plans.

3 Support to MoETE’s stand-alone course on entrepreneurship and innovation

In order to expose teachers to the whole new syllabus of innovation and entrepreneurship, in September 2019, 4 days of training on modules 3 and 5 were conducted, reaching 66 teachers.

Phased over responsibility to MoETE and Directorate of Education of Sohag to institutionalize the “innovation and entrepreneurship” activity.


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5. KnowledgeDissemination The Project had an agenda prioritizing knowledge-sharing through multi-stakeholder networks for facilitating cross-learning. Besides training, coaching and exposure visits, knowledge was disseminated through a variety of technical guidelines, use of electronic media, newspapers and events.

5.1 KnowledgeProducts HAYAT produced 11 technical guidelines and tools for the target value chains that were distributed to direct beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders. The products were produced by consultants predominantly from Upper Egypt to ensure easy access to knowledge and technical support if/when required in the future. The material produced encourages continued application of good practices at both the beneficiary and institutional levels. This contributes to safeguarding the economic livelihoods and health of farming beneficiaries and households. The agricultural technical guidelines produced are as follows:

• Poultry farming • Fattening chickens • Duck farming • Loofah production • Onion cultivation • Onion seeds production • Good practices in carpentry • Raising cow and buffalo • Dairy cattle feeding tool (ruler) • Meat cattle feeding tool (circle) • Pesticides’ risks and safe use and disposal of pesticides

In addition, Hayat-Sohag invested substantially in preparing material to enhance awareness among the community on the correct use of and disposal of pesticide. The animation clips on the safe use and disposal of pesticides can be accessed on the APC and MoALR websites and the training manual on pesticides for women will be used by APC nation-wide. This not only shows formal endorsement of the knowledge products by relevant authorities, but also provides another platform to disseminate information on good practices, and therefore scaling up the benefits in Egypt. Furthermore, the Project prepared numerous files of technical resources for teachers on entrepreneurship teaching and learning and distributed them among the teachers in Sohag. More remarkable is the amount of lessons plans and practical suggestions that teachers prepared themselves during their teaching and are sharing among themselves. Besides technical material, beneficiaries set up independently self-help groups in WhatsApp, especially in the area of entrepreneurship teaching and horticulture. The


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Project supported them with technical information as well as promoting linkages with individuals and institutions outside the boundaries of their communities. Notable is the case of the onion producers, who are now in direct contact with traders in lower Egypt.

5.2 ProjectVisibility

Throughout implementation, Hayat-Sohag used digital and print media sources, as well as exhibitions to raise the profile of project activities and results, particularly for target value chains and student entrepreneurship initiatives. As a result, the project furthered its reach, and generated significant volumes of interest and engagement from the general public, local television and radio stations, and newspapers, as follows. Digital and Social Media Campaigns The Project had a significant presence in social media, helping to raise the profile of Hayat’s achievements and disseminate knowledge through mass reach. The ‘Hayat in Upper Egypt’ Facebook page was strategically selected as mobile phones are widespread in the region, and social media usage observed to be very popular. In light of this, project results and helpful advice and tips for target value chains-particularly onions and poultry farming-and entrepreneurship initiatives have been efficiently and effectively promoted by posting short information and engaging videos on these media platforms. This strategy proved effective as the Facebook posts generated large amounts of user engagement. For example, a video sharing tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur was shared 27 times, reached 4000 followers, and resulted in 550 people who engaged with the post. Another video about Hayat-Sohag achievements in the onion value chain reached 14,500 followers and was shared 42 times. Television Interviews As a result of the successes with entrepreneurship in Sohag schools, the project leveraged a unique television opportunity to promote entrepreneurship education to a mass audience. Together with UNIDO entrepreneurship specialist, Hossam Badawy, two EE students (female and male) who participated in Sohag school competition in April 2019 were given a voice to speak on the value of entrepreneurship training and gender equality. The two students now run their own ventures. Events The Project was able to showcase its activities and achievements in several national and local events. In September 2017, selected beneficiaries from Hayat-Sohag joined peers from Minya to showcase successes of the Hayat-Minya at the Sahara Agricultural Fair in Cairo.


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Accompanied by project staff, selected youth from Sohag participated in Egypt’s International Youth Day celebrations in 2018 and 2019. In November 2019, Hayat-Sohag showcased its achievements at the annual fair organised by Dandarra Foundation in Qena. Between 17 and 21 March 2019, in collaboration with the International Training Centre (ITC), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UNIDO arranged an Academy on Rural Development in Cairo, where Hayat’s approach was presented. Finally, the Project participated a three-day Agri-tech exhibition was held in Sohag during 29 – 31 August 2019. The event provided an opportunity to network with local reporters and radio channels, leading to subsequent radio and television interviews. Newspaper Articles about Hayat-Sohag

Dozens of digital and print press releases and news articles were published on Hayat activities during the life of the project, covering events and featuring specific project activities. The achievements of the project also reached national media. Most notably, Al-Ahram Weekly, one of the most important official newspapers in Egypt, wrote a feature article on the value of “Training on Good Practices in the Safe Use of Pesticides for Families”. The newspaper also published an article about HAYAT’s achievements in the onion value chain in Sohag. In addition, the Masrawy published an online article that focused on Dr. Amany and her project to establish a veterinary care clinic as a result of participating in HAYAT trainings.


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6. LessonsLearnedandRecommendations

In this, rather short-term project, many issues were addressed and measures taken to favour the sustainability of the many initiatives. Lessons were learned and improvements made, however much remains to be done by the Government and beneficiaries to foster capacities and an environment under which local communities can thrive. The following lays out some of the lessons learned and suggestions for future action.

Local Development Process

LED aims at promoting economic growth by making the most of natural local comparative advantage and assets—both tangible and intangible—for promoting quality of life, economic progress and job creation in the local economies. The Egyptian Constitution emphases administrative, financial and economic decentralization, and empowers local administrative units to provide, improve and manage public utilities well.21 This presents an opportunity for local administrations to adopt comprehensive strategic planning approaches to plan, manage and develop their communities. For local communities, it is an opportunity to engage in the process of assessing their socio-economic systems and identifying challenges, potentials and interventions for wealth creation locally. As Hayat-Minya, first, and, then, Hayat-Sohag have shown, the design and operationalization of governance structures for local development is a complex and lengthy process. It generally progresses unevenly and often requires adjustments as the process unfolds. This must be recognized and accounted for in the design and implementation of any future technical cooperation project aiming at improving or operationalizing governance structures for institutional entities. Even more than in other domains, this kind of projects is likely to face significant principal-agent problems. Any change in political and/or policy priorities and strategies of institutional partners is a critical risk factor for project implementation, as governmental partners have sovereign control over changes within their institutions. The experience gained from Hayat-Sohag suggests that, in any TC project, implementation of a component assisting a governmental entity in establishing LED governance structures requires:

• Pre-existence of policy strategies and, ideally, administrative instructions, which underpin project intervention;

• Clear and agreed roles and responsibilities among counterparts, stakeholders and implementing agencies for the intervention plan;

• Realistic outcomes/goals as well as identification of pathway(s) through which results are expected to occur;

21The constitution also sets a timeframe for transferring powers and budgets to local administration units to support this process https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Comparing-Egypt-s-Constitutions.pdf


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• Thorough risk analysis in relation to implementation of the proposed project intervention;

• Common understanding that sustainability is a critical challenge, because the implementing agency cannot exert any influence on the decision of participating institutions to change priorities and their staff to participate with their time and efforts.

Building Capacities

As the evaluation mission acknowledged, the transfer of knowledge and changes in behavior in beneficiaries was substantial. This was achieved through training but, more importantly, through systematic coaching and mentoring by the field project staff and local experts. Hayat-Sohag has, again, confirmed that training alone is necessary but not sufficient. It is practice, constant feed-back from trustworthy experts and exchange with peers that lead individuals to try new approaches. If these prove to be profitable, then, it is more likely that individuals will adopt them. Monitoring changes in knowledge, skills and behaviors—as a result of capacity building activities—is generally a sophisticated endeavor. Direct observation from the project team is essential since it promptly signals whether a project is on the right trajectory. But, it rarely leads to a systematic compilation of theory-based data, from which qualitative/quantitative analysis can be undertaken. In this regard, it is recommended that, at formulation phase, adequate and specific budgetary resources be earmarked for conducting theory-based study(ies) on one or two key aspects of the project (e.g. advancing agency in women, peer-to-peer learning for sustainability, etc.). Such empirical studies would contribute to the literature on that specific topic.

Use of Information Technologies

Hayat-Sohg used social media to disseminate information as well as facilitate networking and establish community of practices. In addition, COVID-19 forced the Project to use social media to engage communities in the identification of local business opportunities. The approach was a success, reaching out to 158,014 youth and 7,976 women, respectively (see section 4.2 above). This experience means that local LED institutions could conduct online campaigns in the future, increasing the amount of community members participating in identification of local priorities for the design of community action plans. However, the use of social media for capacity building is not straightforward. A basic survey conducted by the Project in autumn 2018 revealed that, although use of mobile phones was widespread among farmers and teachers, its use seemed confined to interacting with peers and business partners. Facebook and WhatsApp were used constantly, while the use of professional applications was still an untapped source for learning. When interviewed, most farmers expressed reluctance in using information or


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tools from unknown (to them) on-line sources. As in the case of capacity building, trust on information sources continues to be built through personal contacts. These experiences suggest that the use of IT for delivering technical assistance must be adjusted to the local specificities. Therefore, it is recommended that:

• Diagnostic survey(ies) regarding digital alertness/acceptance be administered among target beneficiaries prior to any intervention using social media.

Duration of Projects in Rural Development and Education

Both agricultural and education systems follow specific cycles, which do not necessarily coincide with, and are generally shorter than a calendar year. In the case of this project, both the academic year and the growing season were roughly on the same cycle, from September to April/May, which implied that project interventions on the ground had to be confined to this period. Most importantly, Hayat-Sohag showed that building capacity in both sectors required at least three cycles: a first cycle to understand the local specificities and acquaint with stakeholders and beneficiaries; a second cycle to observe initial results and assess beneficiaries’ engagement; and a third to move interventions further, based on beneficiaries’ response. In view of Hayat-Sohag’s experience, it is recommended that:

• projects of this nature have a minimum duration of three to four years—rather than the initial duration of 30 months of Hayat-Sohag—to ensure field implementation for three consecutive cycles;

• if the results of the project are tangible, the partners, together or independently, may consider launch a second phase to build upon the results achieved in the first phase. However, the second phase should not be a replication of the first, but move forward development in those areas with higher potential. In the case of Hayat-Sohg, it would include, for example, the onion value chain, the wooden furniture sector and entrepreneurship learning in secondary education.

Identification and Endorsement of KPIs

Hayat-Sohag was formulated using the logical framework, on which its M&E plan was essentially based. However, in the last years, there has been a growing demand in the development aid circles to integrate the logical framework with TOC or Bennett’s result chain matrix or other frames. During 2020, UNIDO has been introducing a series of instructions on result-based reporting, which will guide, inter alia, how to report on TC projects in the future. It is based on Bennett’s result hierarchy.


54

Retro-fitting a project logical frame to TOC or Bennett’s result hierarchy in the middle of implementation is complex since it would often call for adjustments of the project structure at outcome/impact as well as KPI levels. This, in turn, might require amendments of the original project document and, possibly, clearance from the partners. Hayat-Sohag adopted a practical approach, developing an M&E plan and adding new KPIs. Although an improvement, much remained to be perfected. During implementation, it became clear that some of the indicators were not fully capturing the changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, which TOC and Bennett’s result chain emphasize. Moreover, some of the KPIs at objective/outcome level were of difficult compilation and validation, as they required a system of collection of subjective responses beyond the resources of the Project. Therefore, it is recommended that:

• TOC/Bennett’s result chain matrix be developed with key stakeholders and endorsed by counterpart(s) and donor(s) once the assessment of the situation on the ground is completed;

• TOC/Bennett’s result chain matrix specify, to the extent possible, the temporal progression of changes in beneficiaries;

• Relevant set of feasible KPIs and the corresponding time frame for reporting are identified and agreed upon based on the endorsed TOC/Bennett’s result chain matrix;

• Special attention be devoted to the definition and construction of KPIs at outcome/objective level;

• The above elements be included in the project M&E Plan.

Sustainability Plan and Exit Strategy

Exit strategies derive from sustainability plans, which, in turn, reflect the pathways through which developmental objectives are expected to be reached. Hayat-Sohag has shown that one of the goals (improved local participation in target communities) was too ambitious under the current circumstances, while the other (strengthened socio-economic security of beneficiaries) was achievable with limited direct institutional engagement. The former has been discussed in detail in the above section on LED. The latter is examined here in light of the evaluator’s reservations on sustainability and scaling-up. The Project has made any attempt to link beneficiaries with experts from local institutions so that the learning processes set in motion by the Project would continue in the future. In fact, in a situation of weak extension and government-to-business services such as in Sohag, personal—rather than institutional—linkages are more effective for sustainability. Clearly, the potential for scaling up is limited. It is only when institutions become stronger, that citizens will start contacting the relevant institution, rather than peers or the specific individual working in that institution and, by doing that, make room for substantial scaling-up. The lesson from Hayat-Sohag is that the assumptions about interactions between individuals and institutions should have been made explicit in the sustainability plan in order to clarify the


55

boundaries of sustainability and scaling-up at the end of the project life and ensure a common understanding among the project partners. It is recommended in future projects to:

• Conduct a preliminary empirical investigation of the relationship between citizens (as potential customers) and institutions to understand expectations on both sides and how trust is built;

• Prepare a sustainability plan at the end of the inception phase detailing evidence-based assumptions and proposed measures;

• Review periodically the sustainability plan.

Reporting

Reporting was, at times, a contentious area between the project team and the donor. It resulted in a long revision process and in a delay of the release of the third installment. From the perspective of the Project Manager, this was basically caused by lack of common understanding on what constitutes a “result” and how it is reported. The M&E Plan did not help to clarify the situation. Consequently, reporting during Hayat-Sohag generated high transaction costs for UNIDO and, probably, the donor. This situation might not emerge in the future as new instructions and procedures on reporting are entering into force. Nevertheless, to preclude incurring in such a situation, it is recommended to:

• Clarify what constitute a result in the M&E plan; • Agree ex-ante on the templates for reporting and, possibly, prepare specific

guidelines.


56

Annex1:ProjectLogicalFramework(asperM&EPlan)

OBJECTIVE/OUTCOME

CODE OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) BASELINE

INTERMEDIATE TARGET

(Dec 2018)

TARGET (by end of project)

OB

Human security of

vulnerable households,

youth, women and children

is improved in target

communities

KPI OB.1 Number of direct beneficiaries received assistance from

the project to help them improve their incomes / livelihood

received (disaggregated by age and gender)

reference point

(start date-

assistance)

Measured at end

of project 1000

KPI OB.2 Percentage increase in economic security perception by

beneficiaries 0

Measured at end

of project average 15%

OU

Strengthened socio-

economic security and

improved local

participation in target

communities

KPI OU.1 Number of community-led development plans

elaborated/approved as a result, inter alia, of project intervention 0 0 2 (district level)

KPI OU.2 Number of persons reached through HSF interventions in

the domain of economic security and other human securities

(disaggregated by age and gender)

0 300 600

KPI OU.3 Number of production units22 that recorded increased

productivity and/or income as a result of project intervention

(disaggregated by age and gender) 0

10% of

beneficiaries

35% of

beneficiaries

KPI OU.4 Number of new start-ups established as a result of

project intervention 0 1 5

KPI OU.5 Number of individuals with new or better employment

as a result of project intervention (disaggregated by age and

gender)

reference point

(start date-

assistance)

50 100

(50% youth)

KPI OU.6 Percentage of participants who applied knowledge or

techniques from project training / awareness campaigns to

improve their income generating prospects (disaggregated by

gender and age)

0 20% of

beneficiaries

35% of

beneficiaries

22 The term “production unit” refers to any company or association or cooperative or household that produce goods and/or services for sale or own consumption.


57

OUTPUT CODE

OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) BASELINE

INTERMEDIATE TARGET

(Dec 2018)


OP1

Participatory governance

framework for local

economic development

(LED) established and

operational

ASSUMPTION:

Governorate/district LED

unit(s)23 established and

staffed by MoLD.

KPI PO1.1 Total number of trainings conducted for LED units in

inclusive and sustainable local development 0 1 3

KPI OP1.2 Total number of persons trained from LED units. 0 10 25

KPI OP1.3 Mechanism for communities’ contribution into

elaboration of development plans established. 0 Draft available 1

KPI OP1.4 Total number of consultative meetings between LED

units/ and representatives of communities24 0 2 4

OP 2

Human Security Fund (HSF)

established to realise

community-based

interventions in support to

human security

KPI OP2.1 Total number of trainings/workshops/awareness

events in human security and local development conducted 0 3 6

KPI OP2.2 Total number of participants in human security and

local development awareness events

(disaggregated by age and gender) 0 500

1,000

(of which 400

women)

KPI OP2.3 Total number of persons/institutions (actors of change)

trained in human security and local development 0 25 25

KPI OP2.4 Total number of HSF concepts prepared and

interventions funded 0 8

15

(of which 3

benefitting

women)

KPI OP2.5 Total number of project concepts prepared for external

sources of funding. 0 0 2

OP3

Employability and

economic empowerment of

youth and women is

improved through skills

development training and

KPI OP3.1 Total number of technical trainings (subject specific)

conducted in good agricultural/livestock practices 25disaggregated

by youth and gender 0 6 8

KPI OP3.2 Total number of trainings (subject specific) conducted

in business development 0 2 4

23 At the time of writing, the exact name, geographical coverage and responsibilities of governmental bodies responsible for elaborating and implementing local development strategies is under finalization by MoLD. With the

term “LED unit” is intended a body at governorate or district level, which is responsible for local development as per government decree. 24 All attempts will be made to work with and through existing community level structures rather than create parallel community structures. Most likely, the project will work through the community forums established in the

Government of Egypt’s Upper Egypt Local Development programme funding by the World Bank.

25 Sectors selected following the findings of a value chain analysis in the districts of Sohag and Tahta.


58

OUTPUT CODE

OBJECTIVE DESCRIPTION KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) BASELINE

INTERMEDIATE TARGET

(Dec 2018)


support schemes for

employability and

productivity

KPI OP3.3 Total number of persons trained (disaggregated by age

and gender) 0 200

300 (50% youth,

40% women)

KPI OP3.4 Total number of awareness and capacity-building

events for local economic development (including peer-to-peer

technology information events)

0 6 8

KPI OP3.5 Total number of participants in awareness and

capacity-building events in the area of agribusiness development

(disaggregated by age and gender)

0 700 1,000

KPI OP3.6 Total number of technical guidelines/manuals/

videos disseminated among agribusiness stakeholders 0 8 10

KPI OP3.7 Total number of production persons/groups coached

to increase productivity or diversify into new productions

(disaggregated by age and gender) 0

70

(over 5 value-

chains)

150

(over 5 value-

chains)

KPI OP3.8 Total number of female production groups assisted to

increase productivity or diversify into new productions 0

30 women within

4 groups

50 women within

6 groups

OP4

Entrepreneurship programs

for youth channelled via

TVET schools

complemented with

financial education

KPI OP4.1 Total number of TVET teachers trained in

entrepreneurship competencies

(disaggregated by age and gender) 0 60 100

KPI OP4.2 Total number of lessons prepared/delivered by trained

teachers incorporating entrepreneurship competencies 0 35 50

KPI OP4.3 Total number of social entrepreneurship project

concepts developed by group of students 0 6 10

KPI OP4.4 Total number of technical/business services potentially

offered to local small farmers/producer groups by production

units of agriculture schools as a result of project intervention

0 2 3

KP1 OP4.5 Total number of students who receive training on

entrepreneurship 0 50 100


59

Annex2:FinancialReport(asof11September2020)

GRANT DELIVERY REPORT

Grant: 2000003297 Grant Status: Operationally completed

Grant Validity: 11.02.2016 - 31.03.2020

Sponsor: 400444 - FEDERAL DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (FDFA)/

Currency: USD Reporting Period: 11.02.2016 - 11 09 2020

Other Reference: 7F-08457.01.02 Fund: US Prepared on: 11.09.2020

Project Project Description Country Region Project Manager Project Validity

150141 INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN UPPER EGYPT (SOHAG) - PHASE 2 (HAYAT)

Egypt Africa Arab States Cristina Pitassi 01.10.2015 - 31.03.2020

Description

Released Budget

Current Year (a)

Obligations Current Year

(b)

Disbursements Current Year

(c)

Expenditures Current Year

(d=b+c)

Total Agreement Budget (e)

Released Budget

(f)

Obligations + Disbursements

(g)

Funds Available*

(h=f-g)

Support Cost (i)

Total Expenditures

(j=g+i)

150141 150141-1-01-01 LED framework established USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 53.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 22,394.17 22,394.17 22,340.75 53.42 0.00 22,340.75

1600 Staff Travel 485.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 485.44 485.44 0.00 485.44 0.00 0.00

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 9,021.36 0.00 4,660.27 4,660.27 9,021.36 9,021.36 4,660.27 4,361.09 0.00 4,660.27

2100 Contractual Services 35,861.18 0.00 29,302.14 29,302.14 35,861.18 35,861.18 29,302.14 6,559.04 0.00 29,302.14

3000 Train/Fellowship/Study 3,699.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 6,300.89 3,699.11 0.00 6,300.89

5100 Other Direct Costs 1,768.64 (248.03) 1,073.18 825.15 2,500.00 2,500.00 1,556.51 943.49 0.00 1,556.51

9300 Support Cost IDC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8,340.27 8,340.27

150141-1-01-01 Total 50,889.15 (248.03) 35,035.59 34,787.56 80,262.15 80,262.15 64,160.56 16,101.59 8,340.27 72,500.83

150141-1-01-02

Human Security Fund established

USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 46,609.77 46,609.77 46,609.77 0.00 0.00 46,609.77

1500 Local travel 7,217.23 (129.58) 7,356.07 7,226.49 21,847.14 21,847.14 21,856.40 (9.26) 0.00 21,856.40

1600 Staff Travel 0.00 (1,868.31) 1,635.28 (233.03) 2,856.57 2,856.57 2,623.54 233.03 0.00 2,623.54

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 22,510.47 (752.31) 21,456.83 20,704.52 31,923.62 31,923.62 30,117.67 1,805.95 0.00 30,117.67

2100 Contractual Services 67,612.14 (19,150.20) 87,566.62 68,416.42 174,375.32 174,375.32 175,179.60 (804.28) 0.00 175,179.60

3000 Train/Fellowship/Study 3,555.37 (55.98) 2,142.96 2,086.98 49,410.55 49,410.55 47,942.16 1,468.39 0.00 47,942.16

4300 Premises 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 468.04 468.04 468.04 0.00 0.00 468.04

4500 Equipment 152.48 (4,752.26) 4,904.74 152.48 17,576.51 17,576.51 17,576.51 0.00 0.00 17,576.51

5100 Other Direct Costs 29.70 (883.00) 1,494.92 611.92 10,716.82 10,716.82 11,299.04 (582.22) 0.00 11,299.04

9300 Support Cost IDC (914.73) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 47,046.54 47,046.54

150141-1-01-02 Total 100,162.66 (27,591.64) 126,557.42 98,965.78 355,784.34 355,784.34 353,672.73 2,111.61 47,046.54 400,719.27


60



Grant Validity: 11.02.2016 - 31.03.2020

Sponsor: 400444 - FEDERAL DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (FDFA)/

Currency: USD Reporting Period: 11.02.2016 - 11 09 2020





Description

Released Budget

Current Year (a)


(b)


(c)


(d=b+c)


Released Budget

(f)


(g)

Funds Available*

(h=f-g) Support Cost

(i)

Total Expenditures

(j=g+i)

150141-1-01-03 Employability of youth & women USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (30.70) (30.70) (30.70) 0.00 0.00 (30.70)

1500 Local travel 3,073.86 (242.70) 3,099.82 2,857.12 34,948.77 34,948.77 34,732.03 216.74 0.00 34,732.03

1600 Staff Travel 0.00 (2,151.69) 1,047.17 (1,104.52) 7,772.19 7,772.19 6,667.67 1,104.52 0.00 6,667.67

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 3,596.69 (0.02) 3,596.11 3,596.09 126,663.74 126,663.74 126,663.14 0.60 0.00 126,663.14

2100 Contractual Services 774.20 (2,127.80) 2,909.93 782.13 22,490.90 22,490.90 22,498.83 (7.93) 0.00 22,498.83

3000 Train/Fellowship/Study 470.72 (53.36) 448.45 395.09 42,814.46 42,814.46 42,738.83 75.63 0.00 42,738.83

4300 Premises 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 468.04 468.04 468.04 0.00 0.00 468.04

4500 Equipment 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

5100 Other Direct Costs 190.39 0.00 184.49 184.49 12,780.12 12,780.12 12,774.22 5.90 0.00 12,774.22

9300 Support Cost IDC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 32,227.59 32,227.59

150141-1-01-03 Total 8,105.86 (4,575.57) 11,285.97 6,710.40 247,907.52 247,907.52 246,512.06 1,395.46 32,227.59 278,739.65

150141-1-01-04

Entrepreneurship culture instilled USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 70.23 (5,910.01) 5,969.10 59.09 57,677.72 57,677.72 57,666.58 11.14 0.00 57,666.58

1500 Local travel 191.81 0.01 0.00 0.01 20,696.11 20,696.11 20,504.31 191.80 0.00 20,504.31

1600 Staff Travel 0.00 (376.93) 0.00 (376.93) 1,319.25 1,319.25 942.32 376.93 0.00 942.32

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 8,432.23 0.00 8,431.58 8,431.58 58,417.10 58,417.10 58,416.45 0.65 0.00 58,416.45

2100 Contractual Services 6.61 0.00 0.00 0.00 35,927.53 35,927.53 35,920.92 6.61 0.00 35,920.92

3000 Train/Fellowship/Study 108.40 (2,339.77) 1,813.92 (525.85) 61,823.28 61,823.28 61,189.03 634.25 0.00 61,189.03

4300 Premises 31.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 500.00 500.00 468.04 31.96 0.00 468.04

5100 Other Direct Costs 2,353.76 0.00 1,611.46 1,611.46 5,387.60 5,387.60 4,645.30 742.30 0.00 4,645.30

9300 Support Cost IDC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 31,339.14 31,339.14

150141-1-01-04 Total 11,195.00 (8,626.70) 17,826.06 9,199.36 241,748.59 241,748.59 239,752.95 1,995.64 31,339.14 271,092.09


61



Grant Validity: 11.02.2016 - 31.03.2020

Sponsor: 400444 - FEDERAL DEPT OF Currency: FOREIGN AFFAIRS (FDFA)/

USD Reporting Period: 11.02.2016 - 11 09 2020





Description

Released Budget

Current Year (a)


(b)


(c)


(d=b+c)


Released Budget

(f)


(g)

Funds Available*

(h=f-g)

Support Cost (i)

Total Expenditures

(j=g+i)

150141-1-51-01 Project management USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 3,428.33 0.00 3,427.61 3,427.61 38,266.37 38,266.37 38,265.65 0.72 0.00 38,265.65

1500 Local travel 1,564.00 0.00 1,478.62 1,478.62 16,405.33 16,405.33 16,319.94 85.39 0.00 16,319.94

1600 Staff Travel 673.96 (861.11) 703.19 (157.92) 10,824.67 10,824.67 9,992.79 831.88 0.00 9,992.79

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 784.45 0.01 0.00 0.01 76,416.33 76,416.33 75,631.89 784.44 0.00 75,631.89

2100 Contractual Services 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,952.58 1,952.58 1,952.58 0.00 0.00 1,952.58

3000 Train/Fellowship/Study 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 832.61 832.61 832.61 0.00 0.00 832.61

4300 Premises 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 356.57 356.57 356.57 0.00 0.00 356.57

4500 Equipment 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8,934.38 8,934.38 8,934.38 0.00 0.00 8,934.38

5100 Other Direct Costs 6,562.90 (495.02) 6,983.78 6,488.76 16,875.27 16,875.27 16,801.13 74.14 0.00 16,801.13

9300 Support Cost IDC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 22,041.54 22,041.54

150141-1-51-01 Total 13,013.64 (1,356.12) 12,593.20 11,237.08 170,864.11 170,864.11 169,087.54 1,776.57 22,041.54 191,129.08

150141-1-53-01

Independent evaluation conducted USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD USD

1100 Staff & Intern Consultants 14,938.84 0.00 14,974.94 14,974.94 14,938.84 14,938.84 14,974.94 (36.10) 0.00 14,974.94

1500 Local travel 13,909.33 0.00 13,699.98 13,699.98 17,008.74 17,008.74 16,799.39 209.35 0.00 16,799.39

1700 Nat.Consult./Staff 4,807.41 0.00 4,660.27 4,660.27 23,975.74 23,975.74 23,828.60 147.14 0.00 23,828.60

5100 Other Direct Costs 7,579.06 (248.03) 7,680.39 7,432.36 9,125.24 9,125.24 8,978.54 146.70 0.00 8,978.54

9300 Support Cost IDC 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8,461.18 8,461.18

150141-1-53-01 Total 41,234.64 (248.03) 41,015.58 40,767.55 65,048.56 65,048.56 64,581.47 467.09 8,461.18 73,042.65

150141 Total 224,600.95 (42,646.09) 244,313.82 201,667.73 1,161,615.27 1,161,615.27 1,137,767.31 23,847.96 149,456.26 1,287,223.57

2000003297 USD Total 224,600.95 (42,646.09) 244,313.82 201,667.73 1,161,615.27 1,161,615.27 1,137,767.31 23,847.96 149,456.26 1,287,223.57


62

Annex3:TestimonialsfromBeneficiaries Quotation 1 A steady income … helped me and my children a lot. It gave my oldest son the opportunity to fulfil his dream of travelling to the capital and studying physical education and sport academically, at a good university. Now he is a famous swimming coach. Leila Farrag, 50, housewife raising poultry at home (poultry programme) Quotation 2 This season is the first season in which I cultivated, because of the guidance and information I received in the sessions of the Hayat project … The advice I received in the course encouraged me to grow more … and I sold the entire crop even before it was harvested. Also, the harvest was doubled due to the low rate of rot. And the onions were free of flaws such as doubling, early sprouting or neck thickening, which are a problem for exports. Hajj Rifaat Ali Ahmed, 60, onion former (agriculture programme) Quotation 3 I had five dead ducks and the remaining 15 were very sick. After the treatment, I didn’t record a single death. The treatment worked within one hour of application. It was very effective. Also, I used to raise 15 pairs of pigeons, out of which only five or six produced eggs. After the workshops, 10 pairs are now producing eggs. Sahra Soliman, 32, housewife raising poultry at home (poultry programme) Quotation 4 We learned a lot about the importance of calcium for the chickens and pigeons, to produce more eggs. Also, dissolving limestone with salt and vitamin H has a very good impact on the health of poultry. Rasha Atef, 35, housewife raising poultry at home (poultry programme) Quotation 5 A plant nursery in Sohag Agricultural Secondary School. The school received support through the Hayat project to develop the nursery. Specialists from the programme are teaching the students how to grow seedlings like tomato, cucumber, cantaloupe and watermelon. Until now, Egypt has generally depended on imported seeds for its agriculture. (agriculture programme) Quotation 6 We didn’t know the terminology of the competences. We used to apply them randomly and blindly. We relied on personal effort, and had no methodology. The Hayat project helped us put things in perspective and get to know the terminologies. We’ve needed this project for 20 years. We would have loved to be introduced to entrepreneurship education much earlier. Amany Khela, 44, sewing teacher, Sohag School for Boys (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 7 On my first day here in the training workshop, I cried, because I doubted my abilities. But the workshop has helped me overcome this and grow my self-confidence, so that now I look


63

forward to the training days during the week. I hope I can grow my home poultry business and establish a large farm through which I can help raise income at home. Karima Ramadan Hafez, 59, active workshop trainee (poultry programme) Quotation 8 The Hayat project restored trust between us and onion export companies. So now Sohagi onion crops are the leaders in the European markets. Salah Ahmed Abdel Mawgod, 55, farmer who began planting onions on his land after receiving advice from local agriculture engineers as part of the Hayat project (agriculture programme) Quotation 9 The Hayat project supports the agricultural approach of cultivating onions in lines. This saves water and labour, and produces good onions which can be easily exported. (agriculture programme) Quotation 10 By the end of the season, the plants used to have the Erysiphales fungal disease, which usually destroyed most of the yield at the very end. During the regular visits of the team, they advised us to apply an additional pesticide spray before the end of the season as a precaution. We followed the advice and consequently the loofah yield lasted for two additional months and production was higher. Tharwat Edris, 59, loofah farmer (agriculture programme) Quotation 11 I feel that I have entered into a major challenge after I received the Hayat training, and became the first official pesticides applicator in Sohag, which is convincing farmers, especially older ones, of the necessity of relying on a pesticide applicator to spray their agricultural lands. Taher Fouad, 33, official pesticide applicator as per his ID (agriculture programme) Quotation 12 Thirty female pioneers in Tahta-Sohag participate in a Hayat class to raise awareness about how to spray pesticides safely and the risks of recycling empty pesticide containers. The class is designed also to help participants overcome a fear of pesticides linked to cases in which people have been killed or injured, or have suffered ill health, through negligent use. (agriculture programme) Quotation 13 My neighbours and I used to exchange dairy and pickles in pesticide containers, which we used as kitchen receptacles. But a year ago the father of one of my neighbours got cancer and I have learned from the Hayat class that recycling pesticide containers may cause disease. Our lifestyle in dealing with pesticides should change so that we do no harm. Safa Abdellah, 42, housewife (agriculture programme) Quotation 14 Two pioneers from Sohag show how to correctly wear a pesticide spraying suit in front of nearly 30 women and girls of various ages in one of the training centres in Tahta. This part of the Hayat sustainable local development project is raising awareness about how to spray pesticides safely and the risks of recycling pesticide containers. (agriculture programme)


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Quotation 15 The percentage of absence from lectures per day isn’t greater than one percent and shows how critical and important these trainings are – the first of their kind on pesticides provided to women in rural areas. Alaa Khorshid, 56, researcher at the Agricultural Research Centre, and a member of the pesticide committee teaching people about the rules of spraying. (agriculture programme) Quotation 16 The most important thing the Hayat training warned us about is the danger of storing pesticide at home, which is the norm in our village and in neighbouring villages. It causes disease and sometimes leads to fires. Also, now I understand how I can dispose of the empty containers through shredding rather than in places where household garbage is collected – which may harm animals that eat from it, or the garbage collector. Ayman Mahmoud, 31, pesticides applicator from the village of Bani Harb (agriculture programme) Quotation 17 It is extremely difficult for female veterinarians in Upper Egypt to work in the fields because most livestock owners don’t trust in the power and abilities of women to work with animals. The Hayat project turned my life upside down. When I attended their trainings a year and a half ago it was like a new window. Through it I realised that I can fight for my dream of establishing a mobile vet health unit dealing with farmers directly. It gave me trust and myself and my abilities. Amani Abdel Rahman, 30, the first female in Upper Egypt to establish a health unit offering veterinary services to Sohag villages. (agriculture programme) Quotation 18 I used to have a big problem with my buffalos, before I dealt with Dr. Amani’s veterinary unit (the first such unit in Upper Egypt established by a woman), the livestock had a weak appetite and were affected by insects and rodents, but now my cattle are in good health and that is reflected in my income. I trust Dr. Amani’s abilities but I prefer to help her catching the animals before surgery. Also I can leave her alone with my wife at the farm – which I can’t do if the doctor is male. Hajj Khalaf Othman, 60, farm owner (agriculture programme) Quotation 19 At first we felt that the concept was very complicated and we had some doubts about continuing. But when we attended several classes and learned more about it, we loved it and couldn’t wait for the next lesson. Madiha Mohamed, 18, student, hair-dressing school. Here, she has applied Bedouin make-up, as part of a small after-class project she established. (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 20 I used to raise chickens and they usually dies in the winter. I didn’t know the reason. But now, after the new immunity measures, and knowing that each age has its own measures, we know how to handle the chickens and they don’t die anymore. Now I have more eggs, and I cover the needs of my home. I also noticed a decrease in flu cases with the chickens, because we learned about vaccinations and how to sterilise. We learned that we can make a homemade


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mixture of onions, lemon and garlic to give the chickens immunity in the winter. Another mixture was honey, lemon and vinegar. This helped a lot. Fatma Mohamed, 53, poultry raiser (poultry programme) Quotation 21 I gained a lot of tips from the Hayat poultry workshop, which lowered the number of duck deaths on my farm – and this is reflected in the profits of my poultry project. Also, I will be able to create a notebook system for my poultry project which can determine the profit percentages. Nadia Butrus, 41, housewife (agriculture programme) Quotation 22 Our project aims at producing children’s wear, mattresses and napkins. We developed samples, to test the market first. Accordingly, we produced a dress and are planning to sell it for EGP 165 instead of its current market value of EGP 700. Our running costs are estimated to be EGP 135. We added around EGP 30 as profit margin per piece. We shared our samples on Facebook and have started to receive orders. Waleed Ghaem Diab, 16, student, Sohag Decoration Secondary School for Boys (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 23 Success rates in our school have been very high since the start of the entrepreneurship classes. First, the attendance rate increased to over 80 percent after having been 25% for years. And the success rate of students last year was over 70 percent. That is a high percentage which we have not achieved in a long time. The entrepreneurship education lessons lifted the spiritual state of the students. This generation is very unlucky when it comes to job opportunities and market challenges so the entrepreneurship education trainings boosted their spirits and gave them hope. The project restored their faith in their future professional life. Omar Abdel Rahman, 57, principal, Sohag Secondary Decoration School for Boys (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 24 Sometimes in our school, most of the girls don’t come on Thursday. They used to bridge it with the weekend. Now, when we give them entrepreneurship lessons on Thursday, they attend. Also a trip that was organized by the school was on the same day as an entrepreneurship training. We asked the management to change the date so the girls can go on the trip and the management accepted. Afkar Ahmed, 49, teacher, Tahta Technical Secondary School for Girls (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 25 The boys at the technical school knew nothing about entrepreneurship. They had a PE class before my class and most didn’t attend my entrepreneurship class because it’s not mandatory and they preferred to just carry on doing sport. I told them I can start with only one or two students for now. We started to work together. The next week, the number increased to six. The week after, the number got even higher, and I ended up having the whole group with me. We did a methodological play and they loved the idea and wanted to join in. Also, I added a question in the exam on the content of the play and they all answered correctly based on the play. We first started the lessons in a classroom and then we shifted to a meeting room, and


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later on I took them onto the main field of the school to change the atmosphere and interact actively. The students loved the open space idea. Abdel Gawad Elsayed Mohamed, 47, teacher, Sohag Secondary Decorating School for Boys (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 26 I was selected as one of the top students of my school, to participate in the top students competition organised by the governorate. I was going to receive a certificate and a financial award. The competition was scheduled on the same days as an entrepreneurship training session and I chose to attend the training instead of going to the competition. I really didn’t want to miss it. Jihad Rushdie, 16, team leader, project to recycle furniture and tools for newly married couples on a limited budget (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 27 Our entrepreneurship teachers were excellent. We used to miss most of our traditional classes because we were not interested in the repetitive, boring content. The entrepreneurship class was different. We were all present in class and keen to follow the new steps and ideas, and to follow our hobbies. Three of my colleagues and I discovered our talent in painting so we chose to establish a small project of paintings, and sell them on Facebook. Ms. Hayla, our teacher, encouraged and helped us to follow the entrepreneurship principles and made us eager to learn more. I started to feel that, as a technical student, I have value and can make a difference in society. Osama Hareth Abdallah, 15, student, Sohag Secondary Decorating School for Boys (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 28 I attended the loofah processing training conducted through the Hayat Sohag project for one month, learning to cut and sew loofah sponges. Following the training, I now work in the loofah manufacturing workshop developed through the project in my village. I have never had a job before but now I depend upon myself and earn my own income. I do the finishing of the manufactured loofah products using a sewing machine. The finishing is done on three levels: two from the inside, and one from outside. Hoda Attiah, 45, loofah worker (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 29 I did not complete my education at school, but the Hayat loofah manufacturing course gave me an opportunity to work and produce something. I learned with Hayat how to transform loofah so it can be sold and exported. On the technical side, I improved my skills with Hayat, especially after the project sponsored a trip to Alexandria so we could get to know the big factories there. It was an important and useful field trip. Nada Said, 18, youngest female worker in the workshop (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 30 Before the Hayat project, we thought we were experts. We had cultivated loofah more than 50 years. But when the courses in loofah cultivation and manufacturing started, we discovered that we only know a little about cultivation and the marketing process and all the necessary practices. We learned a lot from Hayat. It’s not only about having a schedule or written steps. We really understand the logic behind every step


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Ayman Mahmoud, 31, loofah worker (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 31 The Hayat training of farmers in Sohag to follow new methods in planting onions was one of the most important sections of the training, especially because it encouraged farmers to follow the method of planting onions in lines instead of cultivation in clumps, which is the traditional method used in the province, whether on new or old land. Dr. Rifaat Allam, 49, consultant, exportable red onion production project, Sohag, here giving a practical lecture to farmers in a field (agriculture programme) Quotation 32 The most important part of the Hayat training project for the development of the onion planting sector in Sohag is work on increasing trust in the market between onion farmers, merchants and exporters. In addition to introducing the red onion type to Sohagi farmers and encouraging them to cultivate it, the fact that it becomes ripe earlier makes marketing it easier. Mohamed Zarif El-Sayed, 35, onion farmer, Juhayna village, Sohag, speaking as he sells his crop to a trader who will export it to Italy (agriculture programme) Quotation 33 We are a group of two girls and one boy. We are currently looking for a piece of land, and Engineer Ibrahim has explained all the steps of the project. When we find the land, we will start a feasibility study and proceed. Shaimaa Ahmed, 21, student, Sohag University Faculty of Agriculture (agriculture programme) Quotation 34 Our studies at college were purely theoretical and we didn’t have the opportunity to study greenhouses significantly. But the Hayat training project courses helped us increase our knowledge about building greenhouses and preparing trays for agriculture. We participated in a study tour to Alexandria. We saw the seedlings of Maghrabi, 7000 acres. They are growing cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes. We also saw Rhodes seedlings, and learned how to grow the seeds and how to handle the seedlings. We noticed that they are much more advanced than us and we would like to transfer this to Sohag. Ahmad Jaber, 23 Abd al-Rahman Ibrahim, 22, Hassan Youssef, 24, students, Sohag University Faculty of Agriculture (agriculture programme) Quotation 35 Dr. Ibrahim gave us theoretical lectures related to the micro-grafting process, the production of seedlings, how to do the micro-grafting, how to choose the seedling. Following this, we had a practical training at the Agricultural Secondary School. We learned practically how to plant in the greenhouses, what are the components of the greenhouse, how to define the spaces and the lengths within the greenhouse, and the importance of the greenhouse in controlling the effects of the outside conditions on the seedlings. Also, we learned how to fertilize, how to prepare the material needed to clean the trays. Following this, we learned how to make the holes in the trays, how to grow the seeds and cover them. We then started the irrigation process, the various steps until the growing of the crop. We learned also how to handle ventilation inside the greenhouse. Also, we learned about the importance of the greenhouse’s location, and that it should be close to the clients and the market. We also found out about pricings and costs. Hassan Youssef, 20, student, Sohag University (agriculture programme)


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Quotation 36 I started preparing a place on the roof of my house, in order to create a greenhouse as a first step and practical training. I am going to produce seedlings of cucumbers, zucchini and pepper. I am following the Hayat greenhouse established with Sohag University as a model. It is considered the first of its kind in Upper Egypt to produce grafted seedlings and supply them to farmers to cultivate. This greenhouse produced more than 6000 grafted seedlings in its first round. I hope I can implement my own like it. Abdel-Rahman Ibrahim, 22, agriculture student, Sohag University (agriculture programme) Quotation 37 I saw in Damietta and Cairo the most skilled carpenters ever in Egypt. And I saw machine that we have never seen before here in Sohag. But through my participation in the Hayat project training, I gained important experience related for example to the quality of pressing in machines, modern and easy techniques, Italian assembly steps for furniture, and how to install the sill in a piece of furniture in an artistic way. I was really proud when, after the training, we produced more than 57 units of furniture which were all sold to shops on Tahta, and this made the rest of the carpenters in the village want to participate in a similar training. Ahmed Mohamedein, 33, carpenter (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 38 I have been working in the carpentry field since the 1960s but what the Hayat project has done is a breakthrough that has never happened in the city, which suffers from a severe lack of carpenters who have skills in making furniture that the local market needs. They built confidence between traders and carpenters, and this is the most important step of this project. Sayyed Ali, 72, head of the carpenters, Tahta (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 39 I liked the wooden units produced by Hayat trainees, and I bought them. It saved me money and effort. Buying similar ones from Damietta costs me extra transportation fees, and there is the risk of breakage or damage during transportation. The cooperation with carpenters in Tahta helps me carry out smooth production. And I can provide an after-sale service to the consumer because he can return back to the carpenter in Tahta if he has any problem with the piece. I hope Hayat expands the training workshops to teach carpenters the art of modern furniture production, especially bedroom furniture carpenters, so they can achieve self-sufficiency. Hajj Mohamed Ismail, 56, furniture dealer, Tahta (entrepreneurship programme) Quotation 40 The farmers in the northern part of the village have been in their fields 24/7. They have applied every single practice of the project. You could say they are ‘breathing’ loofah. They produce high volumes in September, while we in the south produced in November. We were very envious and we have indeed learned our lesson for the upcoming season. Mohamed Abd El Latif, 45, loofah farmer (agriculture programme)

Documents

Final Report Hyat