JANUARY 2018

How an Egyptian co-op has made
strides towards gender equality
EQUALITY
BY ARCHIE PEARSON,
CLIENT AND OFFICE
EXECUTIVE FOR
OIKOCREDIT
For many of the poorest people in Egypt, life can be
tough. With a population of 95 million, Egypt is one
of the fastest growing and most densely populated
countries in the world. Competition for jobs and
resources runs high. People with less education
and fewer skills face tremendous obstacles to
employment and can struggle to improve their
living standards and lift themselves out of poverty.
Additionally, societal norms expect women
to stay at home and not work. Low pay, lack of
access to diverse vocations, financial literacy and
economic resources are just a few of the forms of
discrimination affecting women.
A significant proportion of the world’s poor live
in rural areas, and around two billion adults lack
access to the necessary financial services they need
to start a business and build a path out of poverty.
In September 2015, the United Nations launched
the sustainable development goals (SDGs) with
a vision to end poverty, overcome inequality and
injustice, tackle climate change and ensure a
quality education for all by 2030. The Sustainable
Development Solutions Network estimates that it
will cost around $1.4tn (£920bn) each year to meet
these 17 goals. Governments alone will not be able
to foot the total bill, so the investment community
must step up. This is where the social investment
co-op Oikocredit steps in, where I work as client
and office executive in the UK.
During a trip to the Egyptian desert, I met with
one co-op that is tackling the problems in Egypt
head-on is Sekem. Founded in 1977, Sekem focuses
on supporting rural farming communities using
social impact investment to introduce fair trade
principles, adopt biodynamic farming methods,
and transform areas of desert land into fertile
soil for producing organic herbs, teas, spices and
other crops.
During the trip, I observed how impact investment
can have a positive impact on disadvantaged
groups while supporting the SDGs.
Sekem uses impact investment to enhance the
education of smallholder farmers and their families.
They have established a nursery, kindergarten, and
primary, secondary and vocational schools, as
well as the Heliopolis University to serve the local
population from childhood through to adulthood.
Thomas Abouleish, son-in-law of Sekem founder,
Ibrahim Abouleish, showed me one four of Sekem’s
schools, citing his motto: “We are tearing down the
adult gender walls, ensuring they are not rebuilt for
the next generation.”
20 | JANUARY 2018