Middle East and North Africa - Egypt
The “Community Environment Action Project (CENACT)” project was a six-year, USD 4.3M initiative undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The initiative established an effective system within Egypt for supporting community-level involvement in household and agricultural waste management, as envisioned under Egypt’s National Environmental Action Plan. The project focused on household waste recycling, innovative approaches to using agricultural crop residue, and small-scale agriculture in the governorates of Menia and Ismailia. These activities led to income generation, employment, and improved health through solid waste management initiatives. This project worked at the operational level primarily with two of the Ministry’s agencies: (1) the Environmental Protection Fund that funds NGO initiatives; and (2) the NGO Unit, which was established to encourage broader civil society participation in environmental management. The initiative supported the enhancement of links between these National agencies with government bodies at the regional and governorate levels. The project employed a participatory approach, involving stakeholder information and consensus-building sessions; in addition to bringing technical expertise to NGOs/CDAs in the form of agricultural extension, business development, public awareness and outreach, and health and organizational development.
