Social Solidarity Ministry, HDB partner to aid disabled students

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity signed on Wednesday a cooperation protocol with the Housing and Development Bank (HDB) to support and empower university students with disabilities from low-income families and recipients of the Takaful and Karama cash support programme, as per a Cabinet statement.

The agreement will be implemented through the Social Solidarity Units Initiative operating within Egyptian universities.

Assistant to the Minister of Social Solidarity and Supervisor of the University Units Project Mohamed El Okaby said the ministry will provide and regularly update a database of eligible students, along with setting the targeting criteria for beneficiaries.

Under the agreement, the Housing and Development Bank will provide assistive tools and services, including 1,000 talking laptops and 1,000 white canes for visually impaired students, as well as 1,000 mobility aids such as prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs.

The bank will also fund awareness and empowerment programmes for 168 students and offer vocational training to help 42 students with disabilities enter the job market.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: M. S. Salama