We decided to take the chance to reconnect with some of our partners to discuss what we are collectively seeing on the ground and be able to share it with you. In this blog post, we share insights highlighting observed macro-level effects, as well as a myriad of implications at the micro-level, in the context of navigating threats to the survival of social enterprises and pivoting for success.

The taxi drops me off at Transport for Cairo’s office in Maadi on a Sunday morning in June. On my way into the building, I notice a couple of bicycles next to the parked cars. My assumption that these belong to the TfC team members is confirmed when I later spot several helmets in the office and I begin to question my transportation of choice.

“At the UNDP Accelerator Labs, solutions mapping started with a hypothesis that many grassroots innovators worldwide have an important role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on time.” - Alik Mikaelian, Head of Solutions Mapping at UNDP Egypt Accelerator Lab

Early November 2021 at the Glasgow Central Station, it only takes a visitor an instant to notice how busy the city is. That’s because, from 31 October to 12 November, the Scottish city hosted politicians, civil society organizations and environmental activists from around the globe for the UN’s 26th edition of the ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP). Among the attendees was Shady Khalil, co-founder of Greenish, who participated for the first time at COP26 as an observer.

It’s over 35 degrees Celsius at the Greek campus of the American University in Cairo downtown. The sun is high above the 3,000 attendees and partners presenting their initiatives or businesses. It shouldn’t be this hot in September, Greenish co-director Mohamed Kamal will later tell us as he introduces the day’s line-up, “which is why we need to be here,” he remarks. To raise community awareness about the importance of the environment was the inspiration behind the Greenish festival, in collaboration with San3aTech.

We were recently invited to join Giza Systems Education Foundation (GSEF) on a retreat in Fayoum, where their team and local partners gathered to reflect on their journey to the foundation and how they envision themselves moving forward.