Nourishing a Community
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. Founded in 2013, GSEF is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Giza Systems, and supports three communities through its work: persons with disabilities, marginalised women, and underprivileged children.
RISE Egypt has been a partner with GSEF since 2017, having collaborated on several projects in the area of improving the evidence-based impact and efficiency of their projects on the ground. Last year, the foundation was an important member of a community collaborative launched by RISE called LEEP for Collaborative Impact. This platform, which connects Egyptian social innovators to global professionals and researchers, was built in the aim of improving the lives of individuals and communities across the country.
Inspired by the LEEP initiative and its community-centred ethic, GSEF held a similar retreat for their teams on the 27th-28th of June. It gathered the different stakeholders operating within the foundation. Those from their programmes, Project Nitrous (which designs tools by and for Persons with Disabilities), Graphene (educating women in the use of technology) and the Eden Project (dedicated to children), shared a space with the founders and chair of the foundation. We were excited to attend the second day’s workshop and witness how bonds were strengthened between these individuals.
The GSEF team at a workshop during the retreat. Photograph: Aida Youssef
While much can be said in praise of the work that the foundation conducts, what is equally worthy of attention is the collaborative effort that is at play behind the scenes.
On the first day, a design-thinking workshop and excursions took place. Ending the day with a traditional bedouin dinner, attendees had a chance to reflect and connect with one another. This was a reminder of the importance of dedicating time to learn about fellow team members on a personal level in order to deepen cohesion as a group in our collective work.
The second day focused on motivation and passion. Marwa from Graphene, who is based in Sohag, introduced the group to the notion of the “passion pyramid” which identifies the five different needs required to ignite and sustain passion. Split into groups, the attendees reflected on this question. Interestingly, several needs recurred among the groups, such as trust, seeing the fruits of their labour, or an ability to constantly learn and grow. Shehab El Nawawi, chairman and CEO of the foundation, praised the beauty of being driven by passion. Individuals might have different motivations for achieving the same goal, but this doesn’t matter as long as our passion keeps us moving forward.
GSEF Chairman and CEO, Shehab El Nawawi. Photograph: Aida Youssef
The retreat ended with each team member sharing what led them to the foundation. This exchange, seamlessly orchestrated by the head of the foundation, Mohamed Hossary, allowed each person the chance to share their experiences and express themselves. Among the many stories shared, we’d like to highlight that of Sabry, who started out by volunteering his input on Project Nitrous’ devices for people who are, like him, visually impaired. It wasn’t long before he launched his own social enterprise dedicated to creating educational tools to help others with a visual impairment.
Head of GSEF, Mohamed Hossary at the retreat. Photograph: Aida Youssef
A common thread emerged in every unique story: the desire to do better and see a tangible output. A foundation built on commitment, each member of the team works together, celebrating successes and treating drawbacks as an opportunity to stretch their boundaries and grow in new ways.
It was rewarding to see a community unfold before our eyes, innovating not only in its work but also in sustaining its relationships. A reminder that working together is far more enriching and worthwhile than working apart.
by Aida Youssef, RISE Communications Associate