AFF Newsletter – Summer 2023

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SUMMER 2023 NEWSLETTER

Greetings!

We have so much to catch up on since our last newsletter. But before we look back, I want to look ahead to our Annual Meeting in Cairo in September. For our first in-person Annual Meeting since 2017, we wanted to go beyond the traditional format and make it a gathering that will enlighten, inspire, and educate.

We're so proud to have put together three days of panels, conversations, and workshops that will give those who attend a chance to learn from and connect with experts and sector leaders, all with the shared goal of making strong, sustainable impact around the Arab region. We'll be discussing some of the most pressing issues facing Arab philanthropy today, such as climate change, youth employment, the power of data, and what the future holds for our sector.

If you haven't registered yet, now is the time! Just follow this link or click on the image above. AFF members get two complimentary seats for all the events being held on September 11 - 13 at the American University in Cairo.

All attendees can also access discounted room rates at the Westin hotel in Cairo – just use the code included in your registration confirmation email.

And there's more! AFF members already get free membership to Alliance, the essential philanthropy-focused magazine, but as our Annual Meeting Media Partner, Alliance is now offering discounted membership to all non-AFF members who attend the event. You'll find the discount code in your confirmation email when you register. Check out Alliance's site to learn more about the magazine and access their free digital subscription for non-profits.

We also have a few others to thank for making this exciting gathering possible:

Platinum-level supporter the Saleh Abdullah Kamel Humanitarian Foundation

Diamond-level supporter the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development

Gold-level supporter Crescent Enterprises

Hosting Partner, the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement, and Responsible Business at AUC.

But, more than anything, your presence is vital to making this year's AFF Annual Meeting a success. Join us and be part of the conversation.

The Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for AFF to showcase all the ways we have brought our network together over the past year to enlighten, inform, and advocate. If you missed any of the impactful panels and webinars we held over the past year – or our fantastic new Speaker Series – you can find links to some of our past events below or catch up on all of them through our events page.

We'll also preview our plans for the coming year, including events we're holding leading up to and during the COP 28 climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates. We are already seeing climate change affect all of the issues that the philanthropy sector focuses on in the Arab region – from health to economic development, employment to sustainability. That's why we at AFF believe climate needs to be top of the agenda for the sector and we're working to ensure those who are hit hardest are heard and supported.

More details on our COP 28 activities are coming soon.

Our commitment to tackling climate change has also led to our proud partnership with Impatience Earth, an organization dedicated to helping donors respond to the climate crisis. Impatience Earth's team of climate and philanthropy experts give donors the information and connections they need to become more confident in supporting amazing organizations, ideas, and individuals addressing climate change. Together we will engage the sector through panels, expert discussions, and other events to raise awareness and education about this urgent issue.

You can always stay up to date with our activities around climate change and other important issues impacting Arab philanthropy by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Our network has grown in the past few months, so we'd like to take this chance to shine a light on our newest members and the good work they are doing.

Enroot is dedicated to creating high-value economic development solutions for youth and women in Egypt and around the MENA region. U.S.-based Hands Along the Nile Development Services (HANDS) focuses on fostering partnerships and intercultural understanding between American and Egyptians to support disadvantaged Egyptians in their efforts to raise themselves out of poverty. And the clown doctors of Red Noses Palestine and Red Noses Jordan bring laughter and joy to children in hospitals, elderly people, and people in crisis.

We've also been joined by two educational institutions. From its Center for Civic Engagement to its University for Seniors, the American University of Beirut has community and empowerment at its heart. And NYU Abu Dhabi, the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East operated abroad by a major American research university, provides students with the knowledge tools they need to help them make progress on some of the world's biggest challenges.

We are delighted to welcome all of these wonderful organizations to AFF! If you are interested in membership and all its benefits, please reach out to Walid Nagi , Network and Relationships Director.

We are so excited about what's coming up over the next few months, but we are always looking for new ways to engage with our network and help you do the important work you do. If you have comments, ideas, or concerns, please get in touch.

And we look forward to seeing you in Cairo in September!

Naila Farouky

CEO, Arab Foundations Forum

Events You May Have Missed

Localization of Development: The Funder-Local Civil Society Relationship

This popular panel discussed the importance of involving local communities in designing the programs meant to empower them. How do we shift the sector away from its top-down thinking and toward localized philanthropy? And what does the most effective relationship between funder and local civil society look like? Watch it here.

The Arab Philanthropic & Civic Sector Response to the Syria-Turkey Earthquakes

In partnership with the International Medical Corps, this panel addressed key questions around the effects of the earthquakes on Syria and Turkey's most vulnerable populations, with the aim of informing the philanthropic response during the emergency and early recovery phases. You can catch up on YouTube and read a summary on our site.

Speaker Series: Adopting an Impact Strategy

In the first session of our new speaker series, Leading Philanthropy and Non-Profit Voices, AFF member Reem Khouri, Co-founder and Chair of Whyise and Founding Partner of Kaamen, speaks with AFF CEO Naila Farouky about how impact strategy can guide your work and increase its reach. Watch the whole discussion here .

To make sure you catch all of our future events, follow us on social media, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and keep an eye on our Events page.

News From Our Network

The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development recently launched its 2023-2028 strategy, which lays out how, over the next five years, the SFSD plans to reduce "multidimensional poverty" by providing social protection for 100,000 families living in extreme poverty, increasing the incomes of 20,000 disadvantaged families, and improving educational opportunities for about 50,000 young people.

Applications are now open for Alfanar's Environment and Employment SEED Cycle. Alfanar invites ambitious social enterprises across Egypt actively engaged in combating environmental challenges affecting disadvantaged communities and/or creating dignified employment opportunities for youth or women to apply. Five social enterprises will be selected to take part in a 6-month, high-engagement management support and customized training program designed to help them scale their impact, strengthen their operations, and grow their financial sustainability.

The Asfari Institute at the American University of Beirut released its 2021/2022 impact report, which highlights its progress in reaching out to the new generation of civil society activists in the MENA and SWANA region and creating spaces for "exchange, dialogue, and democratic conversations that emphasize tolerance, rights, and entitlements".

Congratulations to SOS Children's Villages for receiving Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) certificatio n! The CHS is a globally recognized standard of quality and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and development work. CEO Ingrid Johansen said SOS Children's Villages "uses the CHS to continuously improve its humanitarian assistance and ensure that it is aligned with the needs of the children and families we support."

Upcoming Events

Sept. 11 - 13, 2023: AFF Annual Meeting at the American University in Cairo. Register here.

Sept. 28, 2023: Deadline for submissions to this year's Global Development Awards Competition, administered by the Global Development Network. More details here.

Oct. 3 - 5, 2023: WINGS Forum 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. Find out more.

Oct. 14, 2023: HANDS Fall Benefit Brunch at the Hilton McLean Tyson's Corner, Virginia, to support vocational training programs for unemployed youth in Egypt. Register here.

Nov. 30 - Dec. 12, 2023: AFF will host a range of events and activities leading up to and during COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates. More details coming soon.