The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) and ALEXBANK announced the organization of the first Art Exhibition for Marginalized Children at the Townhouse Gallery, in partnership with Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment and UBUNTU Art Gallery.

The exhibition aims to shed light and create social awareness on vital issues facing marginalized children in Egypt, while empowering them through art as a means of creative expression and self-discovery. The opening of the exhibition will take place on the 13^th of February 2022 in a private event, and it opens its doors to the public at the Townhouse Gallery from the 14^th till the 19^th of February, 2022.

The exhibition is planned to showcase the outcome of 96 workshops in various fields of art; including painting and macramé, in which 274 children are participating from different institutions, such as Banati Foundation, Samusocial International, Association for the Protection of the Environment “APE”, Educate Me Foundation, the UNHCR and Save the Children International.

Olivia Farhat, the exhibition organizer stated that

“this exhibition aims at raising social awareness on numerous vital issues towards empowering marginalized children, integrating them into society, and developing their creative sides.

We are proud of the results achieved by the children, and we hope that this exhibition will help them realize their potential, as well as encourage them to become active members of their societies in the future”.

From her side, Eng. Noura Selim, Executive Director of SFSD, stated that

“SFSD’s focus on children is one of the main pillars of our development plan, as empowering societies can only be achieved through concrete empowerment of both mothers and children.

Therefore, the Foundation, in cooperation with its partners, continually ensures that its contributions include a special focus on developing children’s skills, as well as promoting and instilling positive values through sports and art. This exhibition, therefore, ties well into our vision and efforts to integrate and empower marginalized children”.

Ms. Laila Hosny, Head of CSR & Sustainable at ALEXBANK, added:

“We are extremely happy to further expand our partnership with Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, that through addressing different social aspects, aims at contributing to the communities where ALEXBANK operates.

Among the causes we both believe in, is children empowerment and raising awareness on the importance of improving livelihoods of vulnerable children, as well as providing them with quality health care, solid education and future work opportunities. Recognizing this is one of the priorities for the Egyptian Government too”.

This exhibition coincides with Sawiris Foundation’s 20^th anniversary. Founded by the Sawiris Family, SFSD has contributed to vital issues concerning marginalized children in Egypt, including children of less privileged communities, children with disabilities, homeless children, and refugee children in Egypt over the past 20 years.

In cooperation with many partners from both the public and private sectors along with civil society institutions, Sawiris Foundation was able to transform the lives of thousands of marginalized children into better, safer and more stable lives through providing numerous services. These services include proper shelter, quality healthcare, psychological and educational interventions with a focus on developing their life skills, as well as strengthening and embedding positive values ​​through different forms of art.