Egypt’s Takaful and Karama social protection program has covered a cumulative 8.3 million families since its launch in 2015, Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy said.
Speaking during the third day of Egypt Forum 2026 on Wednesday, Morsy said the program began in 2015 with 1.7 million families and has since reached 4.7 million current beneficiary families.
More than 2.2 million families have left the program after improvements in their social conditions, and there are currently no families on its waiting lists, she added.
Morsy said the program operates through a dynamic system of monthly admissions and exits that allows the ministry to continuously update its understanding of changes in families’ circumstances.
She explained that the process combines technological and information-based tools, including the integration of databases, with fieldwork conducted by specialized committees.
The minister made the remarks during a session on “Market Regulation and a More Effective Social Protection System” at the six-day forum, which highlights the government’s achievements over the past decade and outlines the state’s vision amid growing challenges.
The session was attended by Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk, Supply and Internal Trade Minister Sherif Farouk, alongside a number of experts and specialists.
Strong Eligibility Checks
Morsy outlined Takaful and Karama’s eligibility verification and governance mechanisms, which include 300 assessment committees, 1,000 employees, and 320 social administration offices nationwide.
The program also has 15,000 social facilitators who conduct 100 visits per month, resulting in approximately 1.5 million household visits monthly.
In addition, 2,000 community accountability committees comprise 25,000 members, Morsy said.
Expanding Educational Support for Students
Meanwhile, Morsy also highlighted the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s efforts to expand educational support, saying the ministry is working to ensure equal access to education so that no one is deprived of learning opportunities.
She said 44 social solidarity units at universities serve students from the most vulnerable families. The ministry has supported university expenses for 149,000 students and provides annual scholarships to 10,800 blind students at public universities.
It also provides sign language interpreters at public universities for 4,186 deaf and hard-of-hearing students and assistive devices for 49,201 persons with disabilities, she added.
Supporting Vulnerable School Students
The minister said the ministry had launched the “Bokra Al-Madrassa” (Tomorrow is School) initiative in cooperation with the Civil Society Support Fund and Misr El Kheir Foundation to help students from the most vulnerable families with school supplies and tuition fees.
The initiative has supported 243,296 students, including 3,146 students with disabilities and 3,168 orphaned students, Morsy said.
It has also helped upgrade six schools serving 2,598 students, provided 100 school desks and 2,000 school uniforms, and conducted 7,300 medical examinations for students.
Separately, the ministry’s “No Illiteracy with Takaful” initiative has helped 1,425,828 families overcome illiteracy, representing 33.4% of families covered by the initiative, she added.