3 Million Families Exit Takaful & Karama Program as Conditions Improve

Over three million families have exited Egypt’s Takaful and Karama social protection programme due to improved living conditions, according to Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy. Since its launch nearly a decade ago, the programme has provided financial support to 7.7 million families, with over 75% of its beneficiaries being women.

As part of recent government efforts to alleviate economic pressures, cash assistance to current programme recipients was increased by 25%, reaching 4.7 million families. Additionally, the ministry has supported 1.5 million girls with educational grants and allocates EGP 5.2 billion annually to assist 673,000 female breadwinners.

The Family Insurance Fund at Nasser Social Bank has also disbursed EGP 7.8 billion in support of 409,000 women seeking alimony.

To expand and institutionalise the programme’s reach, Egypt’s parliament recently ratified a USD 500 million agreement with the World Bank to support the continuation of conditional and unconditional cash transfers to low-income groups.

Despite progress, the ministry notes that around 40% of the population remains in extreme poverty, underscoring the ongoing need for targeted social support and poverty reduction strategies.