Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly announced this year’s launch of the presidential Abwab al-Kheir initiative, aimed at providing food security to the most vulnerable communities during Ramadan through dry food boxes and hot meals.
The Abwab al-Kheir initiative, launched in 2024 and organized by the Tahya Masr Fund and the Social Solidarity Ministry, aims to prepare over four million hot meals through the fund's kitchens and Al-Mahrousa kitchens affiliated with the ministry, alongside distributing more than 5.5 million dry food boxes via convoys across governorates. Beneficiaries include over 9,000 assistance, security, and maintenance workers in the New Administrative Capital.
The announcement comes amid a poverty rate of 34 percent in 2022, up 4.3 percent from 2021, affecting over 36 million people in poverty and six million in extreme poverty out of a population exceeding 104 million, according to CAPMAS data. As state spending on social protection declines, the initiative raises questions about the state's role in charity work.
The Tahya Masr Fund, established in 2014 under presidential supervision, manages donations without public oversight and engages in investment activities. Charity work has faced increasing restrictions, marked by the 2022 National Coalition for Civil Work, with reports of limits on aid for Gazans in Egypt or infrastructure in Upper Egypt. A charity sector source stated: "They can stop any work in different ways; soft tools, hard tools."
Independent researcher Salma Hussein emphasizes the need for coordination among entities to reach the most vulnerable, but notes that data collection is often tied to government-aligned political parties, leading to corruption and nepotism. She describes the initiative as temporary aid that addresses immediate hunger but does not ensure long-term food security, serving as a supplement to social protection programs. Some experts prefer food boxes over cash during Ramadan to ensure effective use.
The initiative follows a LE40 billion social support package announced before Ramadan, reflecting a shift toward cash assistance rather than in-kind subsidies.