The funds raised will support two important CARE Egypt initiatives:

1. Partnership Program for Democracy, a program designed to build the capacity of local community groups, especially women and youth, to participate in local development planning and to interact with Local Popular Councils to express their views and priorities for rural development and local government service delivery. The program is implemented in Beni Suef and Qena, two of the poorest governorates in Upper Egypt. Through a series of confidence-building, training, and participatory planning activities, community groups are learning how to more effectively mobilise local resources and to work closely with local government services to address their most urgent development priorities. The project also works to build the capacity of Local Popular Councils, the local elected government structures in Egypt, to be more responsive to local citizens, and to involve communities in local development planning. Furthermore, the project supports the training and capacity building of local media to better inform communities about local development issues. The BG Energy Challenge Funds for this program are helping CARE to leverage funding from other institutional donors like USAID to match the BG funding and to further expand the program. Currently the Challenge Funds leverage $4 dollars from other donors for every dollar spent on this program. The initial allocation will be $35,000.

2. Freedom from Violence is a program which aims to reduce levels of domestic and community violence against women and help women to organise support services to better address women's physical security and well being. Working with the Centre for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance, the project supports and trains community groups to provide legal aid, counselling and psycho-social support to affected women in targeted governorates. It also helps women's organisations to advocate with the judiciary and police systems for improved protection of women to address domestic violence. The project works in the governorates of Assuit, Sohag, and Menia in Upper Egypt. The initial allocation will be $40,000.

Additional funds will be allocated once proceeds are collected form the participating teams.

CARE Egypt plans to organise a project visit during 2008 for interested participants who would like to see first hand the important work that is supported by their efforts in raising funds through the BG Energy Challenge.