We Aspire to Redefine Education in Egypt.
We Aspire to Redefine Education in Egypt.
We Aspire to Redefine Education in Egypt.
We Aspire to Redefine Education in Egypt.
We Aspire to Redefine Education in Egypt.
Who we are
Overview
Educate Me Foundation is a registered non-profit foundation that aspires to redefine education in Egypt through a progressive skills- based, learner-centered education model while promoting a culture of self-actualization and lifelong learning.
Educate Me operates a community school in Talbeya, Giza and runs training and development programs for both public school teachers and students across a number of governorates. Educate Me also offers education consultancy services to different organizations.
Why we are here
It's Education. It's Serious.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2018 has ranked Egypt’s quality of basic education 133rd out of the 137 countries evaluated. That’s 97% behind others. And this is serious.
We believe one main reason for this is not the curriculum as much as the way the curriculum is approached. In fact, most Egyptian schools, 91% of which are public, continue to focus on teaching content rather than using it as context to enhance lifelong learning skills critical for students to keep up with an ever- changing world. This is coupled with marginalizing the role of school counselors and activity teachers ultimately exacerbating the inefficiency of the school system.
Systemic reform efforts are usually introduced through a top down approach and we believe that the only realistic model of success requires contextualized local solutions and ownership that can translate to enhanced teaching and hence, better learner outcomes.
133rd
out of 137 countries evaluated for quality of basic education.
out of 137 countries evaluated
for quality of basic education.
out of 137 countries evaluated
for quality of basic education.
91%
of Egyptian public schools continue to fully focus on content.
of Egyptian public schools
continue to fully focus on content.
of Egyptian public schools
continue to fully focus on content.
Our Vision
"We picture a world where we are all accountable for one another's self-actualization."
Our Mission
"We aim to inspire a nationwide movement that promotes self-actualization through the development of innovative educational solutions for children, teachers, parents, and institutions."
The Purpose of Education
Self-Actualization
To us, self-actualization is one of education’s main purposes. We believe that self-actualization is realized when individuals are:
- Aware of their identities, beliefs and desires and conscious of their potentials and limitations.
- Capable of making choices that are aligned with that awareness, maximizing their potential and that of others.
- Able to take action to get what they want and reflect on what they have reached in their path towards fulfilling their potential and that of others.
To us, self-actualization is one of education’s main purposes. We believe that self-actualization is realized when individuals are:
- Aware of their identities, beliefs and desires and conscious of their potentials and limitations.
- Capable of making choices that are aligned with that awareness, maximizing their potential and that of others.
- Able to take action to get what they want and reflect on what they have reached in their path towards fulfilling their potential and that of others.
To us, self-actualization is one of education’s main purposes. We believe that self-actualization is realized when individuals are:
- Aware of their identities, beliefs and desires and conscious of their potentials and limitations.
- Capable of making choices that are aligned with that awareness, maximizing their potential and that of others.
- Able to take action to get what they want and reflect on what they have reached in their path towards fulfilling their potential and that of others.
To us, self-actualization is one of education’s main purposes. We believe that self-actualization is realized when individuals are:
- Aware of their identities, beliefs and desires and conscious of their potentials and limitations.
- Capable of making choices that are aligned with that awareness, maximizing their potential and that of others.
- Able to take action to get what they want and reflect on what they have reached in their path towards fulfilling their potential and that of others.
To us, self-actualization is one of education’s main purposes. We believe that self-actualization is realized when individuals are:
- Aware of their identities, beliefs and desires and conscious of their potentials and limitations.
- Capable of making choices that are aligned with that awareness, maximizing their potential and that of others.
- Able to take action to get what they want and reflect on what they have reached in their path towards fulfilling their potential and that of others.
Our Values
Empowering Dreams
We inspire people to dream and mobilize themselves towards those dreams, challenging themselves and the status quo to change the world.
Accountability
We believe that everybody is accountable for their own welfare and that of others, and for resources.
Playfulness
We believe playfulness inspires creativity, boosts productivity, generates motivation, and helps us face challenges.
Adaptive Learning
We are in a constant state of learning and knowledge creation. We encourage experimentation and exploring the unknown. We accept differences and encourage critical thinking.
World Support
Awards & Recognition
December 2010
Ashoka Innovation Network Challenge Award
March 2012
The International Child Film Festival Award
Cartoon Movie made by 10 Children
March 2013
Egypt Negma’s 2nd Annual Conference, MIT Cambridge
Second Place
May 2013
King Abdullah II Award for Youth Achievement and Creativity
November 2013
Pioneers of Egypt Award
By Synergos and VWorx
April 2014
MIT’s Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition
Finalist
December 2015
50 Most Impactful Social Innovators
Global Listing
How we Evolved
Changing the World. Since 2010.
2010
In June 2010, Yasmin Helal, executive director and founder of Educate Me Foundation, encountered a man on the streets of Cairo who had taken his 3 daughters out of school because he couldn’t afford their tuition fees and school expenses. The encounter inspired Yasmin to start Educate Me as an initiative to reinstate school dropouts from the under resourced area of Talbeya, Giza. Before the end of the year, her initiative successfully reinstated 135 children.
Yasmin was later joined by 2 entrepreneurs, Mohamed El Haw and Amr El Salanekly, as well as a group of volunteers to develop a skills-based learner-centered education model and register Educate Me became as a non-profit foundation in 2012.
2012
Educate Me Foundation officially registered as a non-profit foundation.
2013
In 2013, Educate Me established a learning center in Talbeya and started its after school program for children of ages 9 to 14 along with a parental awareness program.
2015
In 2015, Educate Me's learning center turned into a government certified community school for the primary stage.
Also in 2015, we launched our professional development arm to train educators in public schools through our School Transformation Journey program.
2016
In 2016, we started offering education consultancy services to different NGOs and entities.
2017
In September 2017, Educate Me held its first teacher-centered conference, Mo’allem, for public school teachers in partnership with AUC's Graduate School of Education. The conference helped create an open dialogue around 21st century school-based reform between public school teachers, policy makers, and main stakeholders in the field of education.
2018
In 2018, Educate Me launched its Building Pioneers student camps to work with public school students on developing their skills and personalities and instilling values.
2019
In 2019, Educate Me Foundation Signed an MoU with the Ministry of Education to enable the foundation to scale its programs in public schools.
We continue to run our four programs with a unified vision to help better the quality of education in Egypt and help develop a society of self-actualized individuals accountable to one another's self-actualization.
Team
World Changers
We believe that the human asset is one of the most essential building blocks.
Leadership Team
Christine Safwat
Executive Director
Amira Fickry
School Principal
Ahmed Farrag
Organizational Development and Delivery Manager
Engy Fahmy
Communication and External Affairs Manager
Mohammed Tedawy
Senior Projects Manager
Hanan Magdy
Research and Development Manager
Gina Tobar
Human Resources & Administration Manager
Board of Trustees
Shehab El Nawawi
Chairman
Shehab El Nawawi is the Chairman and CEO of Giza Systems, the leading systems integrator (SI) in Egypt and the Middle East.
Amr El Salanekly
Secretary
Amr El Salanekly is one of the co-founders of Educate Me Foundation, an entrepreneur and a private equity investor. He is currently Principal of Ezdehar Management, an emerging investment management firm.
Mohamed El Haw
Treasurer
Mohamed El Haw is one of the co-founders of Educate Me Foundation and the Managing Partner of Brainquil Learning and Consulting.
Yasmin Helal
Founder and Board Member
Yasmin is an athlete turned engineer turned social entrepreneur. She founded Educate Me in 2010 and was its Executive Director till 2020. Yasmin pursued her Master’s degree in International Education Management at the University of Education in PH-Ludwigsburg, Germany.
Prior to that, Yasmin spent 19 years of her life as a professional basketball player in the Egyptian first division league and the national team. She also pursues her bachelor's degree in systems and biomedical engineering from Cairo University and had spent 3 years in the telecommunications industry in ALCATEL-LUCENT as a network engineer.
Dina H. Sherif
Board Member
Dina H. Sherif is a co-founder at Ahead of the Curve (ATC), a social enterprise focused on creating more responsible and sustainable business models within emerging markets.
Alaa Hashim
Board Member
Alaa Hashim is the Chairman of Transcendium Limited, the leading enabler of corporate transformations in the Middle East. He is also on the boards of MAC Carpet, B-Tech, and Energeya Group.
Dr. Aziza El Lozy
Board Member
Dr. Aziza El Lozy is a Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo and Associate Dean for Library and Learning Technologies. Dr. El Lozy was a tenured faculty member at Fordham University in New York.
Malak Zaalouk
Board Member
Malak Zaalouk is a Professor of Practice and the director of Graduate School of Education (GSE) Middle East Institute of Higher Education. Malak has previously served as UNICEF Regional Senior Education Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). She led the founding of Egyptian community schools and has promoted girls’ education and quality education reform.
Our Partners
Strategic Partners
Our strategic partners provide core funding to help Educate Me focus on growing its community school and developing a sustainable revenue stream in order to evolve into a regional-scale education social enterprise.
Al Fanar
SODIC
Ministry of Education
Transformation Partners
In partnership, we transform public schools through our training and development programs for both public school educators and students.
The National Bank of Egypt
ALEXBANK
Edita
Exxon Mobil
Metlife Foundation
Raya
Thales Group
Housing and Development Bank
Qalaa Holdings Scholarship Foundation
Vodafone Egypt Foundation
Sawiris Foundation for Social Development
Technical Partners
Organizations that give us the technical support on ground to deliver our training and development programs in the most innovative approach.
Pratham
Growth Partners
Organizations that help us further our impact.
Rise Egypt
Giza Systems
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Mostapha Qammari
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Mostapha Qammari