As member of an international consortium, ENTRUST was selected to provide technical assistance to the Support to Social Development Project, funded by the European Commission.  The project aims to enhance decentralisation of decision making, community-based and demand–driven activities, combined interventions using integrated approaches and actions in favor of the ultra poor.  Against this background, the Support to Social Development project funds activities of the “Integrated Services for the Poor program”. The supported demand driven activities involve infrastructure works as well as social development activities in urban and rural areas, identified as pockets of poverty.  In addition, our experts are currently playing an integral part in developing the capacity of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) in Egypt.  Particular emphasis is laid on the development of local capacity at the governorate level in Upper Egypt to implement the program, through the creation of Program Implementation Units (PIUs) as well as to sustain development efforts through the creation and development of Local Area Development (LAD) Platforms.  This goes hand in hand with assisting the SFD headquarters and its regional branch offices to be better able to:

• Manage grants targeting CDAs and NGOs
• Engage CDAs and NGOs in SFD local programs and activities
• Internalize independent local Project Implementation Units (PIUs)
• initiate and manage local area development plans
• Establish and maintain local Governorate Committees as a mechanism for coordination, good governance and evaluation of SFD work at the governorate level
• Design and implement an effective communications and PR strategy for SFD RBOs and SFD HQ