Using Green Building Techniques to Provide Affordable Housing and Community Centers in Egypt

Client: Hand Over
Firm: Shalakany Law Firm (Egypt)
Sector: Environment and Community Development
Legal Area: Contracts, Finance and Banking

 

Hand Over is an award-winning social enterprise that utilizes sustainable construction methods to promote community development in Egypt. Hand Over tackles climate change by using local earthen materials as building components while striving to empower underprivileged communities through environmentally-friendly techniques. Hand Over also empowers and trains architecture and civil engineering students and connects them with their local communities so they can work jointly on the design and implementation of new buildings.

At the same time, Hand Over collaborates with local NGOs and private-sector companies to facilitate the process. Adapting the “Human Centered Design” approach in all the stages of its projects allows Hand Over to meet its goal of putting the needs of the people it serves front and center in order to design new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs.

Inspired by the sustainable building techniques she learned in various positions, Radwa Rostom founded Hand Over in 2016 and was soon selected as an Echoing Green Fellow. After she graduated with a degree in civil engineering from Ain Shams University, Radwa gained valuable experience in several positions ranging from project engineer in an environmental consulting firm to a corporate social responsibility specialist in a solar energy company. In these roles, she explored several fields such as energy efficiency, energy management systems, and green building.

In late 2016, Radwa reached out to the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation through her contacts at Echoing Green seeking assistance for contract reviews with various partner organizations in Egypt. She later sought the Foundation’s assistance in navigating Egyptian banking regulations to be able to receive grant money from a U.S. entity. In both cases, the Foundation was able to connect Radwa with Lex Mundi’s member firm for Egypt, the Shalakany Law Office, in order to secure critical pro bono legal support for Hand Over’s innovative mission.

“Social entrepreneurs usually face several challenges when they launch their startups and when they start to operate—challenges that are not relevant to their backgrounds and technical skills so I was grateful to have the support of one of the top law firms in Egypt,” Radwa said of her work with Shalakany Law Firm. “I faced some difficulties in transferring my grant that I received form Echoing Green due to my lack of knowledge about the laws and banking procedures of transferring foreign grants. Shalakany Law firm were very supportive during the whole process, they were familiar with my situation and their advice was directly on point. The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation team followed up closely until they knew that the case was resolved.”

News on Purpose August 2024

In This Issue:

  • Addressing the Need to Create a Single Market for Philanthropy in the EU
  • Budgeting for Equity and Economic Mobility
  • 2024 Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Awardees
  • Mayora & Mayora, a Leading Light in Latin America

Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Announces New Appointments to its Board of Directors

During the Lex Mundi Annual Connect & Collaborate Conference in London on May 10, 2024, Carlos Velázquez De León was elected as the new Chair of Lex Mundi and Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Foundation’s Board of Directors also elected Aniekan Ukpanah, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (Nigeria), to the position of Chair-Elect and Christel Van den Eynden, Liedekerke (Belgium), as a new director. The three new members join the Foundation’s current directors in seeking to embody the highest ideals of the legal profession. By promoting and facilitating the delivery of pro bono legal services, they support those positively improving lives worldwide.

2024 Pro Bono Foundation Annual Award Winners

The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation (the “Foundation”) was proud to recognize the following 2024 award recipients:

  • Day Pitney LLP, Lex Mundi member for USA, New Jersey
  • Deacons, Lex Mundi member for Hong Kong
  • Dudley Newman Feuerzeig LLP, Lex Mundi member for U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Shalakany Law Office, Lex Mundi member for Egypt
  • Wardyński & Partners, Lex Mundi member for Poland

 

News on Purpose

In This Issue:

  • Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Leading the Way in Support for Social Entrepreneurs: The Rise Ahead Pledge and Corporate Social Innovation Compass
  • Increasing Access to Assistive Technology
  • Arthur Cox, a Pro Bono Champion in Ireland

News On Purpose

In This Issue

  • Another Banner Year, 2023 in Review
  • Activating Humanitarian Resources Near Rafah
  • Bringing Safe Water to Schools
  • New Canadian Bar Association President Leading By Example

Legal Resources to Support those Responding to Humanitarian Needs Near Rafah

In light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis near Rafah, our Lex Mundi member for Egypt, Shalakany, has generously provided high-level guidance for NGOs seeking to activate resources in the area.

Find answers to the following questions:

  1. What is the regulatory framework for incorporating a foreign NGO in Egypt?
  2. What are the challenges associated with the incorporation of a foreign NGO in Egypt?
  3. What are the available alternative forms of registration?