Established in 1999, the Egyptian Society for Developing Skills of Children with Special Needs known as Advance, is a non-profit organization founded by a group of families of children with autism and other related development disorders.
The society aims to offer life-long services to help children and adults develop their abilities and reach their full potential. It is the only specialized learning center for autistic children in Egypt. Such a great endeavor requires proper funding, which the Mansour Group has helped provide as Advance’s sole corporate supporter.
Mansour Group started its support of Advance in 2000 by paying rent for their operating premises. This aid then progressed to a more sustainable idea – that of building a small village for Advance where children can reside and grow as well as actively work in order to both provide for themselves and gain a sense of independence. This model also puts the project on a path towards more self-sustainability.
In 2004, the Group bought a plot of land for Advance and helped them with the creation of a new premises in which a small school was established starting with 10 students. Today, the school serves around 60 students, and with the completion of the project premises the school will be able to serve up to 200 students.
The Group is also helping Advance fundraise in order to expedite the completion of a permanent complex. In 2007, Advance started its first steps towards building the new complex. All foundations and basements have been built and work still continues. Up to date almost 60% of the work has been concluded and the full fledged school is to be launched by 2015. It is envisioned that Mansour Group will no longer need to support this project starting from 2015 after the premises and school are both completed.
For more information, please click here for the ADVANCE web site.