<p>Mr. Mostafa Hashem, Managing Partner of Focus Experiential Agency and Al-Manfaz Initiative, was NileFM's guest on "The Big Drive," and this is what he told us about &lsquo;Al-Manfaz&rsquo;:&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>What exactly is Al-Manfaz?</strong></p>
<p>Let me take you a couple of steps back and tell you the story and how it evolved to Al-Manfaz. So we're focused on experiential marketing. We're a marketing agency. We've been in business for nearly 10 years now. And we've realised we've got a lot of marketing expertise, and we've got some amazing clients that we work with. So we thought, like, well, we could also take this to the next level and do something good for society using our experience and the support of the clients we have. And that's where the whole idea of creating this gateway or hub to enable corporates to create a different experience with all their CSR activities comes in. So, you know, corporations, they do a lot of corporate social responsibility activities, and they do a lot of support in the society. So we thought, instead of just doing donations and that's it, why don't we create an experience around the whole CSR activities corporates do in Egypt? And so they create an experience and support the society. So that's how the whole concept works. And it officially went live in 2023. So, that's when Al-Manfaz was born, and the first activity during Ramadan went live.</p>
<p><strong>What is that experience?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>We are not an NGO ourselves. We're a for-profit organisation. But we do partner with two NGOs in Egypt who take care of the actual donation work. But we thought, let's create that different experience. We have created two events that we started in 2023. One is called Kolyum Hikaya, or Every Day a Story, and that happens in Ramadan. Every day during Ramadan we've got a story or an experience that one of our corporates shares with us. The second event is Back to School, so that happens towards September to support children in need when they're going back to school. And we call that Madrasta Al-Sa'adaa, or School of Happiness. So these are the two initiatives that we came up with to create those experiences.Ramadan EventThe way it works is that corporates sponsor the day and the experience, and the aim is to provide Ramadan boxes for those in need, and also we renovate kitchens during Ramadan. This year we're aiming for 100,000 boxes to be distributed across Egypt and renovating 100 kitchens all over the country. So we make sure that everyone gets a share of the boxes and also the kitchen renovations. And during back to school, we provide the children with supplies they need from a school bag, like the key things that you would need. We also provide a lunchbox with the actual supplies that they would need. So milk, drinks, and so on. We also participate in renovating schools. And I must say that this wouldn't have been possible without the support of the government. So I want to also take the opportunity to thank the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Her Excellency Dr. Maya Morsi, and also the Minister of Education, because you can't do social work without the support of those ministries. &nbsp;</p>
<p><br /><strong>What about the Ramadan event this year, and how does it differ from previous Ramadan events?</strong></p>
<p>We built this huge tent, which is actually a hub where it could hold up to 300 people at a time, and we built this belt similar to the ones you get at the airport where you see luggage moving on. That's where the boxes start to get loaded, and we have the corporates come in, and they contribute to the actual packing. But not only do they do the packing; there's a team-building activity involved, so they come in, they do a team-building activity, they do some exercise, a few icebreakers at the beginning, they do a few games, and so on, and then they actually start onto the packing activity. So is it teamwork?Absolutely, and the beauty is that you see everyone on board, from the CEOs and the executive team to all members of staff. Everyone is working hand in hand and participating together. So it becomes quite interesting, and it creates that memorable experience, and you're doing it for a good cause as well. So we're having fun. &nbsp;What's happening new this Ramadan? First of all, we're partnering with a team-building provider, Society of Play. They're going to be doing the team-building activities for the companies this year, so it's going to be a lot more exciting, with some new games involved. So that's one key thing, and it will hopefully create those better vibes and better experiences for those participating. We've also turned the location, the hub, into an Iftar place once the packing is all done. So, you can have your entire team enjoy Iftar in the same place right after you've done the packing activities and all the team-building exercises. So these are two key new things happening on the ground this year, but also the mission itself is getting much bigger. Last year, we aimed at 50,000 boxes.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>How many are there this year?</strong></p>
<p>This year, we're aiming at 100,000 boxes and 100 kitchens, so it's a much bigger challenge. We're aiming for more. There's a lot of packing, so you guys need to come over. What about the clients that participate with the Al-Manfaz Initiative?So obviously, without the clients, those corporates that take part every year, AlManfez would not exist. They are the ones that make the contribution. We have had clients with us since the first edition. Absolutely. They come in every year, participate every year, and they just don't get enough of it, which is absolutely. What&rsquo;s the beauty of Al-Manfaz? The beauty of Al-Manfaz versus just making a donation is actually participating in making it happen. The giving part, the donation itself, is fairly easy; like, if you get the means, you can make the donation, but it's taking the time from those executives and those corporates from the team members coming in, contributing, participating&mdash;that's what makes Al-Manfaz different than other activities.</p>
<p><strong>What about the new clients that participate with the Al-Manfaz Initiative?</strong></p>
<p>As I mentioned, there are quite a few clients, and some of them are new this year. Others have been with us since the first day of the first edition in 23. One other client I really want to give a shout-out for today is Maggie. Maggie has made a huge contribution this year as well. Whether it's to the boxes that are going to be distributed or the kitchen renovations as well. They've done a big chunk of the kitchen renovations this year, and they're also making an iftar on Mother's Day.How can other companies join you?We do have a few slots remaining. Most of the Ramadan calendar is now fully booked, but we still do have slots remaining for Ramadan. So if you're really keen on joining, you better do it this week or it's going to be gone. But also, if you've got no time to join us in Ramadan, you could also join us at Back to School in September, where we start the activities towards June time. So if you want to reach out, the number one source would be Instagram, almanfez.eg. You could reach us through there, or you could call us on our phone number, which is 011-500-24674. and we'd be more than happy to take a few more companies if we still have slots. Get on it. That's the message that we're giving you right now. Otherwise, you're going to miss that chance. It's going to be a good opportunity to be part of that. Something really, really special.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Who are the rest of the team?</strong></p>
<p>I definitely want to give a big shout-out and thank you to Karim. Karim's our CEO, and he's the one that started the whole journey. I also want to give a shout-out to Dina. Dina is the mastermind behind Al-Manfaz. Shout out to Noran, who actually brought me into this whole thing in the first place. And shout out to the amazing team we have in Focus and Almanfaz. Everyone's doing an amazing job. Everyone's working really hard. And now's the time when everyone's like, There's no sleep now. Everyone's waiting. Everyone's getting ready. So big shout out to that amazing team we have and the amazing spirit.</p>
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