Samsung Launches Youth Education Initiative in Upper Egypt

Cairo, Egypt - May 15, 2011 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Egypt, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, recently launched a new CSR initiative to empower the technological skills of Upper Egypt's children under its campaign, "Samsung Hope for Children."  Building on the momentum of recent events in Egypt, Samsung will inspire Upper Egypt's children to become active members of the society  by providing them with the necessary communication tools that will allow them speak their minds freely. As such, Samsung Egypt has partnered with the Association of Upper Egypt for Education & Development (AUEED) to provide state-of-the-art IT equipment and IT training to schools in Upper Egypt, one of the poorest rural areas in the country. 

"Samsung believes that supporting the advancement and development of this generation's skills through technology is the first step to shaping a community's future," commented Duke Park, General Manager of Samsung Electronics Egypt.  "The recent events in Egypt were largely inspired by the youth and through their use of technology, they have made the society take a leap towards freedom of speech. Samsung feels that this new generation deserves every opportunity to succeed in achieving their goals of creating a new Egypt and this is why we are thrilled to help by providing Samsung's innovative technology to underprivileged rural communities in Upper Egypt."

In collaboration with AUEED, Samsung will provide financial and technological aid to schools in Upper Egypt creating a modern learning environment for the children to allow them to redefine and broaden their thinking, behavior and skills. By doing so, this will help them to interact effectively with the world and the people around them, comprehending their opinions and point of views in life. AUEED was established in 1940 and is a non-profit, community-based organization working in Upper Egypt to empower local communities.  Samsung Egypt will educate and equip around 11,200 students in 34 private primary schools operated by AUEED in Upper Egypt with the technology tools that will allow them to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the world looks like.

Samsung's project will be completed over two years at schools in Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena and Luxor.  The first phase will be implemented during 2011 and includes the building and managing of brand new computer labs that will house Samsung laptops, printers, projectors and Samsung Virus Doctors, which are state of the art air purifiers that act as a precaution against airborne viruses.  The second phase will be to upgrade existing computer labs and will follow the completion of the first phase.  Samsung will also offer local teachers of those schools training on a wide range of IT skills that will help make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun. In addition, Samsung employees will play a role by training students on how to use computers and surf the internet to connect them to experts in the real world and provide numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text.