Who We Are

Les Partenaires de l’Association Canadienne de la Haute Egypte (PACHE) is a registered, non- profit, non-partisan and secular organization. PACHE is committed to help its partner The Association of Upper Egypt for Education and Development (AUEED) operating in Egypt, by contributing to the financing of projects and activities in the aim of offering quality education at school level to children, toward sustainable and democratic development for the rural communities of Upper Egypt.

Mission and Values

In all of its activities, PACHE adheres to the principles of impartiality, non-discrimination and professionalism and upholds the values of Respect, Solidarity, Partnership and Transparency.

Respect
PACHE ensures respect is practiced within its volunteers, members, with outside entities and towards the environment.

Solidarity
By developing a sense of personal and collective responsibility and through cooperative action with all concerned parties, PACHE builds solidarity with AUEED’s most disadvantaged people.

Partnership
PACHE and AUEED collaborate through their respective strengths and capabilities to achieve the goals and strategies they agreed to advance their common mission of developing rural communities of Upper Egypt. PACHE builds partnerships with other organizations and stakeholders in the aim of advancing its cause.

Transparency
PACHE maintains transparency in its management and decision-making processes and openness in its relationships with donors and partners. We adhere to recognized standards in financial reporting, disclose our financial statuses and detailed activities on our websites and invite all our donors and sponsors to our yearly general assembly where the Board of Directors make a point to be present and available to anyone who has questions or comments on our activities.

Governance

Since its creation, PACHE has adopted a structure based on voluntary work which allows the Board of directors to ensure that the association is soundly managed in the best interests of its members.

Members
PACHE is a membership-led organization. Membership is obtained upon making a financial contribution in the form of a donation, sponsorship, or by supporting and/or participating in one of the social activities.
Members accept the Organization’s mission and objectives and are prepared to participate in or to support its activities. Members seeking to deepen their involvement in the Organization are invited to become volunteers or to join the Board of directors.

General Assembly
The General Assembly comprises all active members who make up PACHE, acting in an individual and volunteer capacity. The assembly meets once a year to discuss performance, elect the Board of Directors and set the mandate for future activities.

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors, composed of up to twelve members, constitutes PACHE’s governing body and meets at least six times a year. The members of the Board direct the organization towards reaching its objectives, oversee the implementation planned activities, negotiate all legal contracts and maintain an efficient and accountable management system. A number of committees support the Board of Directors.

  • Mona Dimitri – President
  • Hany Naguib – Vice-president
  • Aïda Naguib – Secretary
  • Mina Santa – Treasurer
  • Members: Ashraf Armanios, Rania Nader, Chérif Lotfi, and Sarwat Tobia

Volunteers
All the members of the Board of Directors as well as the supporting committees are volunteers. They implement the planned activities and fundraising, raise awareness about PACHE mission, develop strategic and execution plans, create partnerships, and manage relations with donors and stakeholders in Canada, Egypt and other parts of the world.

History

Founded in 1969 by Canadians of Egyptian origin, PACHE celebrated 50 years of commitment and support to its partner AUEED which, for over 80 years, has been devoted to empowering underprivileged communities in Upper Egypt, through education and development programs.

From the association’s humble beginnings in 1969, PACHE has become one of AHEED’s most important international partners and donors.

  • 1969 – Every good thing has its beginning. It was in March 1969, following a meeting between Antoine Jammal, Henri Eid and Georges Habashi, Canadians of Egyptian origin, that Les amis des écoles chrétiennes d’Égypte was born, the Canadian wing of the Association of Upper-Egypt. At that time, there were approximately 30,000 Egyptians in Montreal, many of whom had known of the work of Father H. Ayrout in Egypt.
  • 1982 – Publication of the first newsletter Eux et nous which testifies to the way in which the movement works for the liberation of people and the service of the community while respecting all religious beliefs.
  • 1984 – Organization changed name to Les partenaires de l’association chrétienne de la Haute-Égypte pour les écoles et la promotion sociale.
  • 1996 – The organization changes its corporate name to Les partenaires de l’association de la Haute-Égypte pour l’éducation et le développement (PACHE). It has since been a registered, non-partisan and non-denominational charity.
  • 2019 – With more than 1000 members, PACHE celebrates 50 years of commitment and support to its partner AUEED.