Welcome To Nawaya

Our Vision

To build a community-based network that actively produces, preserves, and promotes Egyptian heritage food diets.

Our Mission

To improve the socio-economic conditions of Egyptian farmers and promote healthier, more traditional eating habits by transforming their existing resources into successful projects. We strive to open new markets and opportunities for them by employing both traditional and modern methods.

Our Values

Welcome to Nawaya, where community growth isn’t just a mission; it is a heartfelt journey we embark on together. Here is a glimpse into our approach that ensures buy-in from the local community as well as cost-effective sustainability of our programs through the development of local skills and enterprises to become partners in program implementation and scaling out:

Preserving Heritage

We deeply respect and preserve the Egyptian Food Heritage, recognizing our traditional culture as the essence of who we are.

Promoting Healthy Habits

We advocate for healthy dietary habits by embracing traditional cooking methods and using raw ingredients, staying true to our cultural roots.

Seasonal and Sustainable Choices

We encourage individuals to honor the seasonality of crops, choosing to consume only fresh ingredients in their prime. Additionally, we promote the preservation of ingredients using traditional, healthier methods.

Thriving Work Environment

We cultivate a healthy work environment where each team member is actively engaged with Nawaya's vision, mission, and values, integrating them into their core beliefs.

Community-Centric Engagement

We interact with local communities sincerely and honestly, respecting their original methods and traditions, without imposing our influence.

Promoting Fairer food systems

Nawaya empowers individuals to reclaim their role as consumers by sharing risks with small-scale farming communities and engaging in solidarity tourism and conscious buying. Each meal becomes a powerful vote, shaping the food system we aspire to be part of.

Our History

Our Story

Since our inception in 2011, Nawaya has embarked on a transformative journey, dedicated to empowering small-scale farming families across Egypt. It all began with our first composting workshop, where we laid the groundwork for sustainable agriculture practices. As we nurtured these initiatives, our efforts blossomed into the launch of the Sustainable Agriculture Program in 2013, supported by the Drosos Foundation. Our dedication to knowledge-sharing and innovation led to a pivotal collaboration with Access Agriculture in 2013, where we became their trusted partners in video production. These farmer-to-farmer videos became a cornerstone of our outreach efforts, providing invaluable resources for training and education in sustainable agricultural practices. In 2014, a significant milestone marked our journey as we unveiled Baladini, a pioneering women-led project funded by the Finland Embassy, symbolizing our commitment to collective rural initiative in food processing. Over the years, Nawaya's impact has extended beyond local communities to embrace broader international movements advocating for fairer food systems. As members of esteemed coalitions like Habitat International Coalition and the Mediterranean Local Solidarity Partnership for Agroecology with Urgenci & Terre et Humanisme, we've amplified our voice for change on a global scale. The establishment of the Nawaya Community Kitchen in 2022 stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to creating a better, more equitable future. As we embark on the next chapter of our journey, including initiatives like the Rural Heritage Initiative and the Ecological & Cooperative Agriculture Network in Egypt, funded by the Drosos Foundation and Porticus respectively, we remain steadfast in our mission to empower communities and foster sustainable development.