Egypt Zakat House holds conference with Kuwait participation

The Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar University Ahmad Al-Tayeb said that the House of Zakat and Charity would be formed as a "legitimate and independent authority" that has no affiliation to any official bodies.
Al-Tayeb, in a joint press conference with charities representative from Kuwait, UAE, and Bahrain, stressed importance of House of Zakat (alms) in improving level of living of needy ones, spreading awareness in religious issues, providing care and aid for poor and weak individuals, and contributing in building a strong economy.
The House of Zakat and Chairty is keen to establish local projects that provide jobs for the unemployed, such as crafts and occupancies that are familiar in poor areas and rural provinces, the Egyptian religious figure said in the conference.
The House's board of trustees is specialized in drawing up general policies, approving plans and activities programs, determining aspects of investments, approving annual budget draft and concluding account, and approving interior organizational structure and regulations, he said.
"The idea behind establishing Egyptian House of Zakat and Charity was inspired by its Kuwaiti counterpart," he said in reply to a question by KUNA on ways to benefit from expertise of Kuwait's Zakat House in the alms and philanthropic field, adding that there is a major coordination between the two sides in order to attain the most benefit possible from the Kuwaiti experience.
For his part, Ibrahim Ahmad Al-Saleh, Director General of Kuwait Zakat House, affirmed existence of a full cooperation between the Kuwaiti house of alms and its Egyptian counterpart in transferring all aspects of support, as well as efforts to develop alms' resources.
A meeting is to be held to consult on final formation of the House of Zakat Council, Al-Saleh stated to KUNA, adding the meeting will also discuss ways to lay a work strategy for receiving and distributing alms and charities in full transparency.
Kuwait Zakat House will dedicate all its expertise in favor of Egypt House of Zakat and Charity's success, he affirmed, noting depth of historic ties between Kuwait and Egypt and people of both countries.
The joint conference, organized by board of trustees of Egypt House of Zakat and Charity, was attended by Mohammad Haji Al-Khouri, Director General of UAE's Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation, Dr. Mustafa Al-Sayed, Secretary General of Bahrain Royal Charity Organization, and a number of Egyptian senior officials and experts.