Giving Compass' Take:

• Glenn Meyer reports that Egypt's crackdown on NGOs has opened up opportunities for social enterprises to make an impact in the country. 

• Can social enterprises fill the gap left by NGOs? 

• Learn how governments around the world are impeding philanthropy. 

Egypt's new law restricting non-governmental organizations has created an opportunity for social enterprises to fill the void, says Isabel Brüggemann, PhD candidate at Cambridge Judge Business School.
The historic Karnak Temple in the Egyptian city of Luxor is one of the world's most famous heritage sites, but its ancient ruins have long posed an obstacle course for people with disabilities. Happily, Egypt's Minister of Antiquities recently announced that the entire temple, constructed over two millenniums beginning around 2055 BC, will soon be accessible through a series of wheelchair-friendly walkways.

The initiative is spearheaded by a social enterprise known as Helm (Arabic for "dream"), which focuses on improving inclusion for people with disabilities in the workplace and society at large. Helm teamed up with the Egyptian government and local authorities on the project, which could provide a boost to an Egyptian tourist industry that has been hard hit by the country's recent political turmoil.

In fact, Helm's very status as a social enterprise has been instrumental in the organization's success in Luxor amidst widespread political unrest following a 2013 military coup that ousted the country's first freely elected president.

The government of current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has cracked down on non-governmental organizations through a 2017 law that severely restricts NGO activity. Human rights groups and many charities say the measure effectively bans their activities for political reasons.

Yet, the harsh NGO law has created an opening for social enterprises to help meet pressing needs, and ventures like Helm are successfully filling that void. Helm not only helps disabled tourists in Luxor, but is engaged in many other worthy projects such as the installation of textured "tactile blocks" in Cairo to help the visually impaired on pathways and in public transport stations.

Read the full article about social enterprise in Egypt by Glenn Meyer at Khentiamentiu.