Activities of the Association:
1.Improving the working environment for the Quarry Workers in Minia; they face problems and accidents daily, related to the working environment and the primitive machines. The Association aims at improving the quarry sector – establishing an association to care for the workers –registering a syndicate committee to defend the legal rights of the workers; the social and health insurance – liberating children from this dangerous profession which is the worst type of work a child could do.

2.Care and Protection of the Fishermen in Minia; this project aims at improving work opportunities and income by offering alternative methods for keeping the fish, marketing, preserving the source (the River); and enabling the fishermen to get their licenses and fishing tools.

3.Improving the standard of people’s lives in the marginalized communities.
*Improving women’s lives, economically, socially and health in the 12 villages, east of the Nile, in Minia.
*Supporting Wadi El- Nile Association working with the Quarry workers.
*Supporting the development of new community institutions and developing the role of local popular assemblies to address the communities’ problems, have access to government resources and empower women to become members.
*Improving the lives of landless peasants and small farmers in three communities, and empowering them.
*Supporting 1000 women to get their IDs.

4.Water and Sanitation Project; enabling the poor to obtain potable water and healthy, safe latrines in their homes.

5.Prevention of Female Circumcision; The project aims to prevent the physical violation (Female Gentle Mutilation; FGM) of 1500 girls between the age of 8 to 13 years old in 6 villages during a period of 5 years, which is the period till the girls become 13 years old without being circumcised.
*To design a quantitative and qualitative database on the habit of female circumcision in 6 villages.
*To mobilize the local community, decision makers, and concerned parties to gain their support and assistance in preventing this physical violation.
*To empower and enable 50 local women (heath visitors) to mobilize the local community, raise families’ awareness, to reject practicing this habit.
*To enable 1500 girls between 8 to 13 years old, so that to be capable of expressing themselves strongly refusing the practice of FGM on them.
*To change the way of gaining living of 50 midwives and health barbers who practice FGM for living; through establishing a revolving fund that gives loans to them to open alternative projects.

6.Decreasing the incidence of FGM in 8 communities in Minia by helping local NGOs to identify and mobilize community based solution by engaging positive Deviation.
*Increase knowledge of community members of dangers of FGM and empower them to be advocates for eradicating the practice.
*Support leaders to break the silence about FGM in their communities.
*Conduct community mobilization activities related to eradicating FGM.
*Increase the number of girls saved from FGM.
*Help to establish FGM Free communities.

7.Habitat Project; (Improving the housing); this project aimed at improving the quality of housing for the poor by establishing a revolving fund which lends money for the improvement of their houses. The project enabled 450 families in Sawada community to build and reconstruct their houses.

8.Developing the Education Process in Primary Schools; this project has been implemented in 50 deprived villages in 7 Governorates in Upper Egypt; Fayoum – Bani Suif – Minia – Assuit – Sohag – Kena – Aswan. This project aims at improving the educational process through the training of teachers about methods and styles of education, participation of the child as an essential element in the educational process, training and activating the Parents Board to join the school with the community, instructing them how to maintain and upkeep the schools and providing literacy classes to teach parents who are unable to read and write.

9.Currently we are exploring a project to care for senior citizens.

10.Environmental Projects; introducing proper technology to improve traditional ovens and stoves in the villages, to reduce the smoke and gases they produce.  Other projects include preserving fuel, tree plantation and environmental awareness by teaching the children how to keep the environment clean and maintained.

11.Assisted 30+ women from the east side of the Nile bank in getting personal IDs.
Projects of the association:
Capacity Building of NGOs:
BLACD has a wide experience in building the capacity of other NGOs supported by BLACD; such Wadi El-Nil Association for Protection of Quarry Workers and Hope Association for Women Development. This includes technical and financial support, presenting training and joining these NGOs with local and international resources.
BLACD is working with partners for funding:
*Novib; Netherlands (main funding source)
*Ford Foundation; USA
*Diakonia; Sweden 
*ESDF; Egyptian Swiss Development Fund
*Christian Aid; England
*UNICEF; United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
Small Projects with small grants from:
*The German Embassy in Cairo
*The Irish Embassy in Cairo
*The Canadian Embassy in Cairo
Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development is a member in the International Alliance for Housing and Land Rights and has joined the International Network for Social and Economical Rights.  BLACD is also a founding member in the Arabian Network for Children at Risk.