Poverty in Egypt represents a serious social, economic and political problem. In spite, or perhaps because, of the economic liberalization and structural adjustment policies that aim at sustainable economic growth and increased employment, poverty remains a widespread phenomenon that increases over time.
Poverty in Egypt, although it is wide-spread every where, 
it is more concentrated in Upper Egypt than in Lower Egypt, in rural areas than in urban ones, among women than among men. Therefore, small farmer's households living in rural areas in Upper Egypt, particularly female members, are having the greatest level of deprivation.
It was in Minia, - a mainly rural area - that the final battles of the Islamist insurgency took place in 1997 and 1998 before security was restored to Upper Egypt. The province, quiet for the past two years, is now slowly dragging itself out of the economic devastation wreaked by the protracted campaigns. Under a vigorous governor and with the cooperation of local development councils and aid agencies, Minia is now poised for a comeback – though many problems remain…
In this scenario job opportunity creation is proving to be a major need for Minia population. 
JOC program aims to create job opportunities by linking unemployed population with the labor market through an integrated structure composed by a Professional and Vocational Training Center (PVTC), an Employment and Information Center and a Micro Credit Programme which covers the most market-demanded professions and vocations. Consequently, people can start to move their first steps in the labor market with a deeper understanding of the new regional economic environment, provided with a range of new tools, namely trainings, loans, consultants’ support, database and website, which enable them to run and manage small independent businesses or to obtain sustainable jobs .
Location(s)
| Loans Services | 3 different loans products targeting women and disabled, small enterprises, and beneficiaries of vocational trainings |
| Trainings Services | Monthly professional and vocational trainings, delivered directly by the PVTC or by workshops, factories, and other organizations as internships |
| Employment services | Link unemployed with employment markets opportunities through consultants and a database of labor market demands |
| Understanding the market demand | Periodical publications, consultative workshops with concerned stakeholders and a [website|http://www.nvad.org] to link job seekers with the labor market |
