International Budget Partnership 47d ago

Shamseya, a social enterprise based in Egypt, is working to put healthcare budget knowledge in the hands of communities — and the results are remarkable. When a community in Egypt discovered that their local hospital lacked a renal dialysis unit, forcing patients to travel three times a week for treatment, they didn't accept the status quo. Armed with budget data and supported by Shamseya and the International Budget Partnership (IBP), they engaged their Member of Parliament directly. Within one week, a renal dialysis unit was established in the hospital. This is the tangible impact of fiscal transparency and citizen engagement — not as abstract principles, but as tools for real, measurable change in people's lives. As Ayman Sabae, CEO of Shamseya for Innovative Healthcare Solutions, puts it: government officials are increasingly seeing civil society not as adversaries, but as partners in service delivery. That shift in dynamic is what meaningful accountability looks like. This story was produced with funding from the European Commission. -----------------------------------------------------