Upper Egypt suffers from a shortage of nurses, mainly due to the poor image of the nursing profession. As a result, schools are not working at full capacity, and hospitals are unable to attract new local recruits to fill vacant nursing positions. There is a need to build the capacity of the nursing schools, and to work on improving the negative image of this profession. "When I became a nurse, there was a lot of negative talk about the profession. I got worried. I joined the training to become a nursing teacher. Now I know that this talk was nonsense. I teach my girls the love and respect this profession. I also work hard to improve the image of nursing all over Aswan." - Abir, a newly hired teacher.

The project aims at improving the image of the nursing profession in Upper Egypt, and to train and employ some 31 nurses to become teachers in the six nursing schools in Aswan as well as upgrading the skills of nine teachers. The project also aims at improving the management and administrative skills within the nursing schools

The Governorate of Aswan has adopted the project, implemented under its auspices.

The Faculty of Nursing, University of Assiut provides the curriculum for the training of nursing teachers, delivers the training, and provides certification to successful graduates.

The Center for Development Services (CDS), an NGO established to support individuals and organizations to realize their full potential. It manages large-scale development programs, and provides technical assistance through tailored training and consultancy services to support governmental, non-governmental, and international organizations working in the field of development. CDS designs the curriculum, delivers part of the training, and is in charge of overall coordination of project implementation.

The Directorate of Health Directorate in Aswan guarantees employment for the 31 new nursing teachers, in addition to supporting the project and facilitating its implementation.

Ten local NGOs work on improving community perception of the nursing profession.

The project succeeded in training and employing 32 new nurses in the five nursing schools: El Nafak, Aswan, Kom Ombo, Daraw and Nasr El Nuba. The 10 Edfu nursing school teachers were retrained and their skills upgraded. The project succeeded in changing the perception of the profession in Aswan through community based-activities undertaken by 10 local NGOs and the launching of intensive campaigns in the local media. As a result, the number of enrollment in the schools increased from 170 (2001) to 525 (2004) with a raise in the percentage required for acceptance. The project was awarded the 2004 International Prize for Pioneering Development Projects by the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) including a prize of US$ 150,000