A Decent Life: A Historical Initiative to develop the Egyptian countryside

 CAIRO - 14 February 2020: Members of the House of Representatives stated that the "Decent Life" initiative would make a qualitative leap in the villages of the Egyptian countryside.

In the same context, Imad Saad Hammouda, head of the House of Representatives Housing Committee, said that "Decent life" initiative, launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, aims to raise the level of the provided services in various sectors and fields to establish the illages and housing that the Egyptian people deserve.

Hammouda added that the initiative is working to improve all the services in villages, which will end the suffering and problems that have lasted for decades, pointing out that the problems of the countryside’s villages, in particular, have been among the most outstanding issues for many years.

The head of the House of Representatives’ Housing Committee explained that the issue of developing informal settlements and villages is among the most prominent files that the state is taking serious steps in.

In the same context, MP Mahmoud Hamdi Abu al-Khair described the initiative as a real step to resolve crises in the Egyptian villages across the Republic.

This initiative reflects the political leadership’s keenness to boost the standard of living of the incapable, simple, and low-income groups, and provide them with a safe and humane life.

People's demands

The people of Atledim village in Minya governorate welcomed with great joy the Decent life initiative. This village, which has a population of nearly 100,000 citizens, was included in the initiative. Egypt Today monitored the people's demands, what they want from the initiative, and how it will change the shape of the village after its implementation.

Ibrahim Muhammad Muhanna, director general of Education in the village, said: “We need a school, in addition to maintaining the hospital and the mud-brick houses that are about to collapse. Thank you, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for a decent life.”

As for Khalifa Badawi, a resident of the village said: "We still suffer from a sanitation problem, and natural gas must be made available in the village."

Moreover, one of the villagers, Muhammad Salih, said: “I am asking to have my house properly rebuilt because its walls are cracked as it is built of mud bricks. We have no money to do that ourselves. My brother and all of my family members sleep on the ground and find snakes in the house. We dream of rebuilding our old houses.”

It is noteworthy that Minya Governorate is among the governorates participating in Decent Life Initiative. Five centers will be developed, namely, Dermas, Mallawi, Abu Qurqas, Adwa, and Maghagha. This includes 192 villages, where infrastructure will be improved, and sanitation, education, health, and roads will be developed.

The presidential initiative “Decent Life” announced readiness to receive volunteers to participate in the national project to develop 1,500 villages in 20 Egyptian governorates.

Young volunteers for the initiative

A week after launching calls for participation and volunteering in the national project, the number of applicants through the site reached 17,830 from various governorates.

The "Decent Life", recently and for the first time, announced on its social media accounts opening door for applications from youths nationwide. High participation rates were witnessed in the governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, Minya, Beheira, Aswan, Gharbia, New Valley, and Sharkia.

The percentage of applying males was 63 percent and the percentage of females was 37 percent. Ages of applicants mostly ranged from 20 to 30 years, and a large percentage of university students from various disciplines applied.

For registration, you can visit: https://www.hayakarima.com/api/register

Decent Life Initiative, launched by the president in 2019, aims to provide a decent life for the most vulnerable groups nationwide. It contributes to enhancing the quality of daily public services provided to citizens, with an eye to inhabitants of rural areas.

The initiative also provides health care, medical services, surgeries and prosthetic devices to these groups.

Moreover, it aims to develop Egypt’s poorest villages, according to the poverty map, provides job opportunities and supports orphan girls to get married.