Sisi launches initiative supporting 'neediest citizens'

CAIRO - 2 January 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced launching a national initiative to provide a "dignified life" for the neediest sectors of citizens in 2019, calling on state institutions and NGOs to participate.

On his official Facebook page, Sisi said the initiative comes under his "direct auspices".

He called on state institutions and civil society organizations to "unite their efforts and coordinate together" to launch a national initiative to provide citizens with a "dignified life" during this year.

"In the beginning of a new Gregorian year, I looked at last year to find the real hero of our nation. I found that the Egyptian citizen is the real hero; he courageously fought the battle of building, [solely] sacrificing and bearing the cost of economic reforms to establish a better future for the next generations," Sisi stated.

A few minutes after the post was published on President Sisi's Facebook page, Deputy Parliament Speaker al-Sayed al-Sherif told Egypt Today that the presidential initiative affirms that Sisi always cares about humble citizens and knows that they have recently been suffering.

"I will start by myself and will serve this initiative with all what I can," Sherif stated. He called on state institutions and businessmen to participate in order to achieve the goals of the initiative.

MP Mohamed Farag Amer, head of Parliament's Industry Committee, praised Sisi's remarks, describing the initiative as historical and first of its kind in political life, al-Dostor reported. He urged businessmen to prioritize this initiative to make it a success.