“Reviviscence”: documentary features Egypt’s long journey to end slums

CAIRO – 12 February 2021: Shedding light on Egypt's long journey to end unsafe slums crises, DMC channel produced a 29-minute documentary that reviews how housing projects such as Asmarat and Bashar El khier were a live saving step for more than 150K citizens and families.

The newly produced documentary, “Reviviscence”, includes testimonials from several residents and officials who witnessed these projects turn from just dreams to real houses.

Featuring several people in the documentary, they explained how their life changed since moving to the newly-established housing projects, ending dangerous life that poses a lot of threats to living a normal life free from all social and entertainment services

The budget of Asmarat, Bashar El khier, Ahalina, Al Mahrosa and Rawdat Al Sayda housing projects escalated gradually according to one of the officials featured in the documentary until it reached finally LE 38 Billion.

The first batches of the projects were delivered in May 2016, under the slogan 'long live Egypt' as other phases are still to be finished and delivered during the coming period with the aim of eliminating all of the unsafe slums inside the country.

In May 2016, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi promised to move all those living in slums to new flats over 3 years as part of an ambitious project expected to cost -then- about LE 14 billion ($790 million); however, the budget was upgraded until reaching LE 38 Billion.

In the same context, the Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) Fund, launched by Sisi in 2014, has been working on a three-phase strategy to eliminate Egypt’s shantytowns and re-house slum residents, including those living in Doueyka, Establ Antar and Ezbet Khair Allah.

Last September, President Sisi urged continuous state efforts and projects to develop unsafe slums in the capital, Cairo, to secure appropriate housing units for citizens, the Egyptian Presidency said.

Developing unsafe areas in all engineering, organizational and environmental aspects aims at improving the humanitarian and housing situation of dwellers of these areas, the President said, as he met with Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli and Housing Minister.

The step comes based on leading experience of the state throughout the past few years in this field across the Egyptian governorates.

Sisi visited some of these housing projects during the last period.

Last July Sisi toured the housing project of Asmarat, which gives an alternative accommodation for residents of unsafe slums.