LE200 Bn allocated for Egypt’s ‘Haya Karima’ in 21/2022 year

CAIRO – 28 April 2021: Egypt’s sustainable development plan for the fiscal year 2021-2022 has allocated L.E. 200 billion for the social initiative “Haya Karima.”

The allocation was announced by Minister of Planning Hala el-Saeed before the Budget and Planning committee at the parliament.

The L.E. 200 billion budget allocated for the initiative will be invested in health (L.E. 27.5 billion), education (L.E. 4.4 billion), electricity (L.E. 20 billion), sanitation and drinking water (L.E. 102 billion) and paving roads (L.E. 12.2 billion).

According to El-Saeed, the 2021/22 plan targets to establish 10,828 classrooms, develop 782 youth centers and playgrounds, establish and develop 317 governmental service buildings, rehabilitate and line of canals of 2,670 km length, develop 1,250 health care units, establish 389 ambulances, provide 510 mobile clinics, establish and develop 112 veterinary units and establish 191 agricultural service centers.  

“Haya Karima initiative reflects the state’s keenness to maintain comprehensive human rights through providing a humane and dignified life by providing decent housing and other services,” said Member of Parliament Yasser Omar.

The initiative takes into account the middle class and lower-income families, by increasing wages and pensions, which reflects the understanding that families are affected by the repercussions of the pandemic, in an attempt to reduce the burden on them.  

MP Mostafa Salem said “there is a real development shift in Upper Egypt after decades of being marginalized,” as he explained that Upper Egypt allocations in the general budget have doubled over the last three years, from 55 billion pounds in the 2019/2020 budget, to about 88 billion pounds in the 2020/2021 budget.

“It is expected to increase in the 2021/2022 budget to reach 104 billion pounds, but more is still needed in proportion to the population of Upper Egypt, which represents 39 percent,” Salem added.

In 2020, Haya Karima was announced as a non-profit organization to implement the objectives of the initiative. A cooperation between three main ministries: Local Development, Social Solidarity and Planning, in addition to the participation of 16 civil society institutions.

The initiative has provided financial support to the most needy citizens, as well as services including medical, residential and job opportunities.

A study by the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies has revealed how the social initiative “Haya Karima” has changed the livelihoods in the Egyptian villages.

The study said that there was 75 percent of the villages in Egypt suffer apparent shortage in some development sectors, services and facilities such as clean water networks, sanitation and gas, electricity, schools and hospitals.

The study has confirmed that “Haya Karima” has worked to improve the standard of living and provide job opportunities in small and medium enterprises for the poor in the most needy areas.