Beheira's countryside witnesses 8K projects as part of Haya Karima initiative for rural communities

CAIRO – 15 August 2021: In Beheira, the Delta, work is underway around the clock to develop the governorate’s countryside as part of Haya Karima initiative.

Six markaz (an administrative subdivision that is smaller than a governorate and larger than a village) are witnessing varied development of more than 8,000 projects at a cost of over L.E.44 billion, said Beheira governor Hesham Amena. 

The markaz include Damanhour, Kafr el-Dawar, Abu Hums, Hosh Eissa, Aboul Matamir, and Natrun Valley.

The projects include 42 main villages, 207 minor villages, and more than 3,900 districts.

Service complexes are being established in several markaz, as well as agricultural service complexes, and veterinarian units.

The national project Haya Karima, or  Decent Life, was launched following the directions of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the beginning of 2019.

It has sought to develop the villages of the Egyptian countryside, with the aim of providing a decent life for the groups and villages who are most in need, within a timeframe of three years.

This national project came to unify the efforts of state institutions and civil society, in an effort to improve the social, environmental and economic living conditions of the groups who are most in need within the Egyptian rural population in 175 centers across 4209 villages.

It targets a total of 29,400 dependencies who constitute 57.8 percent of the population of the republic; and a total budget of 515 billion pounds has been allocated for the project.

The first phase began in July 2019 to develop 375 of the poorest villages and rural gatherings in 14 governorates.

It included health and educational services; sanitation and drinking water; electricity and natural gas; roads and transportation; youth and sports; and social interventions for the neediest groups.

In its first stage, the national project succeeded in improving the lives of 375 rural communities, with a total of 4.46 million beneficiaries, and investments worth LE 13.5 billion.

A total of 600 projects have been completed and 1580 projects are set to be implemented by the end of 2021 across 14 governorates.

The first phase was divided into 143 villages whose development was completed in 11 governorates. A total of 52,000 social interventions were implemented through 23 societies under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, and the projects are still active in 232 villages in 12 governorates.

The national project was crowned by the launch of the second phase by President Sisi on Dec. 28, 2020, to become a major milestone in the development of a larger number of villages in rural Egypt, across 20 governorates, 51 centers and 1376 villages, — which may further reach 1500 — with an average total investment of LE 150 billion and total number of 18 million beneficiaries.

The national project ‘A Decent Life’ continues to enumerate the projects and the needs of citizens in all the targeted villages, along with many state agencies and institutions, accounting for more than 20 ministries and agencies, in addition to the participation of civil society, bringing together for the first time 23 associations meeting in public work.

That is in addition to the role of volunteer youth from the Foundation for a Decent Life, the youth of the presidential program, and volunteers from all directions.

Decent Life is a national project that aims to address multidimensional poverty, develop the Egyptian human being, and create a sustainable decent life, by providing infrastructure networks in centers and villages; building homes and raising their efficiency in decent housing; and providing medical services by establishing, equipping and operating medical units along with humanitarian aid, and social interventions for the development of people and the most vulnerable groups such as widows, divorced women and people with special needs. It further seeks to ensure the element of sustainability by providing job opportunities, training and employment, as well as establishing medium, small and micro enterprises, in addition to providing educational services starting from the establishment of schools, literacy and many awareness and cultural initiatives.