Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, Maya Morsi, and Minister of Local Development, Manal Awad, convened with governors on Sunday to discuss the mechanisms for collaboration with civil society organizations aimed at rehabilitating homes for low-income families in rural villages as part of the first phase of Egypt’s “Decent Life” initiative.
The rehabilitation efforts will involve connecting 123,000 homes to essential utility networks, repairing roofs, and installing new flooring. These projects will be primarily carried out by well-established civil society organizations such as Orman and Misr El Kheir, with completion expected by June 30, 2025.
Empowering Women and Youth: A Core Focus
In addition to infrastructure work, the government has prioritized the empowerment of women and youth in rural Egypt. In November 2024, Minister Morsi and Khaled Abdel Aziz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Coalition for Civil Work, signed a cooperation protocol to provide funding for women and youth-led enterprises in villages covered by the “Decent Life” initiative. The program is focused on six governorates: Aswan, Asyut, Beni Suef, Giza, Alexandria, and Daqahliyah, and targets individuals aged 21 to 55, including disabled individuals.
The funding program aims to help participants establish and grow small enterprises, and it is complemented by training in various essential skills, such as business management, crafts, online marketing, microfinancing, veterinary care, and insurance for poultry projects. The training also includes sales strategies and support with capital financing to help entrepreneurs establish sustainable businesses.
Additionally, the National Council for Women (NCW) continues to provide financial literacy training for women across several governorates, including Aswan, Asyut, Matrouh, Qalyubia, Dakahlia, and Kafr El Sheikh. This training, part of the “New Beginning” Presidential Initiative, is designed to empower women with the financial knowledge needed to run small and micro-enterprises. The courses cover topics such as financial planning, marketing principles, entrepreneurship fundamentals, time management, prioritizing responsibilities, and business registration and accounting. It also introduces women to organizations offering support for small businesses, thus enabling them to access resources that will help them grow their ventures and improve their livelihoods.
The Second Phase: A Broader Vision for Rural Development
The second phase of the “Decent Life” initiative commenced in July 2024, with an ambitious budget of LE450 billion allocated for its implementation over the next three years. This follows the success of the first phase, which covered 1,500 rural villages and benefited 17% of Egypt’s population over the past three years at a cost of LE350 billion. The second phase aims to build on this success, further transforming the countryside through improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic development.
Long-Term Impact: A Vision for the Future
The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) released a report in July 2024, titled “The Villages of Egypt in 10 Years: From Marginalization to Decent Life”, which highlights the transformative potential of the “Decent Life” initiative. With a total budget exceeding LE1 trillion, the initiative aims to improve the lives of 58 million Egyptians, focusing on infrastructure development, economic empowerment, and education.
