In the framework of the grant signed between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, represented in the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP), and Giza Governorate, the latter held a community event on Saturday March 11th, 2017 , in Geziret El-Dahab Youth Center in Masaken Geziret El-Dahab aiming to cover the development of projects implemented across the governorate.
The event was attended by around 250 local residents from Masaken Geziret El-Dahab. Attendees included, among others, natural leaders and civil society organizations’ (CSOs) employees. The meeting reviewed grant projects implemented in Giza, including projects for road pavement and upgrading (5) housing blocks (with a total of 198 housing units occupied by 1185 residents). Such projects are implemented by Giza Governorate, with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Government.
During the unfolding of the day’s programme, Deputy Giza Governor Dr. Manal Awad
engaged with the children and youth of the community through the activities and contests that were implemented by the Grant Beneficiaries. The event’s programme then moved to update the residence of Geziret El-Dahab with the updates on the current and upcoming projects. Eng. Zizi, delegated to represent Giza Governorate, presented a brief overview of the infrastructure projects to be implemented by the governorate in El-Warraq in the fields of road pavement and solid waste management (SWM). “Giza Governorate will cooperate with PDP in improving living conditions and the delivery of basic services in the area,” said Eng. Zizi. “SWM and road pavement projects will be implemented over the next few months and the area will witness remarkable changes” she added.
In his opening statement, the Head of PDP, Dr. Guenther Wehenpohl thanked Giza Governorate for its efforts in facilitating and implementing the projects and welcomed all the attendees including the community development associations (CDAs). Moreover, Dr. Wehenpohl presented the procedures followed for selecting and contracting grant beneficiaries which were awarded the grants funded by the EU and German Government. Other panelists included the acting President of South Giza Gamal Khamis, Mr. Gamal Hanafy, and Eng. Elham Abdel Daiem, representatives from South Giza Urban Upgrading Unit (UUU). Panelists unanimously praised the efforts exerted by the PDP in Masaken Geziret El-Dahab and Saqqiet Mekky, which are among the governorate’s priority intervention areas.
Upgrading works that will be implemented during the project include; waste removal from passages, plastering facades, entrances and passages, renovating staircases and floors, renovating water and sewage pipelines, and repairing electricity distribution boards. As for lighting projects, 369 LED lamps, 840 cantilever LED lamps, and 40 lighting poles were installed in El-Rabiee El-Guizi Street, Coldair Street, and Saqqiet Mekky internal streets. Furthermore, 750 meters of Coldair Street were paved in addition to paving internal streets (with a length of 2750m and an area of 13,650m3) with interlocking tiles. Finally, more cleaning equipment were provided to prevent the accumulation of waste in streets, a tipper with a crane (6m3) was also made available.
Presenting the upcoming projects to be implemented in 2017/2018 CSOs highlighted the benefits that the community will gain as; improving the quality of services provided to local residents in Masaken Geziret El-Dahab and Saqqiet Mekky. On another note, booths by CDAs, CARE International, and Plan International were established to communicate awareness messages and present the developments to 11 public schools to the public.
It is worth mentioning that community events are part of a series of meetings held in 4 informal areas in Cairo and Giza with the aim of providing an overview about grant beneficiaries to community members and raising their awareness of the importance of maintaining and sustaining the projects.
The PDP is a development measure that receives core funding from the German government and is co-financed by the European Union (EU). The PDP aims at improving the livelihoods of poor urban population through funding small-sized enterprises in the fields of recruitment, health, transport, education, employment, and climate change. Such projects are selected via a grants programme in line with the EU procedures. Moreover, the PDP provides financial support to Cairo and Giza governorates to implement infrastructure upgrading projects in informal areas through direct awards.