Mahmoud Bakr registers the metamorphosis of one of Cairo's toughest neighbourhoods Cairo's shanty towns, better known as ashwaaiyat, are those parts of the city built up without the benefit of building licences, planning or public amenities. These are the tough neighbourhoods where crime and extremism are said to originate, subject to police searches and violent confrontations: if you are born there, you can only hope to get out; but you are unlikely to have the capacity for hope in the first place. Yet, for the first time in their relatively brief life span, many of these neighbourhoods are now facing the prospect of renewal. One well-coordinated effort is that of the Programme for Participatory Development, which is currently transforming Manshiet Naser, Bulaq Al-Dakrur, and, in the southern suburb of Helwan, Ezbet Arab Al-Walda (Walda, for short). The latter, for one, has never felt, looked, or smelt better. Once garbage-infested and sewage-swamped, Walda has been freshly paved and painted. Zakin Nagui Hunein, one resident, recalls a time when the area lacked health and educational facilities and even a sewage system; residents suffered recurrent health problems. Nura Gadalla, another, recounts that visitors would use garbage heaps and sewage puddles as landmarks while finding their way around. This has all changed, thanks to the joint efforts of the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (MSEA), the Helwan municipality, the German agency for technical cooperation (GTZ) and the Comprehensive Care Society (CCS), of which Mrs Suzanne Mubarak is chairman. Hesham El-Helbawi, manager of the CCS development project for Walda, explained how the organisation explored the needs of Walda inhabitants before making short- and long-term plans to meet them, then raised funds by contacting foreign donors, local businessmen and NGOs; the CCS has so far spent LE11 million out of a LE28 million budget dedicated to improving conditions in Walda. For his part Magdi Allam, an advisor to the environment minister, says that the MSEA became actively involved in September 2004, just after Mrs Mubarak launched the project. One of the first tasks was that of dealing with overflowing sewage. Among other improvements in water management -- new piping, for example -- the factories in the area now filter liquid refuse before pumping it into the main network. A new park has been created on 25 acres of land, half of which area is set aside for sporting facilities. Partly in response to the palpably positive results of the campaign -- 23,000 tonnes of garbage removed, 2,000 trees planted and many buildings repainted -- women and children of Walda are now flocking to the newly opened environmental awareness centre for advice on keeping the neighbourhood healthy and clean. For his part Helwan Mayor Maher El-Baridi points to corresponding improvements in the economic and social prospects, with new jobs created as the municipality spends LE1 million on lighting, pavement and trees, with a further LE5 million set aside for other amenities. Land is being sold to individuals and some are already rebuilding legally; the municipality is charging only LE20 and LE40 per square metre for houses built before and after 1985, respectively. Manshiet Naser too is undergoing a similar programme. Khalil Shaath, GTZ project manager for Manshiet Naser, bore news of a 17 million euro project, already underway in collaboration with the private sector and environmental protection groups. Workshops are being held for residents to encourage active participation, while in Boulaq Al-Dakrur, urban planners and sociologists are busy studying the area and detailing their plans. According to the Giza governor, five million euros have been set aside for Abu Qatada, one part of this neighbourhood, while Khaled Abdel-Halim, general manager for Boulaq Al-Dakrur announced that the Policies Support Unit, the Local Initiatives Support Fund and the municipality are all working hand in hand. Shukri Hussein, an advisor, explains that detailed plans have been made: public spaces will be put to the best possible as NGOs and municipal authorities exert themselves in the effort to breathe life into the area.
