If you are reading this article, then you are probably one of the fortunate ones living in Egypt. You are well-educated, speaking at least two languages and most probably living in a good neighborhood with all the basic needs, if not more. This standard of living comprises a small percentage of the total Egyptian population. Latest statistics show that around 40% of Egypt's 80 million people live on or below the $2 per-day poverty line set by the World Bank. This comes as no surprise. Movies, talk shows, the work of civil society organizations have all depicted this image one way or another during the former regime, but minimal change has occurred. Efforts to develop Egypt's slums has been going on for several years now, however, tangible change has not been felt. Are all these civil society organizations going in the wrong direction? Are they targeting the wrong people? Is there something wrong with their tactics to alleviate poverty? A new approach needs to be taken into consideration to ensure the efforts of improving the well-being of many Egyptians do not go to waste. The neoliberal political and economic ideology adopted by the Egyptian government in the previous two decades has widened the gap between the rich and the poor, making the poor even more poor and the rich more rich. Although the neoliberal policies contributed to the growth of Egypt's economy, however, it benefitted only a narrow segment of the Egyptian society. Local and foreign investors accumulated most of the wealth because of the implementation of these policies. This economic growth and the expansion of foreign investment and private businesses did not echo in the everyday life of the lower classes that constitute the largest layer of the Egyptian society. While former President Hosni Mubarak's government focused largely on the construction of residential compounds in the suburban communities on the outskirts of Cairo for well-off Egyptian strata, little effort was put to resolve the deteriorating problems of Egypt's slums, which suffer from a lack of sewage system, lack of electricity and lack of water—the basic needs for any human being. Efforts to alleviate poverty were mainly undertaken by civic organizations, private entities, non-profit institutions, individuals and in some cases media officials. In the popular talk show Wahed men El-Nas (One from the People) by Amr El-Leithy on Egypt's private TV channel, Dream, an episode was aired during the former regime showcasing images of the inhumane living conditions of people living in Egypt slums. While private TV channels put effort in highlighting the lives of the 17 million and thought to reach 23 million slums inhabitants, state television and Mubarak's regime neglected the problem. Through his program, El-Leithy conducted a fundraising campaign, inwhich he collected a a relatively a good amount of donations from Egyptians who showed interest in resolving the deteriorating slum problems across Cairo. In 2010, the International Program for the Development of Communications (IPDC) recognized El-Leithy for his creative initiative in spreading public awareness and fundraising public campaigns through his TV show regarding Egypt's slums. After the January 25th Revolution, the slum dilemma rose to the surface. An outstanding new project, called Hamlet El-Milliar Lel Nohood Bi El-ashywayat (The Billion Campaign to Develop Slums) was established under the supervision of El Leithy, who initiated the idea. The project is supported by well-known public figures, such as renowned actor Mohamed Sobhy, televangelist Amr Khaled, actress Hanan Turk, and Egyptian businessman Niazy Salam, as well as journalists and non-governmental organizations NGOs as way to declare their support to the Egyptian revolution and the development of building New Egypt. All volunteers are helping in collecting money from Egyptians living in Egypt, as well as Egyptians living abroad. Egyptian communities abroad are also contributing to this national project by donating money and collecting funds regardless of their religious identity. In addition to this, the Egyptian army has declared to donate a sum of LE50 million to build 600,000 housing units in six months for the people living in slums. Part of the agreement of this project is to give local workers living in slums the chance to contribute to building their new homes. This will help open new job opportunities for slum inhabitants, as well as create a sense of belonging towards their new homes. After consultation with the Slums Development Authority, the project is scheduled to take place in 33 slum areas in the most severe locations in Cairo, Suez, Alexandria, El Minya and Port Said. The residents will not own the houses, to avoid the re-selling of their homes, but they will be guaranteed the rights to live in their units. Although this sounds like a great project, theoretically, there are still some unanswered questions and concerns to ensure the success of this project. The biggest concern is how will the government or the supervisors of the project, whether El-Leithy or other individuals, guarantee that the people will live in these units and not rent or sell them for money? Will these homes be given for free or will they have to pay rent? What type of ownership mechanism will be implemented? What will happen to these severe insecure slum areas? Will the government develop these areas to be suitable for living later on, or will they be left untouched? Projects such as these have been initiated during the former regime; however, no tangible results were felt. The number of slum inhabitants has increased over the years, people living under poverty line has also increased and people still live under very harsh living conditions. The key aspect that is missing in this national project is getting close to these people, understanding their priorities and way of life and meeting their expectations. A very well-known case that shows that these kinds of projects have faced difficulties in the past was in 2008 when Mansheit Nasser, a slum area in Cairo, witnessed a sad and pitiful crisis due to the fall of rockslide that lead to the death of many of its inhabitants. The government has initiated plans to relocate residents of the insecure slums, which was estimated to be 420 areas according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistic. The project faced a lot of problems due to the difficulties in persuading its residents to move to other areas. However, with collective effort of the creators of this national project and their supporters, this dilemma hopefully will be resolved. In contrast, the inhabitants, who are living in secure slums, will be relocated to certain venues until the end of constructing their housing units in their original districts and to be returned back. However, this is also a difficult and a long process to be applied. Yet, with hope, a clear vision and a strong determination nothing is impossible! Through El-Leithy's initiative, he plans to improve and cure the cancerous result of the previous regime by developing and curing the well being of the inhabitants of slums by sending psychologists, medical care caravans, and creating clubs for the slums' youth and children. This project indeed will give a national dream for Egyptians that brings more unity among the different strata in the Egyptian society. However, a major concern is about how this national utopian dream of constructing these new housing units for slums' inhabitants will be implemented. Extensive research must be conducted to understand their needs, their priorities and their expectations. It is not only about providing them with a new home. Understanding their culture, needs and way of life is essential to help provide them with the necessary resources they need, whether proper education, job, medical assistance. Moreover, do they need small shops, kiosks, or commercial areas? From this stand point, I stress on the need to conduct serious research by social scientists to understand the culture of these people through one-to-one interviews and giving them the chance to express their needs and voice their concerns. Thus, this will assist in tackling the slumization phenomenon from its grass-roots. By Safaa Marafi M.A. Sociology & Anthropology The American University in Cairo
