Asiut governorate's city of Sahel Selim celebrated the conclusion of creative and cultural activities of the Decent Life initiative. The celebration took place in Sahel Selim Centre last week.

The Decent Life presidential initiative is meant to improve the quality of life in 4,500 villages across Egypt.

The activities included programmes to raise the awareness of and promote positive values among village inhabitants. Trainings and workshops were held to discover and nurture talents.

This was done through a series of film screenings for children and youth and empowerment programmes tailored for women. Workshops discussed entrepreneurship projects for villagers and held exercises for traditional crafts in cooperation with the National Council for Women.

The Ministry of Culture offered a large number of publications to schools in the villages of Sahel Selim.

In the closing event, local women displayed their handicrafts and many publications were presented to education centres that operate in the community.

The closing ceremony was attended by Culture Minister Ines Abdel Dayem, Governor of Asiut Major-General Essam Saad Ibrahim, and officials from ministerial bodies and Asiut governorate.

The Decent Life initiative was launched in 2019 when President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi charged the Ministry of Social Solidarity with developing Egypt’s poorest 1,000 villages.

In December 2020, El-Sisi decided to expand the initiative to include 4,500 villages within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030.

The initiative aims to establish infrastructure, including networks for clean water, sewage, electricity, gas, and communications. It also includes awareness programmes for citizens in rural areas, training programmes, and provides village-based jobs that empower inhabitants, including female-headed households, and funding for micro and medium-sized projects.

The initiative addresses women through family guidance, counselling offices, and reproductive health clinics. It provides decent housing in new complexes and, wherever possible, develops existing housing.

In terms of education services, the initiative is building 13,000 classrooms, while health services will be enhanced by developing health units, constructing new hospitals, and activating the new Universal Health Insurance System.