The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Assistant Administrator Andrew Plitt and Middle East Affairs Director Jessica Zaman visited Luxor this week to stress the USAID’s strong partnership with the Egyptian people and support for Egypt’s development projects.

 

In a meeting, held on Tuesday with Luxor Governor Mustafa Mohamed Khaled, the delegation discussed USAID’s support for Upper Egypt priorities, including water and wastewater services, family planning, agriculture, and tourism development.

 

The delegation visited the El Hebeil Wastewater Treatment Facility to hear from Mamdouh Raslan, chairman of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, about how the USAID-funded expansion of the facility will meet the needs of the governorate’s growing population, while using energy-efficient technologies to keep the cost of operation and maintenance minimal.

 

At a family health clinic, the delegation met with Egyptian staff to learn how they are conducting seminars on maternal and child health and nutrition, areas in which the USAID closely coordinates with the Ministry of Health to provide technical assistance.

 

The delegation met with farmers to see how USAID has been supporting them in meeting global agricultural best practices, and heard from Agriculture Technical School graduates and students about how USAID-sponsored training helped them land jobs on commercial farms or start their own businesses.  

 

In Esna, the delegation met with local partner Takween to learn about an innovative model, funded by USAID, that improves Esna’s potential for responsible cultural tourism, and that strikes a balance between heritage conservation, tourism requirements, and local development needs. 

 

These Upper Egyptian projects are part of the four-decades partnership between the American and Egyptian people to bolster self-reliance, foster stability, promote economic growth, and reduce poverty.  USAID’s programme in Egypt, totalling over $30 billion since 1978, promotes a healthy, educated, and employed population.