Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has called for developing humanitarian work to achieve more successes, stressing that the more the country’s financial resources increase, the greater will its ability to gratify people be.
In remarks during an Abwab El-Khair (Charity Doors) ceremony organised by the Long Live Egypt Fund in the New Administrative Capital (NAC) on Sunday, President Sisi said that Egypt managed to make successes in the past period in many sectors, including the provision of decent housing, supporting indebted women with a contribution from the Long Live Egypt fund and civil society organisations, and launching the Homeless Children initiative.
“We still aspire for additional good,” President Sisi told the ceremony, stressing that state apparatuses and NGOs maintain coordination in organising charity action.
On the services that the fund and NGOs deliver, President Sisi noted that such services are not limited to the distribution of goods and assistance but rather extend to the setting up of micro and smalls-scale enterprises. “It’s a fine thing to transform a family from the status of need to that of sufficiency,” the president said.
Observing that the targeted LE100 billion in Long Live Egypt Fund assets have not been reached so far, President Sisi urged Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli to work on mobilising more resources for the fund whether through citizen donations or other resources to increase the fund’s potential for charitable action.
Expressing thanks to everyone who contributed to the efforts exerted by the fund and civil society organisations over the past years, President Sisi emphasised that the Egyptian society appreciates these efforts, feeling in them a devoted, huge and organised contribution, in addition to being a supplementary means of confronting that challenges that a citizen may face.
President Sisi commended the fund’s contribution with civil society organisations in relieving the burdens of female debtors and homeless children, calling for more action in this regard.
He added that many associations such as “Al-Orman” and “Misr Al-Khair” are making noticeable efforts in the field of charitable work, distributing commodities and micro-projects to citizens. “If we could transform a family’s life from dire need to meeting its needs through our support, we would have accomplished something great,” the president said.
He also stressed the need to adhere to precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic, asserting the importance of responding to the vaccination campaign launched by the Ministry of Health and Population.
He appealed to Egyptians to respond to the vaccination campaigns, saying, “We are keen to vaccinate faculty members and university students before the start of the academic year”.
The president also noted the need to achieve high rates in the vaccination process within a short period of time to achieve collective immunity.
During the same ceremony yesterday, President Sisi inspected the largest humanitarian convoy, intended to reach out and extend care to one million families nationwide.
The convoy’s mission and composition reflect the growth of social protection efforts and measures taken by the state to improve the living conditions of citizens, in coordination between the governmental and non-governmental sectors and civil society organisations.
Also yesterday, the president inspected the progress of works for some of the NAC’s facilities, including the new opera house in the City of Arts and Culture.
The house will be the largest such cultural edifice in the Middle East region with a capacity to seat 3,500 people at a time.
The house will be constructed after the latest engineering technologies, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
Apart from the main hall, the Opera House will enjoy special lighting and sound systems.
It will contain a music theatre with room for 1,300 people at a time. It will be able to host international musical concerts. The house will also contain a drama theatre with room for 700 people.
President Sisi’s tour also took him to the new parliament building. He entered the main hall of the building as well as some of the other halls adjacent to it.
Construction site engineers briefed the president on the progress of works.
The president then moved to the People’s Square, a gigantic yard that contains a public garden, a memorial modeled after ancient Egyptian structures and the world’s highest flag pole.
President Sisi also visited the construction site of the Central Bus Station in the NAC. The station will contain two waiting areas for buses that will link the NAC with different parts in the Greater Cairo area, Ambassador Radi said.
