Minister of Planning & Economic Development receives a report on the executive position of the Egyptian Family Development Project

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said Minister of Planning and Economic Development received a report on the executive position of the Egyptian Family Development Project until July 2022.
El-Said confirmed that the national project for the development of the Egyptian family aims to improve demographic characteristics for the first time, such as education, health, job opportunities, economic empowerment, and culture, in addition to controlling population growth, adding that the project includes several axes, namely the economic empowerment of women, improving family planning and reproductive health services and making them available free of charge. For all, cultural awareness and educational interventions, in addition to digital transformation and legislative reform.
About the economic empowerment pillar, Dr. Amira Tawadros, director of the demographic center of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and supervisor of the family development project, indicated that the dates for the delivery of 24 health units affiliated to the Ministry of Health were set to be centers for family development and the implementation of field visits to three units that are about to expire, which is the Kafr unit Daoud in Beheira, Kom Ombo unit and Ballana unit in Aswan, specifying the medical services that will be provided in the health centers of the Family Health and Development Centers and the functional structure of the units, noting the provision of several productive training units at the headquarters of the National Council for Women’s branches in the governorates and local units, with the provision of productive training opportunities for graduates of the entrepreneurship program.
Tawadros explained that many job opportunities were provided through micro-projects, and several nurseries affiliated with the Ministry of Social Solidarity were provided, in addition to equipping 3 nurseries in the three family development units to be completed, noting the project management training, where women were trained in 52 centers on Managing projects, marketing, and financial transactions and providing them with economic awareness, in addition to providing training on entrepreneurship and forming a team of 370 trainers from the governorates to spread the culture of entrepreneurship for women in local communities and implement more than 3,000 training courses.
Dr. Amira Tawadros continued that a hotline 19559 has been allocated to the Egyptian Family Development Project services to receive all inquiries, and the line operates daily from nine in the morning until nine in the evening.
The report of the Ministry of Planning referred to the establishment of the financial education program “Rational Dealing with My Money”, the qualification of 78 trainers to spread financial awareness in the community, the adoption of the first 17 national trainers in the field of financial education and the implementation of more than 1,400 courses, pointing to savings and lending groups where training courses for a trainer were implemented on the methodology of digital savings and lending and financial and digital education in 13 governorates, providing job opportunities for several financial facilitators, and forming more than 5,000 savings groups. In addition to holding introductory meetings and training sessions in the field of financial and digital education, implementing training courses in the field of social empowerment, holding digital education seminars, and providing micro-loans for women.
The report referred to some activities to create a supportive climate for economic empowerment, where women’s national number cards were issued, advantage cards, electronic wallets, and bank accounts for women were issued, the Tawsheh electronic application was launched for facilitators, and job opportunities were provided for financial facilitators and field supervisors.
Concerning the service intervention pillar, the report indicated that family planning methods, visits to mobile clinics, visiting doctors, and reproductive health convoys were carried out, and all types of family planning methods were provided free of charge, and a simulator for training was provided at the main family health and development center, as well as more training from 85% of the medical staff to be trained and nationalized in health facilities, family planning clinics were also provided in some NGOs in the villages, in addition to funding pregnant women for the first time or having one child to provide them with additional points with selected foodstuffs to improve mother and child nutrition.
The report highlighted the axis of cultural and awareness intervention, explaining that several rural women leaders and public service officials were trained on the awareness program, the positive education program, and the first thousand days program. In addition to the implementation of awareness-raising seminars through social pioneers that dealt with female circumcision – child marriage – family planning and birth spacing – economic empowerment – hygiene – healthy nutrition.
The report pointed to the implementation of several home visits through community leaders, in addition to the implementation of a door-knock campaign to educate many women in Egyptian villages, and about the “Mawaddah” and “Waa’i” programs, interactive seminars, and direct communication activities were carried out for some female students at the College of Girls and for many From young men and girls in 52 high and medium institutes at the level of 16 governorates on the foundations of choosing a life partner and the importance of conducting a pre-marital medical examination and delaying the first child, and many specialized pieces of training were carried out for the betrothed, a new partnership was launched with the Library of Alexandria, and a program was broadcast on Ain Shams University Radio to educate students about the concept of marriage, forms of family violence, and the health, social, and economic benefits of family planning and birth spacing. Family counseling workshops have also been carried out for those recovering from addiction and their wives in the governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, and Minya, and training has been carried out within youth bodies for young men and girls, including young men with different disabilities. And the implementation of the first activity of the third and final phase to circulate affection training at the level of Egyptian universities, where faculty members at Mansoura University were trained and prepared in preparation for the new academic year 2022-2023. A digital affection platform was also launched to educate those who are about to get married.
The report referred to the roundabout sessions, where a training manual was prepared and rehabilitated religious leaders to implement it to spread societal awareness of the population issue through an enlightened religious discourse and hold training courses for religious leaders from the endowments and the church at the central level and in the villages of the targeted governorates, where many roundabout sessions, seminars and Ramadan evenings were implemented. The Egyptian families, in cooperation with the General Authority for Cultural Palaces.
The report added that about the family rehabilitation and balanced upbringing program, trainer training courses and introductory sessions were held on the family awareness program and “family and community reunification and awareness” campaigns, and the “balanced upbringing between motherhood and fatherhood” guide was launched in cooperation with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif and the implementation of family camps. On the “balanced upbringing of motherhood and fatherhood” for families. In addition, the “Positive Education” initiative was launched, which included interactive sessions, awareness videos, and the preparation of a scientific guide on the family counseling program and balanced upbringing.
Concerning empowering girls in the Egyptian family, several storytelling circles for girls were established within the framework of the “Dawi Initiative”, the “Noura” initiative was launched to invest in the girls of Egypt, and a training guide was prepared to empower the Egyptian girl in various fields, and a training course for a trainer on psychological support was implemented. Psychological and first aid for girls, and the launch of a new phase of the “Protect Her from Circumcision” campaign.
About the pillar of digital transformation, the report referred to the family development platform, which includes the registration of families on the platform, the registration of activities by entities, the registration of beneficiaries’ data, and the presentation of reports. The demography of Egypt has also been established and the integration of births and deaths data.
The report touched on the axis of legislative intervention, where it was noted that the Cabinet approved a draft law to prohibit child marriage and criminalize its incitement, as well as to increase the penalty for non-registration of births.