Health Unit in Upper Egypt - file
CAIRO - 15 August 2026: The villages of Gerga and El-Balyana in southern Sohag are no longer the same as they were before the implementation of the presidential initiative Haya Karima or "Decent Life."
This initiative has transformed development from limited improvements to a comprehensive system encompassing education, health, drinking water, sanitation, roads, agriculture, social services, youth, and even industrial and craft projects, setting the villages of these two districts on a new path of development and improved quality of life.
El-Balyana Village
In El-Balyana, the initiative has covered 29 villages with investments exceeding 1.078 billion pounds, distributed across essential service sectors.
In education, 10 schools were built, renovated, or replaced at a cost of nearly 49 million pounds, in addition to the development of Al-Azhar education with investments reaching 65 million pounds.
Meanwhile, the health sector witnessed the development of El-Balyana Central Hospital and 7 health units, as well as the establishment of new units, totaling 255.5 million pounds.
Water and Sanitation: The Largest Investment Items
The drinking water and sanitation sector received the largest share of projects in El-Balyana, with investments exceeding EGP 696.365 million.
These investments included replacing and upgrading networks and expanding pumping and treatment stations. Projects also extended to agriculture and irrigation, including lining and covering canals and constructing a pedestrian bridge over the El-Radwaniya Canal at a cost of EGP 583.439 million.
This was done in parallel with the construction of a bridge over the railway at a cost of EGP 270 million and a road paving plan worth EGP 240 million, in addition to developing social, youth, and sports services.
Girga Village
In Girga, the Haya Karima initiative adopted a more comprehensive approach. The health sector witnessed the implementation of 21 projects, including 16 new health units and 5 upgraded units, along with the establishment of 4 family medicine centers and 4 ambulance points.
Furthermore, 5 main roads were developed, and 5 government service complexes and 5 agricultural complexes were established to bring services closer to citizens and farmers.
New Opportunities for Villagers
The projects in Girga didn't stop at services. The Girga Industrial Complex, spanning 64.84 acres, supports economic activity and provides opportunities for young people. This is happening in parallel with the establishment of a crafts complex in the village of Beit Khallaf to train people in handicrafts and open new sources of income.
In addition, four youth centers, two family and child development centers, and two social units have been upgraded, and a social rehabilitation center has been established.
The Girga and Balyana experience reveals that the "Decent Life" initiative doesn't treat villages as mere places needing facilities, but rather as integrated communities requiring schools, hospitals, roads, water, sanitation, social services, and job opportunities.
In Girga, a large number of projects have been completed, particularly in drinking water, health units, electricity, service and agricultural complexes, ambulance stations, and youth centers, while work continues on the remaining projects.
Between the large investments in El-Balyana and the integrated service and economic system in Gerga, the features of change have begun to appear on the ground.
Roads have become more connected to services, health and educational facilities are more able to receive citizens, basic facilities are expanding, while industrial, craft and agricultural projects are opening new doors for work and production, confirming that “Decent Life” means that real development begins from the village, and that improving the citizen’s life is not achieved by one project, but rather by an integrated system that rebuilds the place and the people together.
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