A 20-minute documentary via satellite television recently offered Egyptians a portrayal of how United Nations (UN) activities and support progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
One of Egypt's best-known actors and UNDP Regional Goodwill Ambassador Hussein Fahmy introduced the film. Fahmy is a spokesperson for the MDGs and is using his popularity to promote the global MDG campaign.
The documentary shows the UN at work, helping people in poor communities. In Fayoum, one of the poorest regions of the country, two women, Um Tolba and Haga Kamla, tell how a UN-sponsored micro-credit scheme has helped them start their own businesses — rope weaving and pottery — and enabled them to improve their families' lives.
UN programs in Egypt move the Arab state closer to MDG Goal 1, halving extreme poverty by 2015. The documentary also tells of UN efforts to help get all children through primary school and to empower women — Goals 2 and 3. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
