They have not succeeded, however, in halting ever increasing rates of unemployment and poverty. The newly developed Qattamiya District provides a stark reminder of the uneven returns on development. Five minutes drive away is a district of low-grade housing, built to house those whose homes were destroyed by the 1992 earthquake.
Life is hard.
We have very bad water and the houses are shoddily built. There is no convenient transport to the city, yet here work can only be found in the city centre. The people who inhabit this part of Qattamiya can only look over the hill and dream of a better future. As privitisation takes hold, employment structures are radically changed at the same time as the government withdraws from its role as provider of basic services. And though the Egyptian government has been assiduous in adopting a cautious, gradual approach, the fact that a price must be paid cannot be ignored.