Cairo – Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development inaugurated the local market in Madinat Al Salam.  Constructed by more than 200 residents of the Al Salam area, this market is part of a project called “Egypt Works” which is funded by USAID and implemented by Catholic Relief Services. 

“This community transformed a trash area into a clean, safe marketplace that has had a tangible impact on the lives of Egyptians,” said Dr. Mary C. Ott, Director of the USAID mission in Egypt.  “In the process, USAID helped employ hundreds of people who contributed to this marketplace and to the livelihoods of Al Salam community members.” 

Nearly half of the funds of this project went directly to the 200 unemployed residents of the Al Salam area who gained temporary employment during the construction of the market. The remaining investment covered materials and technical expertise, including vocational training for thirty workers who developed skills in bricklaying, tile setting, plastering, and painting.  Sixty-four vendors received training and one-on-one coaching to develop market-based, sustainable business plans for their new or existing enterprise – 35% of the vendors are women whose businesses are providing goods and services to the surrounding community.

This initiative is one facet of a comprehensive package of technical assistance from the American people that promotes job creation, economic recovery, private sector business growth, and a stronger trade and investment environment.  Over the past two years, USAID activities have led to new or better full-time employment for over 40,000 people and short-term jobs for another 20,000. These projects are part of the nearly $30 billion that the American people, through USAID, have invested in Egypt since 1975.  A diverse trade and investment relationship has made America Egypt’s largest bilateral trading partner and a significant investor in Egypt’s future, with total investments of almost $17 billion responsible for hundreds of thousands of Egyptian jobs.