Mobilization of the Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development

A model for cultural development as it combines cultural heritage aspects, natural heritage dimensions, and community development components.

Description

The Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development is a joint programme that is considered a model for cultural development as it combines cultural heritage aspects, natural heritage dimensions, and community development components. National governmental institutions and UN Agencies are working together with the total budget of 3,095,086 USD to make the Dahshour project a success.

The aim of the joint programme is to protect the area of the Dahshour pyramids and its eco-system while fostering sustainable development, cultural and ecological management, and revenue generation in the surrounding community. 

Thus, the implementing partners are were:

UN-Agencies

  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO)
  • United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
  • United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 

National Counterparts

  • Ministry of Tourism (MoT)
  • Industrial Modernization Centre (IMC)
  • Social Fund for Development (SFD)
  • Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
  • Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA)

The main objective/outcome of the project is achieving employment, especially of youth and women in heritage arts, crafts, and tourism; in addition to that, improving the creative industries and contributing to poverty-alleviation and empowerment. The main objective of the project will be implemented through the following: 
 

  • Socio-economic community profile surveyed and Local Economic Development (LED) forum operational to facilitate full community participation.
  • Sensitization to entrepreneurship and capacity-building on decent work conditions conducted.

To assure the full integration and support from the population and community in the target area (i.e. five rural governorates including Minya, Fayoum, Assiut, Sohag, and Sharqiyah), a series of sensitization workshops were planned. It thus mobilized the population and led to the formation of a Local Economic Development Forum (LED Forum) from the residents to support and coordinate the project implementation activities.

These sensitization workshops, formation of LED Forum and trainings contributed effectively in the project implementation achieved through thirteen workshops in all the villages in the rural governorates.

Services

Sensitization workshops

  • Organise and implement ten open sensitization workshops, two in each village, to mobilize the population and raise the awareness level about the project and its objectives.

Training workshops

  • Organise and implement two training workshops to introduce the selected LED forum members to the roles of LED Forum and how to integrate their efforts in the project implementation activities.

LED Forum Launching Workshop

  • Organize and moderate the LED Forum launching workshop, this workshop aims at the introduction of the LED Forum members and to the implementing agencies representatives, create the communication lines between both and develop the cooperation methodology.

Workshop material development

  • Developing the needed materials for the different workshops including power point presentations, publications, and other related materials.

Monitoring

  • Regular field visits to the target area were planned to follow up the functioning of LED Forum and its efficiency, as well as to refresh the knowledge of the members to ensure their effective contribution in the project implementation.