Kathryn the health of the Egyptian improved? These protests were kindled by the stagnant economy which left half of its 80 million under the poverty line of 2 dollars a day.
Yes, in the thirty years or so that Egypt has been receiving significant aid from the US and other Western countries, the health of it's people has improved dramatically. I just posted an article highlighting the increase in child health in Egypt due largely to US aid. Here are some other facts:
During the 1980s, diarrhea and associated dehydration accounted for 67 percent of the deaths among infants and children. Concern about this health problem prompted the government to establish the National Control of Diarrheal Diseases Project (NCDDP) in 1982.
With funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development, NCDDP initiated a program to educate health care workers and families about oral-rehydration therapy. NCDDP's efforts helped reduce diarrhea-related deaths by 60 percent between 1983 and 1988.
Egypt - HEALTH AND WELFARE
In 2008 the WORLD BANK named Egypt as the Top Economic Reform country in the Middle East for the third year on a row.
In 2005, the Egyptian government cut corporate tax rates in half, from 40 percent of profits to 20 percent. Personal tax rates were reduced at the same time, moving from a flat rate to a progressive system.
Over five hundred free press newspapers, journals and magazines are available in Egypt. Over half the newspapers are privately owned.
The literacy rate for female youths rose from 67 percent in 1990 to 81 percent in
2005, and is expected to be more than 95 percent in 2015.
Egypt is home to 30 percent of the Arab world's bloggers.
Egypt was one of the top ten best performing countries in the most recent Global Hunger Index.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI), which calculates worldwide hunger and malnutrition rates, estimates that between 1990 and 2008, Egypts GHI vulnerability decreased by more than 50 percent, despite rising food prices in the country. Only six out of 70 countries included in the study have achieved this feat.
In Fiscal Year 2008, bilateral trade between Egypt and the U.S. was close to $7 billion, more than 350 percent higher than its 2004 levels.
Egypt is the fourth largest export market for the U.S. in the Middle East and North Africa, representing nearly 9 percent of its exports to the region.
In May 2009, the U.S. and Egypt signed a plan for a strategic partnership, which aims to further promote economic cooperation between the two countries.
Since 2002/03,
private U.S. direct investment has increased from $277.5 million to more than $6 billion in 2007/08, a 23-fold increase.
Egypt boasts a highly skilled workforce, with 265,000 university graduates each year.
The Egyptian economy grew 5.1 percent in 2009-10, beating forecasts by international economists and the International Monetary Fund.
By the end of 2007, the total number of Egyptian mobile subscribers reached 30 million.
As of November 2009, there were 53.6 million mobile telephone subscribers in Egypt.
Egypt was one of the first countries in Africa to launch third generation (3G) Mobile Services in 2007.
5,000 Egyptian small businesses will benefit from $70 million in agriculture project grants.
Egypts IT sector has attracted over $8 billion in investments over the last three years.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector has maintained a growth rate of about twenty percent over the past three years.
As of December 2009, there were over 3,400 ICT companies in Egypt employing more than 180,000 people.
Egypt tops the list of Facebook users in the Arab world and ranks 23rd globally.
The total number of Internet users in Egypt has grown to over 16 million in 2009, up from just 300,000 in 1999.
In 2009, Egypt ranked second in the Arab world in terms of registered Twitter users.
Egyptian blogs account for about 30.7 percent of total blogs in the Arab world.
Education is free through university level in Egypt.
- With 18 million enrolled students, Egypt has the largest overall education system in the Middle East and North Africa.
- The Education Act of 1953 made education free through university and compulsory from ages six to 15.
- As part of its campaign against illiteracy, the Egyptian government has established 3,000 schools since 1993 for girls who are unlikely to attend formal schooling. The schools provide vocational training and lessons on building income-generating businesses, in addition to traditional classes in Arabic, science and arithmetic.
Egypts anti-AIDS program is one of the most successful in the Middle East and Africa.
- Less than one percent of Egypts population is estimated to be HIV-positive.
- Egypts National AIDS Program works to keep the prevalence rate low through awareness, peer education, counseling, and testing services.
- In 2006, Cairo hosted a three-day UNAIDS-supported workshop on HIV/AIDS and drug use in the region. The workshop included representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations, and research programs from throughout the Arab world.
One Hundred Facts about Egypt | Modern Egypt Info
Now I'm not saying that Egypt is a paradise, but let's put things into perspective. Compared to the rest of that region, they ain't doin' so badly.
Not that the Egyptian people should not demand a better, more democratic government. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the huge strides they've made forward in the past thirty years (with and without Western aid) has instigated this hunger for democracy, more say in their government, more reforms centered around empowering the people, and more demands for transparency from their own government.
More power to them. They've come a long way - and the West has encouraged them every step of the way.
