NGO-led Village Development in Egypt

Hoda Elhalaby
Hoda Elhalaby
PhD student
Planning, people and place, Urban inequalities and social justice
Hoda's research aims to unpack the nature of NGO-led village development, comprehending its various processes, actors, and its effects on the intended beneficiaries.

Supervised by Dr Steve Connelly and Dr Tom Goodfellow. 

The research is a comprehensive study about charitable NGOs leading rural development in Egypt. Several measures have been taken towards poverty alleviation in rural Egypt: the government on its side made several trials to enhance the situation, NGOs also have played a significant role in promoting rural development. Yet, large sections of rural Egypt remain underprivileged, and despite the disappointing results it is remarkable to witness the continuity of the development ideas implemented by or through NGOs.

The general approach to village development appears to have institutionalized into a specific set of procedures, with clear prioritization of physical over human development interventions without highlighting the intended beneficiaries’ perspective in the development planning.

This research aims to unpack the nature of NGO-led village development, comprehending its various processes, actors, and its effects on the intended beneficiaries.

The PhD is funded by the Newton-Mosharrafa Fund a science and innovation partnership between the UK and Egypt.

Born and brought up in Cairo, Egypt. I was fascinated by the resilience of the people and the built environment. I studied architecture at Cairo University and graduated with a BSc with honours in 2011. I practised as an architect besides teaching at the University.

I pursued a master’s degree in architecture focusing on the ‘Principles for a Successful Riverfront regeneration, with special reference to Cairo’ which I completed in 2017. I continued as an Assistant Lecturer at Cairo University where I taught a wide range of architectural and urban design subjects. During this time, I volunteered at an NGO which worked towards promoting the development of villages in rural Egypt.

These experiences sparked my interest in the development discourse and I, therefore, began my PhD journey in 2018 at the University of Sheffield. I believe that development is most successful when it is an investment in individuals and communities.