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Comments from Donors and Supporters

Recently Rosemary Misdary, one of Coptic Orphans' supporters and volunteers, visited Egypt and was able to spend some time with some Reps. Here are her comments to us:

I see how challenging the Rep's job must be as well. I think CO should consider documenting the work of Reps throughout Egypt - they are the back bone, the arm of CO. Just to share a little of what I have seen:

Rep. Rose - She was very considerate in the way people lived in her district. There was a serious problem with hygiene and living conditions. As she walks through the streets, she scans the children. She approaches children who are without shoes or in filthy clothes. She kindly takes them to their homes and speaks to their mothers explaining that they need their shoes or their nails must be cleaned. She has launched such an extensive campaign that is as specific as people are instructed in how often they must change their clothes, their underwear, wash, and how to wash. We walk through the streets together and she tells me: “This place was very, very bad. I wish you could have seen the improvement. The children were barely clothed, filthy, barefoot, and consistently ill. Now you see the children and they are clean and the homes are cleaner.”

Rep. Waguih - He knows every child by name, where they live, their school marks, and where they work. He is like a vigilant hawk. He makes his rounds to the employers of the children and in the presence of the both the child and his employer he negotiates the child's time off for Sunday school, church, church trips, etc. He explains to the employers that by allowing these children to have a spiritual life allows them to grow into better people and therefore better employees. He checks up to make sure that the child is attending church and Sunday school. He was in the midst of organizing a big trip for the kids and went to each employer and got three days off for every child. He does not forget about the children that have dropped out of school. He routinely gets children who have dropped out of school back into school. In one family a sister and her brother who were recently orphaned have begun making crosses from wood for a bit of extra income. He takes the crosses they have made and discusses with them ways they can simplify production, reduce costs, and improve quality. To encourage them, he placed an order to be delivered to the church for his Sunday school class at 2 pounds each. He says that if they improve their quality he will pursue other places for their crosses to be sold.

Rep. Mohsen - The most enthusiastic of all the reps. He has turned his home into a storage facility for Coptic Orphans. He buys in bulk to reduce costs. In his home, you open one room and it’s full of laundry detergent, dried foul, sugar, tea, rice, flour, etc. Another room is filled with school supplies and books. Another room is full of clothes organized by box. That room opens into another room that children use as a fitting room. He says that it has been a problem for the families when he arrives with supplies for the families. Instead, they come to his home where they go "shopping" and take their supplies home with them. What I found so intriguing about this rep is that every child we visited had massive stacks of books. The children have read all their books and will talk at length about each book. The rep is very considerate about children using their minds that he has bought them mini game boards that can be used for checkers, chess, and backgammon. He has taught the children to play chess and they all play together in their homes to pass the time.

The most amazing thing is that these reps do this arduous work for no money. They say their spouses complain that they don’t see them but they love their work and try to find new ways to improve their service and the lives of the orphans. -Rosie

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I am very happy and thankful to God as I came to know about the existence of Coptic Orphans. I thought, thanks God, somebody can find love in his/her heart for these unfortunate children!; somebody really cares! Since then, I was constantly following their news on their annual reports and their web site.

Their work for the orphan children in Egypt is so impressive and deserve all our support and recognition! I was so much engaged and felt compelled to help out and take part in this great and blessed endeavour! What a better mission should deserve our time and energy, other than caring for our younger brothers and sisters, who do not have somebody to remember them, and who are unable to help themselves. In doing so, we allow them their human rights to survive and succeed and to give glory to God who came to rescue them in their afflictions! Also, When we accept to sponsor one of these children we accept Jesus himself, and whatever we offer them, is an offering of love to our Lord Himself. I really hope the day will come, when every family accept to sponsor one of the children in the name of Jesus. Then, Jesus will find a place in each of our homes and hearts...

-Anonymous in Canada