Home > Programs > Not Alone > Rosetta

The Rosetta Program

Sameh* lives in Beni Suef and was part of the Rosetta program, a Coptic Orphans child literacy program that finds children enrolled in school who are illiterate, teaches them to read, and then enrolls them in Not Alone. Sameh unfortunately had gone from grade to grade in school without being able to read a child’s story. Now in secondary school, he knows how to read, and reads books for pleasure, not just for school.

The Reps in the Rosetta program also focus on the child’s psychological and emotional needs, not just their physical needs. This has allowed our Reps to solve the roots of the problems these children face, rather than their symptoms. No one understood why Heba*, for example, cried whenever anyone spoke to her, refusing to learn to read and refusing to go to high school after she finished preparatory school. Whenever a reading teacher was brought to her home to teach her to read, she would hide in another room or cry and refuse to sit with the teacher. Heba’s Rep realized something was deeply wrong here and spoke extensively to Heba’s mother. His discovery of the root of Heba’s problem was horrifying.

When Heba was six years old, her two older siblings died in a violent car accident. On the day they died, their mangled and bloodied dead bodies were brought back to Heba’s home and paraded in front of her eyes. Ever since then, she cries daily, cries when she sees people, and won’t speak to anyone.

Heba’s Rep knew that Heba would need extra attention. In this village, taking Heba to a psychologist carried the stigma of taking the girl to the “crazy doctor,” so instead he recruited his wife’s assistance in giving Heba special attention. His wife has a background in psychology and serves as a Sunday School teacher in Heba’s church. The Rep’s wife switched her Sunday School class so she could teach Heba’s class. She took Heba on many outings, and took her into her own home to listen to her and talk to her. Heba has now started to speak to her and feels secure talking to her. She has now accepted the idea of having a reading teacher and improved her reading enough to move from the Rosetta program to Not Alone. Heba is now enrolled in her first year of secondary school.

The Rosetta program has been running for two years. To date, it has served 431 children, 337 of whom are now in Not Alone. This program truly serves some of the most vulnerable and marginalized children, preventing a future school drop-out, future child labor, and promising a brighter future for children to reach their fullest potential.