January 8, 2010: Coptic Orphans Rep Wounded in Egypt Violence
November
5, 2009: Basma Triumphs over Exam Error - Basma almost failed 3rd grade because she didn't know the Quran.
November
5, 2009: A Father to Many - Every week, volunteer Rep Adel Labib Riad from Mallawi spends upwards of 10 hours to visit 39 children in 18 Not Alone families.
September
30, 2009: What Have You Got to Lose By Giving? - As the recession puts pressure on donors and program participants, a widowed mother and a child sponsor show the true nature of generosity.
August
28, 2009: A Serve to Learn Experience - Another returning Serve to Learn volunteer shares the wonderful things she saw and experienced in Egypt and an unexpected response from a group of children.
July
30, 2009: Field Update
from Executive Director Nermien Riad
July
28, 2009: First Person
with Jimmy Bebawy - A returning Serve to Learn volunteer
from Chicago shares his journey, and what he discovered about the
problem of child poverty in Egypt and its solution
July
24, 2009: Coptic Bishop
Angelos of the U.K. Visits Not Alone Family
May
5, 2009: Results in from Literacy
Initiative after Just 60 Days
May
5, 2009: Meet
Sonia: What Empowerment Looks Like - When the lower-level
bureaucrat at the front desk of the government social security office
saw Sonia* approaching in the black garb of a penniless widow, he
waved her away. “I’m not here to give charity to beggars,”
he told her...
May 1, 2009: To Save a Life in Egypt - You may
be familiar with the so-called “AIDS orphans” in Africa,
and the programs funded by sponsors all over the world
to help them. But were you aware about the countless children in Egypt
who are losing their fathers to another deadly disease that infects
up to 20% of the population*?
March
1, 2009: One Sponsor's Journey: "It was
a Wake-Up Call" - As I went back and read the original
letters, I realized that my children were upset with me for not responding
to their letters. It struck me that these kids are not about the money;
they really yearned for a personal relationship. From then on I knew
I had to get more involved, so I decided to go to Egypt to visit the
children. It was a phenomenal experience.
December
2, 2008: First Aid Kit Brings New Life to
a Widow - First Aid was the topic of the most recent
workshop offered to mothers in four locations in Upper Egypt. In villages
where even basic hygiene practices can be a struggle due to limited
access to safe water, it is not unusual for people to put coffee,
toothpaste, or even dirt on wounds when they get hurt.
November
20, 2008: Bishop Gawargious of Matay
Calls for Greater Coordination Among Coptic Charities - Anba Gawargious gave Coptic Orphans the role of helping Coptic organizations
working in Matay take the first steps in coordinating their efforts.
Six Coptic organizations that work in Matay came to the meeting.
October
29, 2008: Death of 11-Year Old Alexandria Boy
Brings International Attention to Discipline in Egypt Schools - mathematics teacher in Alexandria is being detained on manslaughter
charges in Egypt after allegedly beating an 11 year old student to
death for not completing his homework. The teacher claimed that he
only intended to discipline the boy, but the incident brings to international
attention the larger problem of corporal punishment in the Egyptian
school system.
October
18, 2008: "I Would Have Ended Up Like
Them:" Manal Moussa's Story- "It is like a
dream to be here today. Never did I imagine that I would one day be
in New York, speaking to an audience like this!" said Manal Farhoud
Moussa, smiling from the podium on the stage at the Coptic Orphans
20th Anniversary Gala on October 18th , 2008
October
1, 2008: Student from Upper
Egypt Train to Become Advocates for Child Rights - University
students gathered in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada for three
days in September to learn how to become change-makers in their communities
by advocating for the rights of themselves and others. The students
were participants in Coptic Orphans’ Not Alone program, and
came from all over Upper Egypt—from Assuit to Aswan.
August
1, 2008: Changing
Hearts, Awakening Curiosity in Alexandria - During the
past 20 years, the Not Alone program has empowered thousands
of children to become literate, stay in school, and graduate to become
change-makers in their communities. But the accomplishments we are
most proud of are the most difficult to attain or to express in numbers:
changing hearts and minds. When we recently held a reading workshop
outdoors for the first time in recently Alexandria, we saw the results
of those efforts.
July
31, 2008: Children Overcome Circumstances
to Achieve - children of all ages from the surrounding
areas gathered to celebrate their achievements in the third annual
high achievers celebration in Cairo. While unplanned, the theme of
the celebration ended up focusing on overcoming difficult circumstances
to succeed. Features included a children's choir performing an original
song, "Not Alone."
July
16, 2008: Facing Egypt's Job Market with
Big Dreams, Small Grants - Angie has a big dream. One
day, this girl from a Nile Delta village says that she is going to
work in the international fashion industry. With a recent mini-grant
from Coptic Orphans, she is already on her way to making her dream
a reality.
June
30, 2008: Widowed Mothers Take
Control of their Lives - Widowed mothers face great odds
in Egypt.
But Not Alone
program mothers are the sources of their children's own confidence.
We recently received a few stories from Egypt that illustrate how
these mothers are taking control of their lives for the sake of their
families.
June
6, 2008: A Gift of Warmth in Sudan - A Few years ago, some Canadian Copts from Sudan asked us to partner
with them to ensure that their homeland in Sudan gains the same access
to basic rights as Egypt. Coptic Orphans partnered with the Coptic
Orthodox Church to reach families with 300 blankets and 70 boxes of
nutritious food this year.
May
9, 2008: Bishop Bakhomious Blesses New Facilities
for Children with Special Needs - The children at the
St. Mark Center will learn new trades and handicraft skills that will
equip them to gain greater self-sufficiency. “I talk about Coptic
Orphans wherever I go,†Bishop Bakhomious said.
May
9, 2008: New
Egyptian Law Amendments Major Victory for Egypt Children - These amendments directly address two issues that Coptic Orphans
faces frequently in our work: female genital mutilation/cutting and
child marriage.
March
10, 2008: Results in
on 2007 Grassroots Partnership Initiatives - Eleven of
our partner organizations presented success stories showing how Coptic
Orphans’ support made a difference in their communities. The highlight
came when they cheared on a courageous nun for her work with orphaned
girls. we reached 2,147 children through these partnerships in 2007.
We share some participating children's stories here.
October
27, 2007: Children
Showcase Talents, Outstanding Achievements in Not Alone - The highlight of the evening came when a young man from Not Alone
came onstage and played a piece of music with the oud, an Egyptian
stringed instrument. He was hesitant and shy when he began, but the
entire audience started clapping along with the music to encourage
him. Soon he was beaming. The one hundred children who received awards
and their families walked out of a theater with confidence and the
assurance that success gets noticed.
September
7, 2007: Dreams
Come True for Children at Giza Concert - dreams came
true for 30 children from Not Alone when international pop singer
Chantel Chamandy invited them onstage during a landmark concert at
the pyramids of Egypt.
August
28, 2007: Cairo
Reps Go Extra Mile to Talk About Difficult Family Issues
July
28, 2007: New
Coptic Orphans Headquarters Opens Doors in Egypt - More
than 200 people gathered in Cairo , Egypt for the grand opening of
the new Coptic Orphans Egypt office. The new office will increase
the organizational capacity of Coptic Orphans to open new doors of
opportunity to many more children in Egypt than have previously been
able to participate in Coptic Orphans programs.
July
4 - 24, 2007: Children
Choose Books, Receive Inspiration at Egypt Workshops - Over five hundred children participated in workshops held in nine
different locations throughout Egypt, where they experienced the fun
and joy of reading. In Cairo , the children shared their stories with
others through creative skits. One child from Giza was so inspired
by his new book, he started to write his own story.
July 5, 2007: Coptic
Orphans Marches for the End of FGM - Coptic Orphans staff
and 20 Valuable Girl Project participants marched to demand the end
of female genital mutilation after the recent death of a 12 year old
girl who underwent the procedure.
