Over five hundred children participated in workshops
held in nine different locations throughout Egypt between July 4 and
July 24, where they learned the joy of reading for the first time in
a nation plagued by one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world
and an educational system that supports illiteracy by stifling a child’s
desire to read. 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.
Another girl said beaming, “This was the first
time I got to choose a book by myself that is really mine.” Many
of the children started to read their books
in the hall even before they got home.
In Egypt, reading is rarely a recreational activity.
Colorful and engaging books are very difficult to come by for many
Egyptian children, and in school they learn to read through rote memorization
of dull materials. From such early experiences, many Egyptian children
grow up to see reading as a chore and do not fully develop their potential
for curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking, or the verbal and
written communication skills vital for future success.
Not only did the workshops instill the motivation that
the children need to acquire such skills by reading, many of the books
distributed themselves teach social skills that the children will carry
with them through life. For example, one child, Marina, picked up a
book entitled, “How to Choose a Friend.” “I needed
this book so much and it inspired me deeply,” she said after
the event.
Mr. Anis Adib, the facilitator present from Coptic Orphans
partner Caritas, said that he was not only “amazed” at
the number of children who showed up for the workshops, but also at
the depth, seriousness, and enthusiasm with which the children
