Ceremony Celebrates Grassroots Partnership Initiative Accomplisments for Children

 

More than a year ago, we were commissioned by a generous anonymous donor to step more deeply into a role that we have grown into over the years: a mentor for other organizations in Egypt working towards our common mission. The results are now in on our Grassroots Partnership Initiatives. And the results are stunning: we reached 2,147 children through our partnerships.

On March 10th eleven of our partner organizations presented success stories showing how Coptic Orphans’ support made a difference in their communities. We recognized 5 for outstanding work and strict commitment to working according to agreement.

Counselor Mahmoud Zayed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dr. Nabil Sizostirs, Coordinator of Together Network for Family Development, attended the ceremony.  Keynote speaker Mr. Nady Kamel, the chairman of Afak Foundation, spoke about the importance of the networking principle that drives our Grassroots Partnership Initiatives.

All of the organizations present cheered on a nun for her courageous single-handed work in an initiative with the Holy Virgin Mary orphanage. Coptic Orphans worked with the nun to furnish facilities for the 25 girls under her care and equip them with educational resources so that they can succeed. At the end of the project, all 25 of the girls under her care scored well in school and graduated to the next grade.

Here are more success stories that partner organizations shared:

Badr’s Story

Badr’s family’s friends forced him to work without pay. When he joined a Coptic Catholic Diocese of Minya project designed to equip children with special needs with vocational training, he learned how to make paper products. Now his skills make him feel independent and successful, and he has acquired a national ID card that further enhances his sense of self-confidence. He can now stand up for himself and has a sense of the value of his skills and labor.

Marcos’ Story

One participant in the St. Mark’s Center for Children with Special Need’s program for vocational and life-skills training speaks for himself about the difference that the initiative made: “my name is Marcos Nabil and I am 17 years old. I like carpentry and have always wanted to attend training to become professional. As soon as the Center opened various workshops, I picked carpentry and became skilled using the saw and sanding machine. Not only that, I also help my instructor fix broken chairs and tables.”