Serve to Learn Frequently Asked Questions

Acceptance to Serve to Learn is not guaranteed and is based on the following:

1. You are 18 years or older.
   i. Participants under 18 years of age must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
2. You live outside of Egypt.
3. Your answers on your application form.
4. Demonstrate a heart for children.

New applicants, as well as returning Serve to Learn volunteers and Fellows who have attended The 21, are highly encouraged to apply.

Before applying for Serve to Learn, please prepare and save the following mandatory files on your desktop. Incomplete applications or missing documents will result in disqualification.

Mandatory Documents:

1. A scanned colored copy of the photo page of your passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the planned date of return. Please make sure that the picture you submit is clear or your application may not be considered;
2. A video answering a question(s) as instructed on the application form;

3. 3.Letter of recommendation. Your letter must be written, signed, and dated by a clergy member or church servant (i.e. father of confession or another clergy member who knows you well). A letter from a clergy member is preferred, but if one cannot be obtained, please submit a letter from a church servant or another individual who has seen you in a service capacity and can speak about your suitability for Serve to Learn.

   *Please note that if you have previously applied to the program, a new reference letter is required. Kindly be advised that the reference letter must differ from any previously submitted letter used in past applications.

4. A copy of a signed volunteer agreement. The agreement is available to download on the application form. Please do not edit the formatting of this document if you choose to sign it electronically as it is a legal document;

5. Your credit card/debit card details to pay a non-refundable application fee. Due to the large number of applicants, your application will only be reviewed after your application fee is received by Coptic Orphans.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS IF AVAILABLE – NOT MANDATORY:

1. Your father’s Egyptian ID or Egyptian passport or Egyptian birth certificate*
   *This document can be useful when facilitating movement within Egypt, however it is not mandatory to provide, and will not affect the consideration of your application.

   If you choose to submit your application after 11:59 pm (EST) on the given application deadline, your application will be placed on a waiting list.

   Please see the application form for further instructions.

We will aim to inform successful applicants of the status of their applications via email within four weeks of the application deadline. Applicants placed on the waitlist and those not selected for this year’s trips will receive notification in subsequent weeks. Accepted participants must confirm their participation by paying their program fee within a specified timeframe to secure their spot on the trip; otherwise, the opportunity may be offered to another applicant.

You must be 18 years or older to attend Serve to Learn.

Families who would like to serve together are welcome. Children aged 10 and above can participate in Serve to Learn if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

There is no specified upper age limit for participation; however, it is important to note that Serve to Learn entails demanding physical activity. Over the three weeks, volunteers engage in full-day activities, including teaching two classes and engaging in activities, games, and sports with the children. Additionally, volunteers are expected to conduct home visits in the evenings, often involving walking between homes. In some of the simpler homes, you may need to sit on the ground. In Egypt, during the summer season, temperatures can rise very high, and air conditioning may not always be available in the classrooms. We kindly ask that you assess your capabilities and consult with your doctor before committing to a Serve to Learn trip.

Volunteers are not required to have teaching experience; however, previous teaching experience is preferred. Training covering classroom management and other relevant topics will be provided to all volunteers before their departure.

Volunteers are not required to be fluent in Arabic, however, those with a working knowledge of Arabic are more likely to have a more enriched experience within the Egyptian community. Those with limited Arabic proficiency will be supported by other volunteers who are fluent in Arabic.

Yes. Serve to Learn welcomes applicants worldwide, except for those living in Egypt. The primary requirement is a strong understanding of the program’s overarching aim: to connect individuals living abroad with their homeland and Coptic identity.

The three-week program takes place once a year, typically towards the end of January. Program dates are determined based on the academic calendar in Egypt and are subject to minor adjustments. Dates for each session are announced and updated regularly on our website.

It is mandatory for volunteers to participate for the full three weeks of the program due to its inherent nature. Serve to Learn is about building bonds with the children, and based on previous experiences, we have learned that a two-week period is insufficient to achieve this. Additionally, volunteers are partnered with another volunteer in the classroom, and leaving early will affect this arrangement. Furthermore, volunteers are required to attend the mandatory debrief session, conducted in person on the final day of the program, making early departure not possible. Please note that any deviation from the prearranged travel schedule may result in fines automatically charged to the payment card provided on file for any loss incurred by Coptic Orphans due to unauthorized travel alterations.

Church groups are welcome to join Serve to Learn, provided that all participants meet the necessary requirements and can submit the required documents upon completing the application. Please reach out to us at info@copticorphans.org to express your interest in bringing your church group on Serve to Learn. Please provide us with the following details:

• The name of your church
• The number of youth participants expected to attend
• The name of a clergy member or leader from your church who will accompany the group
• Any inquiries you may have

Once we receive your information, we will confirm the availability of space and discuss any specific requirements or accommodation that your church group may need.

While Coptic Orphans subsidizes a large portion of on-ground program expenses, volunteer fees help contribute to these program costs which include local housing, meals, in-country transportation, pre-departure and in-country orientations, administrative and logistical support.

The application fee is $75 and is due at the start of the application. Upon approval of your application, a program fee of $650 will be due to secure your spot in the program. (Please note that program costs are subject to change due to continuously rising costs in Egypt). Additionally, volunteers are responsible for covering the expenses associated with flights to and from Egypt.

Serve to Learn is partially subsidized by Coptic Orphans. Volunteers are encouraged to fundraise for their trip on their own using tools such as  https://www.mightycause.com/ or https://www.gofundme.com/ .

Yes, you are allowed to be in Egypt before and after the program. However, it is essential that you commit to the full three weeks of the program. During this time, you must stay at your designated site and actively participate in all scheduled activities and outings. Your full engagement throughout the program is important in making the most of the experience.
Please note that any deviation from the prearranged travel schedule may result in fines automatically charged to the payment card on file for any loss incurred by Coptic Orphans due to unauthorized travel alterations.

If you do not have an Egyptian passport or Egyptian ID, you are required to get a visa by contacting the Egyptian Embassy in your home country. Because of the short duration of the program, you will enter the country on a tourist visa. Volunteers with American or European Union passports may purchase their visas at the Cairo International Airport or Luxor Airport after they land. The following links are to the Egyptian Embassies in Washington DC, Australia, and Canada.

We advise all travelers who require visas to purchase these visas before they travel. Do not rely on purchasing visas at the airport, as rules change, and the day-to-day situation at the Cairo airport may be unpredictable.

E-visas are available for citizens of the UK, USA, and Australia.

http://www.egyptembassy.net/ – Washington DC

http://www.egypt.org.au/– Australia

http://www.egyptianconsulate.ca/ – Canada

When applying for your visa for Egypt, you will be asked to indicate an address – please indicate your family’s address in Egypt OR the Coptic Orphans Egypt Office address:

224 Almoltaka Alaraby District, El-Nasr Rd, El-Nozha, Cairo 11775

Canadians must obtain their tourist visas before they depart Canada.

If you do not complete this step, you may forfeit your security deposit and pay costs associated with your withdrawal from the trip.

Contact your local Egyptian consulate or embassy for more information on how to obtain a visa.

Canadians are not eligible for e-visas.

Egypt is a conservative country, particularly about how individuals dress. It is crucial that volunteers respect local customs concerning attire. For winter, pack clothing that is easy to wash and durable. Choose layers of loose-fitting, modest clothing to stay warm in cooler temperatures. However, it can get warm during the day, so also bring short-sleeved shirts. Volunteers are strongly advised to bring ankle-length skirts, loose long pants, sweaters, and long-sleeve shirts. Capri and crop pants are not recommended for men or women. Remember, modesty is the best policy.

The following are not allowed:

Tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, low neck tops (no cleavage showing), halter tops, half or crop tops. Bare midriffs are not acceptable. T-shirts should not feature offensive displays or any slogans or artwork that includes alcohol, tobacco, or obscenities.

Volunteers are not required to cook or prepare meals, as there will be a variety of food provided by the host for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The local diocese will make every effort to accommodate volunteers with any specific dietary requirements or allergies, such as vegetarian preferences, peanut allergies, etc.

We do not recommend drinking tap water. Bottled water will be readily available for all volunteers.

As a Serve to Learn volunteer, you will be assigned to one of our program sites in one of the villages in Upper Egypt in the governorates of Qena, Luxor, and Aswan. For security purposes, exact locations are disclosed to applicants who complete the application process and are accepted into the Serve to Learn program.

Volunteers are expected to arrive in Luxor at least 24 hours before the program start date. Shuttle pick-up from Luxor International Airport/Luxor train station to the place of accommodation will be provided by Coptic Orphans. Following an in-country orientation in Luxor, staff will transport you to and from your host site where you will serve for the duration of the program.

Coptic Orphans will arrange your transportation back to Luxor Airport/Luxor train station after the program. Debriefing is considered the last part of the trip and attendance is required. Please arrange your homebound flights after the end of the debrief at 5 pm on the last day of the program.

Please note, that you are responsible for any costs incurred before and after the program dates.

Before the Serve to Learn program, volunteers participate in pre-departure and in-country orientations and a debrief session at the end of the program.

The pre-departure orientation offers an opportunity to connect with fellow volunteers of Serve to Learn as well as Coptic Orphans staff. Coptic Orphans staff will be available to address any questions, outline trip expectations, discuss potential activities and ideas for the classroom, and review site-specific details.

At the end of the three weeks, volunteers will attend a debrief session in Luxor on the last day of the program. This will be an opportunity to provide feedback to Coptic Orphans about the experience on Serve to Learn and to reflect on the service volunteers participated in over the three weeks. We use the information to further develop the program and the volunteer experience.

Your hosts are committed to offering the cleanest facilities available to them. The accommodation provided will include clean toilets, showers, beds, fans, a washing machine, and a fridge. Your rooms will be clean upon your arrival, with the expectation that volunteers will keep their rooms clean throughout their stay. While bathrooms are available at the classroom sites, their level of sanitation may vary. Your hosts will do their best to accommodate your specific needs. Wet wipes and hand sanitizers are recommended to be kept handy.

WiFi will not be available at your host site. It is recommended that volunteers buy a SIM card upon arrival at the airport. Orange and Vodafone stores are available.

Coptic Orphans arranges all transport for volunteers throughout the trip. Private cars and microbuses with trusted drivers are generally used for local outings and weekend trips.

Serve to Learn volunteers have a more positive and rewarding experience when they spend their entire three weeks at their sites and visiting children. In addition, hosts spend a great deal of time arranging weekend trips for the volunteers and would like to see you enjoy them. We therefore strongly advise that family time is scheduled before or after your Serve to Learn assignment.

You are encouraged to keep such a journal for your personal benefit, to keep track of what you have learned throughout your trip. We also encourage you to take photos and videos to document your trip. We would appreciate you sharing such videos and pictures so we can educate future and potential Serve to Learn volunteers about the program. We use some photos and videos in Coptic Orphans’ presentations and publications.

The participants are informed that Serve to Learn is a three-week school break activity that offers the opportunity to engage with individuals from abroad who have come to teach English and spend time with them. The children, who would otherwise be at home or possibly working, are excited to come every day to be with friends, and most importantly, you.

“Orphans” in the program are fatherless children. You will be serving orphans who are enrolled in our Coptic Orphans’ Not Alone Program, but keep in mind that other Coptic children who are from the same villages may also be in your class as they are also invited to attend. Our Not Alone Program children are given priority to sign up for the program until the sites fill up.

A significant aspect of the Serve to Learn experience involves visiting your students who are enrolled in the Not Alone Program in their homes. Volunteers visit homes in small groups and are accompanied by Coptic Orphans field staff. Typically, volunteers visit 3-4 homes each evening, with each visit lasting between half an hour to an hour at most. These visits are planned and arranged in advance, ensuring that volunteers are aware of which homes they will be visiting each day.

Home visits profoundly impact both the children being served and the volunteers themselves. For volunteers, these visits offer a firsthand glimpse into the environment that their students live in, the obstacles they face, the overwhelming generosity of their hosts, and an aspect of Egypt they may not have previously encountered.

As for the children, they are deeply impacted by the idea of someone caring for them so much to the extent of traveling long distances to visit them. This is why nothing is expected from volunteers during these visits except for love, humility, and understanding.

As a volunteer, you will be paired with another volunteer and work together to teach classes as a team. Ideally, Coptic Orphans aims to pair up volunteers with some Arabic language proficiency with those who may have none. You will also be accompanying Coptic Orphans’ local representatives on home visits to the children every evening.

Coptic Orphans will provide you with a suggested curriculum that will help you and your teaching partner plan and organize your own lessons. This is a general guideline to provide you with a starting point, yet you are encouraged to create new lessons and be as creative as possible. Given that English education in Egypt emphasizes reading and writing, we recommend that you gear your lessons toward speech and conversation. You might be the first native English speaker with whom these children have spoken, making your interaction especially impactful.

Our primary aim is not solely focused on English instruction; rather, it serves as a means to establish a deeper connection with the children, help them to open up, and create a bond of love and trust with each of them that would allow you to encourage, serve, and learn from them.

You and your teaching partner will be leading two classes every day from Monday to Friday. The first class runs from 9 am to 11 am and the second from 12 pm to 2 pm. You may be teaching an elementary school class (aged 6 -12 years), or a middle school class (aged 13-15 years). You will see the same two groups of children every day, allowing you to build strong friendships with them.

Coptic Orphans will do its best to maintain a class size of no more than 20 children. However, there may be occasions where sessions accommodate up to 25 children. Additionally, children will be grouped into classes by age, rather than English proficiency. For this reason, volunteers should be prepared to teach students at various levels—from early beginners to intermediate levels of English proficiency. Most of your students, ​ however, will be at the beginner level. In some situations, you may have students who are unable to read or write Arabic, presenting unique challenges when introducing English to them.

Classroom sites will have blackboards/whiteboards, but chalk/whiteboard markers and erasers may not be available. You should bring all materials you plan to use for your activities including chalk/whiteboard markers, educational games, construction paper, glue, and scissors. You should also bring small educational gifts such as colorful pencils, erasers, stickers, and so forth as encouragement for the children.

Regarding home visits, we encourage you to bring a gift that serves as an engaging activity such as UNO cards, Connect Four, cards, Jenga, pick-up sticks, or any games suitable for more than two people. These games help to facilitate conversation with the children during the visit and serve as a thoughtful gift for the family, alleviating the need to purchase individual items for each child in the household. On average, each volunteer will visit three homes per night, four nights per week. Some basic materials are available in Egypt for purchase; however, if you wait and want to make your purchases in Egypt, please do so before the program start date. A list of other necessities will be provided in the Volunteer Handbook.

Serve to Learn is a service trip where you will be serving Coptic children at class sites that are administratively run by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Feel free to utilize Christian songs, verses, and activities in your classroom lessons. You can talk about Christianity with Christians only. Therefore, discussions about Christianity should be limited to interactions with Christians only. Engaging in such discussions with non-Christians poses significant risks, not only for yourself but also for your hosts.

Yes. Aside from personal free time in the evenings, weekends are dedicated to leisurely trips that Coptic Orphans arranges allowing volunteers to spend more time in fellowship as they visit historical and cultural sites of Egypt. Volunteers must attend Holy Liturgy on Sunday mornings but are not required to participate in the Sacrament of Communion.

Individual volunteers should also take all safety precautions necessary; U.S. citizens may want to register their trip at the US Embassy in Cairo at http://egypt.usembassy.gov/consular/register.html. Canadian citizens may register here: http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/registration. Australian citizens may do so here: http://www.egypt.embassy.gov.au/caro/home.html. We also recommend that you notify any relative and friend in Egypt of your presence and whereabouts in the country and keep your phone numbers at hand.

Volunteers should also take note of the differing expectations of Egyptian culture and adjust to the changes. Examples of such precautions include, but are not limited to:

• Never leave the group or service premise alone at any time, unless it’s approved. Always make sure that a Coptic Orphans staff member or your Local Coordinator knows where you are heading. Even then, travel in groups.
• Avoid using public transportation such as buses, mini (micro) buses, or subway travel alone.
• Dressing conservatively. Women should wear long pants/skirts that come below the knee. Avoid tight and/or short clothing. No shorts, tank tops, or capri pants for both men and women.
• Avoid behavior that would draw attention to you, especially in the site or while traveling to home visits. Those who live there may never have seen a foreigner before. Blending in is always best.

Mosquitoes and flies are rampant in Egypt during the summer season. In the homes of some poor families you visit, you may also encounter fleas. Volunteers should come prepared with insect repellents and spray repellents for the room and clothes. Supermarkets in Egypt also sell mosquito repelling products. You are likely to find these in Cairo and should plan to purchase them before your volunteer tenure.

Travel restrictions are different from one country to another. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to understand their home country’s travel restrictions before applying to Serve to Learn.

Proof of a negative PCR test may be required by some airlines and upon arrival into Egypt in order to be granted entry. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to ensure that they follow the advice provided to them by the Airlines and by their local embassies in Egypt.

Proof of a negative PCR test may be required upon arrival back into your home country. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to ensure that they follow the advice provided to them by their local embassies.

If a PCR test is required, volunteers are responsible for arranging their PCR test in Egypt prior to their travel back to their home-country. This must be done after the conclusion of the program. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to make the appropriate travel and accommodation arrangements to get tested.

If a volunteer contracts COVID-19 outside the program dates, it is not the responsibility of Coptic Orphans to make any arrangements. The volunteer must make their own arrangements to isolate and seek medical advice and treatment.

Contracting COVID-19 might also disrupt travel plans back to their home countries. Volunteers must be prepared and make fallback arrangements to cater for potential delays and an extended stay in Egypt.

If a volunteer contracts COVID-19 while participating in Serve to Learn, program staff will seek the medical advice of a trusted local doctor. If the doctor advises that symptoms indicate that the volunteer has contracted COVID-19, the volunteer will be asked to isolate for a duration of 10 days (or as otherwise advised by the doctor). Volunteers will remain isolated in their rooms in the place of accommodation, and they will remain in the care of program staff.

Volunteers are free to return to their home-courtiers at any point during the program if their home-country imposes a lockdown and the volunteer needs to return immediately. Coptic Orphans staff will aid the volunteer in making the appropriate travel arrangements to their home country. The volunteer will cover all incurred expenses.

Please note that program fees will not be refunded in this situation.

Volunteers must be aware that trip cancellations are possible for a number of reasons at any point leading up to the program. If Coptic Orphans makes the decision to cancel a trip at any point before the program start date, volunteers will be provided with a full refund of their program fees.

If a volunteer chooses to withdraw from the program for any other reason, the following refund policy will apply: