Coptic Orphans

This Giving Tuesday we invite you to support Coptic Orphans, a nonprofit development organization dedicated to helping impoverished children in Egypt break free of the shackles of poverty through the power of education. Since 1988, more than 65,000 children have obtained access to a quality education thanks to God, their faith, their hard work and dedication, and the support of Coptic Orphans. And, our work is only possible thanks to the generosity of donors like you who care about the fate of these often forgotten children.

More about Coptic Orphans:

Most Coptic Christian children in Egypt face nearly insurmountable odds due to poverty and discrimination. On top of those barriers, many face a life of even greater adversity after losing their fathers to poverty-related illnesses, accidents, abandonment, or terrorist attacks. Their mothers, now widows, are often forced to place them in orphanages because they are unable to take care of them due to a lack financial means. 

Since 1988, Coptic Orphans, an award-winning international Christian development organization, has empowered more than 65,000 impoverished Egyptian children to obtain access to a quality education, helping them stay in school and pull themselves out of poverty no matter what obstacles they face. 

By stressing education as a way to break out of the cycle of extreme poverty, Coptic Orphans helps children navigate a life without their fathers, while also empowering girls and women to dare to pursue their dreams in life and to become self-sufficient in Egypt, a predominately patriarchal country. Coptic Orphans also supports the children’s widowed mothers. 

Coptic Orphans' programs include:

Not Alone: Empowering children who have lost their fathers

Not Alone supports more than 10,000 fatherless children in Egypt annually. It empowers children by giving them back the security and confidence lost after their father's death or abandonment. The program uses education to nurture each child's talents and puts them on the road to success in their adult life. 

We partner with the Coptic Church to implement Not Alone. Individual volunteers are nominated by bishops in each of the 60 dioceses we work within Egypt. The volunteers mentor and support the children through regular visits to their home, planning their education, and encouraging their talents. 

Children in the Not Alone program are three times more likely to complete their secondary education than their average Egyptian peers. 

The Valuable Girl Project: Bringing Christians and Muslims together to enhance their education and develop mutual understanding in their communities

The Valuable Girl Project empowers young Egyptian Christian and Muslim girls through education and literacy mentorship in areas of high poverty and sectarian tension and is helping build important bridges among Christian and Muslim neighbors.  The Valuable Girl Project, which began 17 years ago, has impacted more than 13,000 girls & young women across Egypt.

The program brings together high school and college-age young women and secondary school-age participants, ages 7-22, who are paired as Big Sisters and Little Sisters. The older girls serve as mentors to the younger participants. As a result, the older girls develop valuable leadership skills while the younger participants improve their grades and brighten their futures. A natural bond of friendship and understanding also emerges as a result of these interactions as girls and young women understand they have so much in common. 

Thirty percent of girls in Egypt will drop out of elementary school, and children as young as 10 are often their family’s only source of income. Tradition holds that they are not able to learn and their only purpose is to support the household (e.g., cleaning, chores) and to get married. 

Ultimately, the Valuable Girl Project empowers girls to become leaders and change-makers in a society that does not value their worth. It is helping them find a voice in a country where they rarely have one. Many have gone on to pursue their higher education in nontraditional fields for women such as medicine and pharmacy. The program is ultimately helping participants to overcome ingrained cultural prejudices and to live peacefully in their communities. 

Empowering widows: Helping widows become financially independent for the first time in their lives

Widowed mothers are encouraged to join our Microcredit Initiative which empowers them to obtain budgeting, marketing, and entrepreneurial skills so their families can not only survive, but achieve financial independence. More than 290 widows have taken part in the program to date.

Serve to Learn: Bringing children and their supporters together

Coptic Orphans Serve to Lean program provides volunteers around the globe with an opportunity to participate in direct service excursions to Egypt for two weeks each year. The volunteers work directly with the children, teaching them English or health skills through fun interactive activities.