WATANI International
30 May 2010
A special dinner recently held in a Los Angeles ballroom, so captivated the guests with stories told of children beating the odds, that the event ended with guests agreeing to sponsor over 50 children. The dinner was held by Coptic Orphans, an award-winning international Christian development organisation that works through a grassroots volunteer network to unlock the God-given potential of fatherless and other children facing extraordinary challenges in Egypt, and so equip them to break the cycle of poverty and become change-makers in their local communities. Since 1988, Coptic Orphans has helped over 16,000 children in underserved villages and urban areas throughout Egypt.
Guests were visibly moved as they watched a presentation highlighting the difference between the opportunities available to those living abroad, and the very dire circumstances of Egypt’s fatherless.
Guests heard first-hand from Magda Abdelmalak, director of the Egypt field office, about the challenges facing the children, and the network of over 300 volunteer representatives, or Reps.
“The Reps, many of whom have full time jobs and their own families, sacrifice a great deal of personal time and effort to ensure that the children are well provided for and taken care of. Sometimes at great personal risk,” she said.