On 14 October 2023, at a gala dinner in New York City, Coptic Orphans celebrated 35 years on its services to orphaned and underprivileged children in Egypt. The event was held under the rubric “From Generation to Generation”, and saw the handing of “Lead by Example” awards. Among the awardees was Watani’s Youssef Sidhom.
The event was not a standalone incident; it was one of six celebrations held by Coptic Orphans in various places around the world to honour individuals with significant input to their communities in fields of social and cultural services.
75,000 lives transformed
Coptic Orphans is an international Christian development organisation headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Its main activity centres on improving the lives of underprivileged children in Egypt; in this it has relied on generous donations by some 25,998 donors. Through a network of over 750 Church-based volunteers and local organisations, it operates in 60 dioceses in Egypt in close partnership with local bishops who also grant invaluable guiding as to local need, and nomination of volunteers.
Coptic Orphans focuses on children who face poverty and social injustice, yet have the potential to change their lives and the lives of others. Through child sponsors and hundreds of village-based volunteers, churches, and NGOs, it helps children stay in school and remain with their families.
Since it was founded in 1988, Coptic Orphans has helped transform the lives of some 75,000 children in Egypt, mainly through education. Its programmes “You are not alone”; “My precious daughter”; “Serve to learn”, are education-based; whereas “Baseeta”, literally “Simple” is geared towards aiding breadwinner women, and girls who had missed attending school. The programmes help Muslims as well as Christians.
Outside Egypt, Coptic Orphans spearheaded a groundbreaking engagement between the Coptic Diaspora and its Egyptian roots. It launched its “Youth of The 21”—the name draws on the spirit of the 20 Copts and one Ghanaian who were beheaded for their faith by Daesh, also known as Islamic State IS or ISIS, on a beach in Libya in February 2015.
The programme sends young people from among the Coptic Diaspora to Egypt to closely mingle and work with the Egyptians enrolled in Coptic Orphans programmes, especially teaching them English. The young people who came to Egypt say that, in a world that promotes selfishness and materialism, they learned in Egypt the value of service and sacrifice.
Pope’s message
According to Maged Ragai, director of strategic relations at Coptic Orphans, the organisation is registered in the US where it is headquartered, but also in Egypt, Australia, Canada, and the UK. At the same time, Mr Ragai said, it is thoroughly local in the sense that it mobilises donations, capacities, and means to serve 800 villages in Egypt in a ministry based on loving mercy and care. Coptic Orphans, he said, may be described as an international, Christian, developmental, non-profit organisation based on donations by expatriate Egyptians. It works on the root causes of social problems, major among which are education to combat poverty, and good family lives to ensure better health.
All the gala events around the world started with a televised message from Pope Tawadros in which he warmly congratulated Coptic Orphans, its founder and executive director Nermien Riad, everyone who works with Coptic Orphans and all the beneficiaries, for 35 years of service through “the work of God and a wise administration”.
In line with State perspective
The organisation’s work in Egypt came under focus by Magdy Hassan, Director of the central management for social care at the Ministry of Social Solidarity. After enthusiastically congratulating it for its 35th anniversary, Mr Hassan pointed out that the perspective of Coptic Orphans coincided with that of the Egyptian State, especially regarding the programmes “My precious daughter” and “You are not alone” which help families that lost fathers or breadwinners weather financial distress, offer them decent healthcare, and ensure that children’s schooling and even higher education go on uninterrupted. He said that this confirms the government’s aim at de-institutionalisation, meaning children remain in families or foster families instead of being placed in institutions such as orphanages. Mr Hassan praised Coptic Orphans’ networking with local NGOs and its collaboration with volunteers, stressing that that attitude constituted the cornerstone of social work, and was highly endorsed by the Ministry.
For her part, Minister of State for Emigration and Expatriate Egyptian Affairs Soha Gendy said, in a televised message, that the role of Coptic Orphans in channeling expatriate Egyptian efforts towards community development in Egypt was highly commendable. She lauded the organisation’s endeavours in building better individuals through education, also its work at engaging Diaspora Egyptians with communities that are among the most needy in Egypt.
Extended commitment
Egypt’s Ambassador to Canberra Mahmoud Zayed ,who has been associated with Coptic Orphans for some 20 years, said that the organisation was steeped in powerful notions, most significantly the teaming of Egyptian expatriates to serve the Egyptian community, especially those who lost their breadwinners. Working with pivotal partners in Egypt, Mr Zayed said, the base of beneficiaries is continuously expanding. He expressed appreciation of the Coptic Church pioneering social role, saying that it acted as an inspiration to Coptic Orphans; also of the Church’s role in urging expatriates to integrate well in their host communities while at the same time honouring their roots and traditions.
Various speakers who had collaborated with Coptic Orphans gave speeches. Among them was American lawyer Nader Anise whose brainchild Global Coptic Day was first celebrated on 1 June 2019. Mr Anise talked of the importance of strengthening Egyptian roots in expatriates, and building bridges between them and their motherland Egypt, to enhance their precious Egyptian heritage from generation to generation. Undoubtedly, Coptic Orphans works towards that end.
Comedian Fady Rizk, who has been active with Coptic Orphans for many years, gave an overview of the organisation’s work with children’s education, detailing the extended commitment to walk hand-in-hand with children to be content with not only basic education, but to reach the highest graduate educational levels. It is only through education that the majority of social problems may be solved, he said.
Challenges and blessings
Ms Riad spoke of her happiness at celebrating the 35th anniversary of Coptic Orphans, expressing her gratitude first to God “whose hand,” she said, “we had the privilege of feeling opening doors for us and supporting us all through.” She thanked the Church for its collaboration and guidance; also everyone present, all who supported the organisation, and all who worked and volunteered to make its work a success.
She said the organisation’s work over 35 years had been a journey of challenges and blessings.
Ms Riad said she was proud to belong to Egypt’s Copts whose resilience and solid faith the whole world saw in the 21 who were beheaded by Daesh in Libya in 2015. It was through this faith that generations of Copts survived long centuries of hard times; “troubled on every side, yet not distressed .. perplexed, but not in despair .. persecuted, but not forsaken .. cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4: 8,9). They handed down their invincible faith from generation to generation; now our generation hands it to the next.
Education being the cornerstone of development, Ms Riad spoke of Coptic Orphans’s unshakeable dedication to ensure education opportunities for children of needy families, through persistence and loving care. “Our children complete their basic education at the rate of 99.95 per cent, compared to a 76.6 per cent Egyptian average. A full 100 per cent of the families under our programmes live above the poverty line, compared to a 67 per cent national average.”
Live testimonies
Live testimonies were given by collaborators, helpers, and workers with the children’s education, also of children who had grown up with and completed their education through Coptic Orphans. The testimonies came through as palpably warm and true to life.
Maher Girgis talked of losing his father while yet at the tender age of seven. He lived in poverty with his mother and three siblings in a village that was rife with social problems such as frequent disputes that turned violent, and rampant smoking. The mother worked hard to provide for the children, meaning she was not at home for long hours, and with no father and no church in the village, “it was easy for me to blend with the detrimental social norm of the village youth. But Coptic Orphans showed up, providing material and incalculable moral support.
“In 2013, I graduated from secondary school with excellent grades but, owing to fierce competition, could not study engineering as I so desired. But Coptic Orphans introduced me to the scholarship programme at the British University in Cairo; I earned a scholarship and was able to study engineering. In 2017 I was selected among 28 students to do a summer course at the University of Arkansas in the US. While in the US I was contacted by Coptic Orphans and invited to visit their headquarters. I was amazed and delighted to be hosted at the home of Nermien Riad, which I found to be among the warmest I had ever known. I was honoured by Egypt’s Ambassador to Washington through Coptic Orphans, a moment I will never forget.
“I graduated in 2018, and got a M.Sc from the University of Iowa in software engineering, and now hold an excellent job in Egypt.”
“Are there martyrs of faith in your country?”
Among the most moving testimonies was one by Bishoy Mikhail who volunteered for The 21 programme. “I served with volunteers from many countries to teach English to children in a village in Upper Egypt. This gave us an opportunity to deal and interact with the children up close; we found them joyful, smart, humorous, engaging, and so amazingly filled with contentment and thankfulness. It was such a blessed experience!
“What moved me most, however, was a pensive question by a 14-year-old girl: ‘Do you have martyrs of faith in your country?’ A long silence followed. I then explained that matters were different where I lived; we had to deal with a separate set of problems. But it did occur to me that, at that age, all what I could think of was what gadget my parents would be willing to buy for me; these children had death, martyrs, poverty, and sickness on their minds. Yet they had so much joy!”
Leading by example
Coptic Orphans granted its Leading by Example award to a number of individuals from various countries. From Egypt Watani’s Youssef Sidhom was awarded for his indefatigable dedication to serving the Coptic community through the press and media, highlighting in truth and courage their culture and society, but especially the problems and stances that distressed them and that were shelved by other publications. Also from Egypt, musician and composer Hany Shenouda was awarded for his singular lifetime contribution of music and song throughout a few generations.
Coptic Egyptian American Laura Michael was granted the award for the invaluable guidance and advice she gives to Coptic families in the US through her blog Coptic Dad and Mom which describes its mission as “Learning to trust God and serve others in the lands of immigration, working to help fill the gaps between our Coptic faith and our Western culture through free resources, books, kits, and much more.”
Dr Michael Henein, Professor of Cardiology at Umeå University in Sweden earned the award for founding TEACH, the European Academy for Coptic Heritage, and for his lifetime dedication to conserve Coptic heritage and music.
Sarah and Laura Ayoub, famous as the Ayoub Sisters, were born on Glasgow to Egyptian parents. Highly acclaimed as a multi- instrument musical duo, they were granted the Lead by Example award for including Egyptian and Coptic music in their performances, highlighting their heritage and acting as a brilliant inspiration to all. They gave a memorable performance at this year’s Coptic Orphans 35th anniversary celebration.
More awardees
Other awardees included Yusry Armanius, a doctor, councillor, and specialist in combatting addiction, for generously offering his services free of charge to Coptic families. Tassoni Dalia Mikhail was awarded for long being a guide and support to families who lost fathers.
In Australia, Bassilious Marcos was awarded for founding in 1991 the first Coptic school in Melbourne, St Mary Coptic Orthodox School. His son, Jimmy Marcos, was awarded for his profound commitment to the Coptic faith and community in Australia and Egypt. He was recently in Egypt with his wife and children, and took them to visit underprivileged families supported by Coptic Orphans.
Amany Zikry who heads the department of digestive system and liver diseases at St George State hospital was awarded for her 2014 – 2016 campaign to raise funds for a new treatment of hepatitis in Australia. As for Egyptian Australian Daniel Nour who was named Young Australian of The Year for 2022, he was awarded Lead by Example for his voluntary medical services to the homeless in Australia.
The Lead by Example award had been previously granted to American chemist Raymond Schinazi who discovered the Sovaldi treatment for hepatitis C; Egyptian Ola Ghabbour who founded the first children’s cancer hospital in Egypt famous as 57357; Egyptian actor Youssra for her humanitarian work as UN goodwill ambassador; and Egyptian scientist Farouk al-Baz. It was also granted to Pope Tawadros II.
Watani International
22 November 2023