OUR EGYPT PARTNERS
OUR WORK IN EGYPT
Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East, with over 100 million citizens. Despite being classed as a middle-income country, it is one of the poorest states in the region. More than a third of the population lives in poverty. As much of the county is desert, 95% of the population live on only 4% of the land, meaning cities like Cairo are polluted and over-crowded.
Egypt is home to the largest Christian community in the region. 10-15% of the population are Christians, the majority of whom are Coptic Orthodox. You can find out more about the Christian communities in Egypt here.
Embrace works with 10 partner organisations from across the denominational spectrum of the church, reaching across the geographical spread of the country. They work to provide: women’s social and economic empowerment; education and training to marginalised communities such as African refugees; healthcare for pregnant women and children under 5 years old; and inclusion into society for people living with disabilities.
ANAFORA INSTITUTE
Anafora is a retreat centre on the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria. Part of the Coptic Orthodox Church, it is a haven of peace and a centre of learning and reconciliation. Embrace supports their Soteria programme, which trains young women to be ‘agents of change’ in their communities in Upper Egypt. It challenges gender stereotypes and brings healing from trauma that many women experience as part of their daily lives.
ARKAN CULTURAL CENTRE
St Mark’s pro-Cathedral in Alexandria is home to the Arkan Cultural Centre, which offers short courses in creative and multimedia skills, seeking to address high unemployment rates among university graduates. They also host regular art exhibitions where young people can showcase their creativity, and run social activities, which build bridges between Christians and Muslims.
BLESS
The Coptic Orthodox church’s Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services (BLESS) works in over 50 communities across Egypt. They run a wide range of community development activities, working intensively with communities for up to 5 years to increase education, healthcare, agricultural output, job opportunities and community participation.
“ “Education is so important but my daughter keeps dropping out of school because she finds the classes difficult. This year she was able to continue studying because the fees were paid and she had extra support through the tuition.” ”
EL SARAY CHURCH & FAIRHAVEN SCHOOL
In the 1980s El Saray Church in Alexandria responded to needs in their local community by setting up a school for children with learning disabilities, and Embrace has been partnering with them for most of that time. Today, over 100 students, aged 4-40, attend the school, 80% of whom are from Muslim families. Each student has an individual educational plan as well as learning life and self-care skills in small groups.
EPISCOCARE
Episcocare, a ministry of the Anglican Church, focuses on working with whole family units in an integrated way to lift them out of poverty and improve their health, education and livelihoods. They operate from community centres, and Embrace supports three of these in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. The centres provides literacy classes for adults, life skills and health education seminars, after-school tutoring and a mentoring programme for children at risk of dropping out of school. It also offers targeted healthcare and microloans.
HARPUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Harpur Memorial Hospital, a ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt, has served the people of Menouf and the surrounding areas in the Nile Delta since 1910. It has been a partner of Embrace for over 30 years. Today, the hospital provides quality and affordable medical care to all; 95% of patients are Muslim. Embrace has supported the hospital to start a nursing school, as many of the nurses working at the hospital do not have any formal training.
““I live in a place where there are not many health facilities but soon I will be able to help my neighbours and community.””
LIFE VISION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Life Vision are a non-denominational organisation working with local community partners to empower and develop marginalised communities. Embrace supports their work with children with visual impairments in rural Upper Egypt and their families and communities, promoting the full inclusion of people with disabilities in society. Embrace also supports work to strengthen and support families with young children in a Zabbaleen (garbage collecting) community in Cairo.
REFUGE EGYPT
African refugees from Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea and other countries, are amongst the most marginalised communities in Egypt. Refuge Egypt, a ministry of the Anglican Church, provides a friendly welcome and immediate support in the form of food parcels and clothing for newly arriving refugees, as well as access to medical services through a network of clinics.
SALAAM CENTRE
The Daughters of St Mary Coptic Convent is in Ezbet el Nakhl, a Zabbaleen (rubbish collecting) community on the edge of Cairo. The Sisters set up the Salaam Centre some time ago to respond to the needs of the community, which include high levels of drug addiction and domestic abuse as well as poor education, healthcare and nutrition and lack of access to legal advice.
THINK AND DO
Think and Do is linked to the Evangelical Church in Egypt and Embrace supports their work to improve the social and economic position of women in rural Upper Egyptian villages. Life Schools enable women who missed out on an education to learn to read, write, count and master a skill such as sewing or hairdressing.
““I learnt how to read and write and this helped a lot to write my name instead of using a stamp to sign official documents. I learnt also how to protect my children from home accidents and how to cook healthy food for them.””
EGYPT PROJECTS LATEST UPDATES
REFUGE EGYPT
“Sudan’s refugees seek shelter in Egypt”
BLESS
“Embracing Autism in Egypt”
THINK & DO
“Why I work as a Life School Tutor”
PERSONAL STORIES FROM OUR EGYPT PROJECTS
“Every time I see a child or a woman whom I’ve helped, it encourages me to continue.” Magy, a young Egyptian Christian, tells us about her work as the educational programme coordinator at the Episcocare’s community centre in Alexandria.