Egypt- Embrace the Middle East, empowering women

We raised £4,442 for girls and women in Egypt with the aim of supporting women with literacy, leadership training and life skills such as sewing.  

Think and Do Life School - Upper Minya, West Menuphia. This is aimed at women who missed out on education. Classes include: reading, writing, maths, awareness class on parenting challenging traditional values and encouraging modern techniques, communication, sewing, hairdressing and cooking on a budget. 2016 life school 60 students, 8.30am-1pm work on agriculture too. Range of ages 15-55 none been to school before. The women have been asked; why did you come? They responded: we wanted to learn, to read bible, to understand their prescriptions, to collect their pension, to help their children with school work. They have about 180 women/year across 3 villages.

Anaphora Leadership Training- West Menuphia. Soteria is a retreat created and led by a Coptic Bishop Thomas, where groups of 20 Christian women, stay for 1 week and explore their experiences as women and discover their potential, they all have some form of trauma but they can heal here. Then in another week they learn a vocational skill to take home (weaving and candles). There are coaches who are women from previous groups, each coach is responsible for 3-4 villages and they check up on them when they go back home. Big team that will succeed Bishop Thomas and keep the Centre going, and continue his vision beyond. Cohorts are 20-25 people, last year about 160 women, the ripple effect on the communities and children.