[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”124887″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]06/01/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “My mother feels pain in her leg because she fell on the stairs, so I sweep the floors, clean the house and wash the clothes. Before Easter, we were preparing the sweets and my mother was in a lot of pain so I asked her to take a break and I will do the rest,” Remonda Eskander told Hope House staff in Egypt.
Although 10-year-old Remonda has four other siblings, three of whom are older than her, she is quick to lend a hand at home. She’s learned how to do the laundry for a family and has taken on more responsibility at home. Her father is often out in the village working as a vegetable seller. As a Hope House attendee and participant in the child sponsorship program, Remonda has spent significant time at the Center in the past year, despite the multiple closures due to coronavirus lockdowns. And yet, much of her past year was still spent at home.
Hope House Center is about to launch its summer programming, but the public schools severely restricted access to classes. This has had a negative impact on Remonda and her classmates’ official education, forcing them to rely more heavily upon the Hope House Center. This situation also forces kids to spend more time at home and implies that school is not important. Thankfully, Remonda is eager to continue learning.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”“I have learned reading and writing in the center classes, not the school classes. One teacher taught us how to memorize English words. I miss her. I dream of being a doctor.”” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1622135841646{margin-top: 50px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1622135804015{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
“Now we go to school 2 days a week. Sometimes the teachers don’t attend the classes! So I don’t depend on the school classes,” Remonda said. “On the day I do not have to go to school, I stay with my mother or play with my friends in the street. The Hope House Center classes are helpful to me rather than the school classes. I have learned reading and writing in the center classes, not the school classes. One teacher taught us how to memorize English words. I miss her. I dream of being a doctor.”
Remonda’s mother echoed her daughter’s sentiments saying, “it’s a good thing for kids. There is no education in school and it would be a problem if there were no center classes too.”
Because of Remonda’s participation in the child sponsorship program, she is eligible to receive additional schooling support, monthly food packages, medical care and much more. Remonda and 59 other children are currently available for sponsorship. Would you consider helping Remonda reach her education goals and break the cycles of persecution?
To learn more about ICC’s Hope House or provide a financial gift, visit this page. To inquire about sponsoring a child, contact ICC at icc@persecution.org.
For interviews please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org
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