[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”127285″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]09/28/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “In faith, I learned the story of Joseph, I learned patience, and I love my enemies,” 13-year-old Mariam Nady told Hope House staff. Mariam lives alone with just her mother. As an only child who lost her father in Spring 2020, Mariam’s small family unit relies heavily on each other to survive.
Though Mariam is in good health now, she experienced many physical pains after her father’s passing, including difficulty walking. Now, Mariam’s mother faces medical issues which places a heavier burden of responsibility on the young teenager. Regarding her daily routine, Mariam said, “In the morning I wash my face, I get bread from the oven, I have breakfast. After I help my mother with the housework, I go to my friends.” Mariam and her mother often work together to maintain their livelihoods.
When asked about her desire for Mariam, her mother responded, “I want my daughter to be a beautiful bride.” Conversely, Mariam expressed her interest to become a lawyer when she grows up so she can defend people’s rights and to be an artist because she loves to create things. With only one daughter at home, Mariam’s mother likely sees the pathway into marriage as the best way to guarantee a better future for Mariam. In a country like Egypt where women, particularly Christian women, are awarded few opportunities outside of the home, it is a risk to seek much else beyond marriage.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”“I want my daughter to be a beautiful bride.“” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1632778034628{margin-top: 50px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1632777994349{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
Hope House seeks to equip young girls like Mariam with a solid educational background, to prepare her for whatever her life may hold. Hope House and the child sponsorship program provides crucial education that Christian children likely would not receive in their public schools, where they often face discrimination and poor educational encouragement.
Because of Mariam’s participation in the sponsorship program, she receives a monthly food package for her and her mother, routine medical testing to ensure her health, and special gifts throughout the year such as clothing, celebratory meals for holidays, and field trips. Her mother shared with Hope House staff, “there are so many good classes, now she can read and write well, before joining the center classes, she was not good at studying.” Mariam N is currently sponsored, but there are many more children who need additional help breaking the cycles of persecution that plague Egyptian Christian families.
Would you consider partnering with ICC to help fight the generational persecution that Christians in Egypt face? 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: press@persecution.org
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