[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”127507″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]10/12/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “Before, I couldn’t visit people (in the village),” says the pastor of the church in Village K in Egypt. “They wouldn’t welcome me because they didn’t know us. Now I am visiting houses I never thought I’d be able to go to.” ICC’s partnership with the local church to implement Hope House provided avenues for outreach to the community as the center sought to build up the education of historically persecuted Christians. As a result, the church has grown nearly ten times its original size since the inception of this particular Hope House.
In January 2020, the pastor shared with ICC’s field team his hopes and dreams for what Hope House could do in his village. This past summer, all of those dreams were realized. Just months before COVID-19 shut down the country, the pastor shared his dream of providing a summer school for the children, discipleship groups, summer trips, and a celebration to honor students who scored highly on their exams.
Public government schools have been closed in Egypt since the end of April and were not set to reopen until October, leaving children without schooling for five full months. Hope House filled this educational gap with a long-term summer school. During the summer, Hope House staff also took children on a field trip to a pool outside their village, a welcome treat for all of the children who have faced a difficult year and rarely get to leave their surrounding area. During the trip, children received a small gift for their completion of the discipleship program that year. One child in the sponsorship program, Tawadrous, said, “The best thing I liked about the trip was the swimming pool, the color game, and everything about the trip. The present is beautiful and I like it.”[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”“Before, I couldn’t visit people (in the village). They wouldn’t welcome me because they didn’t know us. Now I am visiting houses I never thought I’d be able to go to.” ” font_container=”tag:h5|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1633984880524{margin-top: 50px !important;margin-bottom: 60px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1633984915083{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]
The Hope House teachers have remained positive and happy about serving the kids, expressing joyfully the progress in the education level of the kids. Those in younger grades typically received the lessons easier, according to one teacher, compared with their older peers who were not able to benefit from the foundational teachings at younger ages. This past month, teachers sat with their students to celebrate their successes and high scores on their exams.
Now, two years into the launch of this Hope House, children are growing their educational foundation and realizing their full potential. Hope House seeks to combat the generational persecution that Christians face by providing critical education and all-around support to the child and their family. The child sponsorship program ensures that families have adequate nutritional, medical, and spiritual care.
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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