Helping to rewrite futures in Egypt
MAGY’S STORY
For many women and children living in the informal settlements of Egypt’s cities, the hardships of their daily lives mean they struggle to succeed in their education.
A community centre in an informal settlement in Alexandria, run by our partner EpiscoCare, provides literacy classes for adults and free after-school tutoring and mentoring for children through its My Dear Daughter and My Dear Son programmes. In Egypt, class sizes are large and the quality of teaching is often low, so children need additional support to learn – yet families in the area often struggle to afford this.
Magy began as a volunteer in 2019. She is now the educational programme coordinator at the centre, managing all the programme activities:
My sister joined the Centre’s Volunteer Team in 2017. She encouraged me to volunteer and so I started in the “My Dear Daughter” programme and was given responsibility for a little girl. She was living with challenging family circumstances. She had problems at home and with her educational level and struggled with comprehension.
At first, I was worried that I would not know how to deal with her because I lacked experience in working with children. I was also shy and afraid that I might say something wrong. But through the comprehensive development project training, I learned how to communicate with children. They taught us the importance of listening to them without interruption, providing love, acceptance and care, and encouraging them to express their opinions without fear.
Later I became a facilitator for literacy classes. Teaching adults was more challenging than teaching children! But every time I see a child or a woman whom I’ve helped, it encourages me to continue, and I feel that I have value and play a significant role in the lives of the people around me.
I can’t forget one of the literacy students, Nailah. Nailah couldn’t attend the literacy classes regularly, so I spent extra time with her after the class, helping her catch up. She was determined to learn, and her success in obtaining a literacy certificate in 2021 filled me with joy.
I dream of seeing all young people volunteering because it’s essential for them to know that they are valuable and have a role in society.
