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Coptic Orphans (CO) is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 with the goal of the long-term development of the physical and intellectual well being of children in Egypt. Every year it help hundreds of needy children and their families financially, intellectually and socially.

Contents 1 History 2 Mission 3 Programs 3.1 The Child Assistance Program 3.2 The Valuable Girl Project 3.3 The Rosetta Program 3.4 1001 Tales 3.5 Serve To Learn 4 See also 5 External links

Coptic Orphans was founded in 1989, when Mrs. Nermien Riad, founder and executive director, was in Cairo during a two-year tour of duty with the U.S. government. During her stay, she was invited to visit an orphanage in Egypt. The children's living conditions and abject poverty overcame her and she became determined to make a personal impact to improve their conditions.

Upon returning to the United States, she began collecting and sending funds to Egypt on a limited scale to the orphanage, and began to lay the foundations for an organization with a Mission and Philosophy solely devoted to the purpose of helping children.

As opposed to a short-term relief organization, Coptic Orphans focuses on the long-term needs of the children - spiritual, physical, economic, and social - through programs that provide both tangible and intangible benefits.

Coptic Orphans has since grown to include other needy children throughout Egypt.

Coptic Orphans exists to improve the lives of orphans and other vulnerable children in Egypt by providing basic needs, education, and mentoring so that they may realize their potential to become productive members of society. Coptic Orphans also exists to raise awareness about poverty in Egypt and promote cultural understanding.

The Child Assistance program Child Assistance is the oldest and largest direct-service program. Representatives (“Reps”) in Egypt seek out orphans who have lost one or both parents, and who are without means of support. Coptic Orphans also works to provide adequate and humane housing facilities for families in this program who are in need of it.

As of 2005, over 10,500 children have been assisted through the Child Assistance program.

The Valuable Girl Project is a program with the goal of empowerment of girls and young women through the creation and provision of role models. It uses an educational mentoring model, through which young women in secondary school become role models for girls in primary school by a one-on-one mentoring relationship. The program focuses on high poverty areas of Egypt , where girls of all ages face a high risk of dropping out of school due to poverty and bias against girls. This program supports all girls in need of it, regardless of religion.

The Rosetta program is a Coptic Orphans child literacy program that finds children enrolled in school who are illiterate , teaches them to read, and then finally enters them into the Child Assistance program.

The 1001 Tales program, models the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program that encourages children to read for pleasure by providing them the opportunity to select and keep books at no cost to them or their parents. It is very likely that 1001 Tales will be the only source of books in children’s homes.

The Serve to Learn program allows volunteers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia to serve in high-poverty areas of Egypt, such as Beni-suef, Matay, King Mariut,Qous/Nekada and other by volunteering to teach English summer courses to children.

• Coptic Orthodox
• Youth organization

• Coptic Orphans's official website
• The Foundation Center