The personal stories of Egyptian refugees – Series No.10 of 22
The following narratives introduce individuals who are detained in refugee camps. They are in desperate need of the La Casa Futura project currently underway by Voice of the Copts. Egyptian youths have been uprooted and displaced for various reasons all related to religious persecution. Names have been changed to protect identities. Narratives are based on true accounts of actual events.
Hannan protected her older sister, Mary, walking together to school every morning and back home again every afternoon. Mary was very beautiful and attracted the attention of every boy.
Hannan’s mother warned both of her daughters to talk to no one on route to or from school. There was a high risk girls could fall prey to a bait-and-capture scheme conducted by any boy from the mosque to trap any girl from the church. The number of missing girls is growing in Egypt, and Egypt remains on
the U.S. Department of State’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report.
There were horror stories from families in her village about the loss of daughters to entrapment of this type. It always began with simple, friendly talk. This led to rape and kidnapping, which led to a secret marriage and mandatory religious conversion. When this happened, a young girl would never see her family again.
Hannan’s family arranged for Mary to leave the country to avoid this unfortunate possibility with hope that Hannan could someday join her. This is why Mary now resides in a refugee camp across the Mediterranean Sea far away from the dangers that faced her.
Of course, there are new dangers in Mary’s current status as there would be for any 16 year-old girl in a refugee camp. A project called La Casa Futura will alleviate this hardship. The LCF project is a call-to-action conducted by Voice of the Copts and is critical for the welfare of Mary and others like her.
Mary’s best case scenario to establish a new life in a new country will be to begin with the help of an agency specifically tailored to the needs and concerns of Egyptian Copts. After her very brave decision to come to the West, Mary can’t do it alone.
Please help us help those in need of the next step to build their futures away from family and country. Donate today and make an investment into the lives of those with great courage to find real hope for the future.
Your generosity will make all the difference.
Thank you!
La Casa Futura project currently consists of one dormitory building providing help for up to 100 youths per session. Each session provides language learning, job direction, and cultural understanding. LCF is in its initial stage of development as we seek financial backers and matching funds for individual donations
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