Mina echoed this sentiment saying, “the teachers don’t teach seriously. Many kids miss the classes. I get so much learning in the center classes, more than in my school classes. I love the Arabic subject, and I dream of being a police officer.”

Overall, Mina tries to have a good attitude about working instead of attending school. His family describes him as sweet, cute and calm. He works with a willing spirit and still makes time to play with his friends after working in the mornings.

While his demeanor and attitude are blessings to his family, it is the sad reality that Mina is forced to pursue hard physical labor on farms instead of spending time on his education. Even if Mina did continue attending public school, many children find it insufficient to teach them their lessons. This economic persecution that many Christians face in Egypt trickles down to the youngest generations and limits their own upward mobility for the future.

By working on Fridays, Mina also misses the opportunity to attend Church school, thereby inhibiting his spiritual growth as well. Hope House provides education to fill this gap, with caring teachers equipping him with the necessities. While they study the basics of language and math, teachers also provide spiritual lessons to the children.

ICC will be highlighting one child from our sponsorship program over the next several weeks, some of whom are still available to sponsor. To learn more about ICC’s Hope House or sponsor a child like Mina, visit this page.

For interviews, please contact Alison Garcia, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.