Financial Inclusion in Egypt - Empower 8000 women

Dear friends,

In the far villages of Aswan, where tradition runs deep and widowed women are often hidden behind closed doors, Fayza was silently surviving. After the death of her husband, she was left to raise her children alone — not just in grief, but in a world that told her she had no place outside her home unless it was for a medical emergency.

Fayza couldn’t access her husband’s pension on her own. Like many women in her situation, she had no knowledge of banking or using an ATM card. Trusting her brother-in-law to help her, she handed over her ID and pension information. For years, he gave her only a portion of what was rightfully hers — justifying the theft with talk of “government fees.”

Then came a turning point.

Fayza was enrolled in one of Coptic Orphans' programs, and just in time for the Baseeta initiative. With patience and encouragement from her volunteer representative from Coptic Orphans, Fayza found an opportunity to get back her ID from her in-laws. She opened her very first bank account, learned to use an ATM, attended a financial literacy workshop, and — for the first time — saw her own money come out of a machine into her hands.

“Once I saw the money coming to me from the ATM,” Fayza said with quiet pride, “I saw a new door for my life. I didn’t just get money — I earned back what was mine.”

Inspired and emboldened, Fayza took another bold step. She went to the Social Solidarity Office and requested a replacement for the card her brother-in-law had controlled. This time, the card — and the power — would be in her hands.

“I felt empowered to face the world,” she said. “I’m not doing anything wrong. I want to support my children and be a good example for them so that they can face life.”

In communities where widowed mothers often lose even their most basic rights, Fayza’s story is proof of what’s possible when women are given tools, knowledge, and dignity.

Because of donors like you, Coptic Orphans didn’t just help her open a bank account, but also helped her unlock the door to a future where she can lead her family with strength, independence, and pride.

Thank you for your support and generous donations to Coptic Orphans.

** Name and location are changed to protect the mother’s privacy and dignity.