Project Report
| Oct 19, 2011
I Can Speak Now-Sherry's Story
By Hanan Baky | Program Specialist
Dear Supporters,
I want to share with you the story of one of the girls in the Valuable Girl Project. Death is something that we all deal with but it has a different effect on all of us. Sometimes it makes us appreciate life and brings us closer to our family. Other times it makespeople go into a depression. Sherry* is now a very confident 13 year old girl who speaks clearly and looks you in the eye. But she wasn’t always this way.
Her father died unexpectantly leaving Sherry and her mother alone. Sherry was very close to her father and his death caused her to go into shock. She said despite having her mother around, she still felt helpless and alone. Her speech became slurred and very difficult to understand.
Sherry’s mother was forced to move back in with her parent’s family because they could not support themselves.
Sherry’s other aunts lived in the family home and made jokes about Sherry’s speech daily. They would tell her, “you, who can’t speak properly, be quiet.”
Read the rest of the story to find out how Sherry's life changed through VGP!
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Aug 2, 2011
Creating Tolerance
By By Hanan Baky | Program Specialist
Dear Supporters,
As Egypt’s future remains uncertain with political and religious unrest our Valuable Girl Project (VGP) continues to make strides to bridge tolerance and understanding between Christian and Muslims.
In Egypt it’s quite common, especially in rural areas, for people of different religions to never interact. Different cultural and religious practices often eliminate the opportunity to communicate. As people get older their fear of the unknown can sometimes develop into a full blown hatred. The goal of VGP is to empower girls and young women through educational mentoring . A positive outcome of the program has been the reduction of the communication gap between Christian and Muslim youth to gain a common understanding.
Aalia* a Big Sister participating in VGP shared her thoughts about how the program has made a difference in her life. She said, “Before my participation in the project, I used to carry negative attitudes and feeling towards Christians in general. I never used to have any Christian friends or as much as talked to my fellow Christian classmates or neighbors if I knew they were Christian. The reason I joined the project was exclusively driven by the motive to find a job…nothing else! However, upon the start of the project, I was personally touched by the love and respect my fellow Christian girls showed me.
Read the rest of the story to find out how Aalia and her family changed their tolerance through VGP!
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May 4, 2011
Sharifa's Story
By Hanan Baky | Program Specialist
Dear VGP Supporters,
Girls in our Valuable Girl Project (VGP) are not only empowered to continue their education but are also nurtured to build fortitude in dealing with life challenges – challenges that most of us could hardly fathom. Our participants face challenges and turn them into shining examples of unique courage.
Let me share with you a story that touched my heart. Recently, both of Sharifa’s parents died in an accident leaving her and her 4 younger sisters to be taken care of by her mute aunt. The children were able to remain in their family’s home, but their neighbor thought he would be able to take advantage of the children without their father’s protection, so he began making improvements in his home which would have completely blocked the only window and source of light in Sharifa’s home.
Read the rest of the story to find out how this 13-year-old Sharifa fended for her rights. Enjoy!
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