Atfih is an agricultural community with a population of more than 250,000 inhabiants, and is located 55 miles away from Cairo by
road. Like many other towns in Middle
and Upper Egypt, Atfih is mainly
inhabited by Bedouins and Sa'idis. Most
of the inhabitants of Atfih are Sunni
Muslims, but some (10% or 30,000
inhabitants) are Christians.
Who are Bedouins and Sa'idis?
Bedouins are nomadic people
of the Middle Eastern deserts
Sa'idis are rural people living
in Upper Egypt
Poverty is a huge problem in Atfih with the average family making around 700 to 800 Egyptian pounds a month ($80-110). Poverty in Atfih is so extreme, that many families often find themselves unable to buy food. In response to this, the Coptic Church has dedicates 80,000 Egyptian pounds (10,000 dollars) every month to provide for both Muslim and Christian families who are in need of food.
Due to the existing poverty, corruption and crime are also prevalent in Atfih. Drug and arms trafficking is all but common in the community. These problems are escalated by the culture of the area. In Atfih, like many other towns in Egypt, cultural ideas of violence and vengeance (al-tar) are very prevalent. Because of this, violence is common in Atfih making “family wars” very common and bloody.
Beside the basic problem of hunger, Atfih also faces major problems with education.
Because of governmental budget cuts, many of the public schools in Atfih are
extremely underfunded. Because of this, teachers in Atfih are paid very little.
To increase their income some teachers actively force students to take expensive
private lessons by refusing to teach
adequately in the classroom. So families in
Atfih who wish to give their children a good
education must often pay a large quantity of
their monthly income to give their children
private lessons.
Private schools are present in Atfih, but
are highly unaffordable for the average
working family, making private lessons
the only reasonable solution. Atfih is in
desperate need of a new school, and
the Church is trying to achieve this goal,
but is unable to provide for the expenses
associated with building a school.
Did you know?
The average household income in the United States is $52,250 (2013). Compared to that, the average household income in Atfih ($110) is less than 0.2% that of the United States.
Did you know?
Atfih does not have a developed disposal system, so many streets in Atfih are covered with trash.
Teachers in Atfih are also virtually unsupervised. Because of the lack of supervision, many teachers physically and verbally abuse their
students for even minor mistakes. Christian students fare even worse with some teachers abusing them simply because of their religion. Private schools are present in Atfih, but are highly unaffordable for the average working family. Thus for many families private lessons are the only reasonable way to educate their kids. Atfih is in desperate need of a new school, and the Church is trying to achieve this goal, but is sadly unable to provide for the expenses associated with building a school.
That is why this year, The Angelos Ministry has decided to assist the Church by
raising funds to help build a new school in Atfih. A new school that will be
affordable to the average family, a school that will teach students with a Western
style curriculum. A school where the students will feel safe from abuse and persecution, and where the teachers will actually be teaching. A school like this can change Atfih forever, because as Nelson Mandel said “education is the most powerful weapon whichwe can use to change the world.’