A visit to Cairo
- Nigel Quinn
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Two members of Drumbeg Parish recently paid a flying visit to their CMSI partners in Cairo to pray with them and demonstrate solidarity at this moment of uncertainty and fear in the Middle East. Nigel Quinn reflects on his visit with Mike Morrow:
"The Middle East is never far from the news and with all the death and destruction happening in Gaza,and Sudan, as well as the recent outbreak of hostilities between the US/Israel and Iran the region remains very much on the front pages. It was therefore with perhaps a little apprehension, but also great anticipation that we made a short visit to Egypt.
Egypt has a population of around 103 million people, with a demographic of approximately 85 per cent Muslim and 15 per cent Christian; the majority of whom are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church. There is however a small but very active and effective Anglican community of around 15,000. Much of the work done by the Anglican Church involves reaching out, not only to the poor, the sick and those displaced by war, but also includes education and interfaith dialogue.
On our short visit we had the opportunity to reconnect with the community at St. Raphael School in the impoverished neighbourhood of Kilo 4.5 ( so called because the original settlement was 4.5 kilometres from the Cairo to Suez highway). The school provides a much needed high quality education programme for students aged between 3 and 20 who find themselves displaced by conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan. The young people come from both Christian and Muslim faith backgrounds as do the staff. Having spent a week teaching there with a small team from Drumbeg Church at the end of 2024 it was great to renew acquaintances, and see the school thriving in its new location a little distance away from the former premises.
For the students attending the school, life on the face of it has not dealt them a great hand. Nevertheless to paraphrase Nelson Mandela they are part of a community who are being given the chance to benefit from the greatest weapon against poverty and ignorance; education.
Some distance to the North of Cairo is the City of Menouf situated on the Nile Delta, it is home to a
number of very important initiatives of the Anglican Church. We had the opportunity of visiting the campus encompassing Menara School for students with learning and developmental challenges, and also Menouf Episcopal School. The latter, where major building work has recently been completed, caters for 1500 students with plans for a further extension, growing the student population to around 2000. Menorah School has currently 45 students who enjoy the benefits of a programme specifically geared towards meeting their particular needs, and allowing them to feel valued among the wider community. Transport is provided for these students which ensures they can attend and participate in a positive collective programme rather than remaining isolated at home.
It has been a short, but encouraging visit, to a country in a region which so often attracts much in the way of horrifying news coverage. At this time, we need to hold in our prayers the people of Egypt, surrounded as they are by so much turmoil, and uncertainty, but where nevertheless so much faithful and life changing work continues. We also need to pray for peace and an end to people's suffering throughout the wider region of the Middle East."
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