Coptic Orphans is an award-winning international Christian development organization that has transformed the lives of over 86,000 children in Egypt since 1988. We believe that through long-term programs that focus on education, we can affect the vicious cycle of poverty.When most people think of "orphans," they think of children in orphanages who have no family at all.In fact, many orphanages in Egypt are filled with children who have families only because their widowed mothers cannot afford to feed them.This is an injustice.Coptic Orphans focuses on the children most likely to face the deadly combination of poverty and social injustice, but who have the greatest potential to change their lives and the lives of others.Through child sponsors and a network of over 850 village-based on the ground volunteers, churches, and organizations, our programs help children stay in school (and stay with their families) and by God's grace, we empower thousands of children to reclaim their dignity and self-worth.We make a covenant with orphaned families in Egypt to stay with a child until the end of their highest education, as long as they also work hard to make full use of every possible educational opportunity they have.Our vision is a peaceful, prosperous Egypt where children thrive, and a vibrant, engaged Diaspora.Our team of over 150 trained professionals works from our headquarters just outside Washington, D.C. and from offices in Egypt, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.