- Healthcare and social assistance
Egypt: Support a Home for the Elderly
The congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of Sorrows (Saint Frai) has been caring for elderly people since 1957.
The "Home of the Virgin Mary" is located at Heliopolis, 10 km north-east of Cairo. It accommodates 95 residents and, with all those who help and support them, the centre houses a total of 150 people."Whether in France or in Egypt… our vocation is the same – to give compassion and provide accommodation for the poorest of the poor, the elderly, and to see Christ through our brothers".
The home employs young women (between 16 and 25 years of age) as carers. Most of them come from Upper Egypt and are unable to return home given recent events. The community takes full care of them (food, finances, and education). In February 2018, two Œuvre d’Orient volunteers joined them for a 6-month assignment to help them, particularly with respect to the medical aspect of their work. Helping them means meeting their needs and supporting the action of Catholic Copts, who are often the object of discrimination in their own country.
