Programs and Services

The core of our ministry is F.A.I.T.H.

Families Advancing In Transformational Hope

The F.A.I.T.H. program sends its Ministry Leaders into the home, much like Mama Maggie began many years ago.  Each family being served by F.A.I.T.H. is assign a Ministry Leader for a weekly visit.  These families are selected after being identified as the most needy - the poorest of the Poor.  This often means a single parent with 6 to 7 children whose livelihood is sorting out anything of value from the garbage of others.

• The F.A.I.T.H. Ministry Leaders serve as a resource navigator, mentor, pastor, and advocate for each family.
• They conduct Structured Visits: Each visit begins with prayer and devotions.  It addresses needs, obstacles, hopes, and dreams.
• Care begins with a Provision Basket, nutritional food, clothing, blankets, whatever is needed to stabilize and strengthen the family.
• They connect families to Stephen’s Children Resources leveraging education to break the cycle of poverty at Community Education Centers (CECs), Farah Schools, Children’s Camps, and Mother’s Workshops and Worship.  Provision Baskets are continued monthly for each family served.  Heathcare is available at each C.E.C., Camps, and St. Mary's Health Center.  For parentless children the Angel Homes are a last resort.
• Holistic Benefits: Families receive emotional and psychological care, counseling, emergency aid, spiritual mentoring, economic support, health and hygiene awareness, and child growth and development assistance.
• Legal assistance: Sometimes it is a simple as obtaining a birth certificate for the start of School or it could be filing for a marriage license.

Angel Homes – for the parentless

Angel homes are a place where children are loved in the name of Christ. The children experience the transformative grace of unconditional love as they reclaim their dignity, discover hope and learn to build positive productive relationships with others. Mama Maggie’s Angel homes are rooted in a profound philosophy; every child deserves love, respect, and the opportunity to thrive. 

The homes are for the very needy children from poor slums and garbage collecting areas who are facing difficulty surviving and have no chance of getting an education.

These parentless children, for the first time in their young lives, experience the love, concern and protection of a caring Christian adult. They are taken in and taught to believe that they matter. The caretakers have an endless reserve of love and care for the children and help raise them as their own, with special care paid to their material, emotional, psychological, and educational needs. This experience instills in them a sense of security and belonging that they might have previously lacked and has both immediate and long-term results, impacting their childhood development and formal education, leading to a better life and nurturing a hope for a brighter future full of endless possibilities.

Children are given educational support to get them up to grade level and prepare them for entrance into school.  And receive on going tutoring to ensure educational success.

Education

In many Egyptian households, women serve as de facto heads of household, despite their role being historically undervalued—particularly in slums and impoverished areas. Recognizing this, CECs have developed Mother’s Workshops and Worship, monthly gatherings that have become highly popular and impactful, inspiring longer, more focused programs to address the most pressing needs of mothers.

Each session begins with worship and praise and provides Christ-centered education on health, hygiene, child development, parenting, and healthy relationships. Mothers also receive a meal (chicken, rice, and banana), along with additional food to take home.  

Community Education Centers

Amidst the poorest of the poor, the marginalized, in garbage collection areas and squatter slums CECs are built to provide children with an oasis of learning, love and nutrition.  Giving them peace, education, and Chrisitan instruction.   Through these centers, by working with children and their mothers, Stephen's Children Ministry wholistically provides transformational opportunities to children, parents and families.

• Early Education and Care for children are as young as 2 years old through kindergarten.
• Rigorous faith-based education. The goal is to prepare the children for a lifetime of educational success.
• Workshops and Worship for mothers teaching everything from health and hygiene to child development, parenting and healthy relationships.
• Before and after school support to public school students who attend a first or second shift school.
• Home base "Hub" for F.A.I.T.H. Ministry Teams and Leaders

There are 103 CECs.   Each Center serves over 150 to 200 children.  The CEC serves children as young as 2 years old and as old as 12.  Early Care (age 2) Preschool (ages 3&4) and Kindergarten (age 5) are the main emphasis.  The faith-based curriculum is presented in both Arabic and English.  The goal is to prepare the children for a lifetime of educational success and a solid foundation in the Christian Faith. Students learn about Jesus and the Bible through school and home visits to ground them in the Word.  Those going on to public schools beginning in 1st grade will be subjected to an Arabic curriculum that uses the quran for language and literature.   

CEC’s provide Before and After School support to public school students (6-12) who attend either a first or second shift of school.  Two thirds of Egyptian students attend a 4.5-hour school either in the morning or afternoon as opposed to a traditional 7-hour day.  While at the CEC, these students participate in an English language, faith-based curriculum in addition to homework help and tutoring. 

The CEC also provides Medical Clinics.   Volunteer medical professionals have stepped forward to provide check-ups and encouragement for good health habits for children who attend Stephen’s Children’s sports camps, as well as our schools. For most children, it is the first time they have been seen by a doctor or dentist. The check-ups for both general and oral health are free-of-charge, and it is our prayer that more medical professionals will volunteer to share the love of Christ by investing time, training, and resources to improve the quality of life for Egypt’s poorest and most at-risk children. 

In August 2025, we celebrated the graduation of 2,465 of our 6-year-olds from the Community Education Centers, as they proudly began their first year in elementary school at the start of the academic year in September.

Farah I and Farah II  Language Schools

Farah I is a national language school located in the El Khessous slums und the Elkalyoubeia Governorate.  Kindergarten, through middle school with 1090 students.   

Farah II is also located in El Khessous.  It is kindergarten through 10th grade program with 1027 students.  Languages include English, French, and German.   

Both schools fall under the oversight of the Egyptian Ministry of Education (EMoE).  Both schools have won numerous awards and certificates. 

In Arabic, “Farah” means joy, joyful, or rejoice. Mama Maggie chose “Farah” because it is mentioned 430 times in the Bible. Joy is the characteristic of God’s people and this how young children should always feel.  Christian values and ethics are the core of Farah Schools’ teachings and guidelines.  The atmosphere of love and mutual respect, values of appreciation and acceptance between both students and teachers and students and their peers are pillars of Farah Schools.  Every morning children line up and recite, Philippians 4:8  “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." in addition to the Egyptian Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. 

Farah Schools give the opportunity for unprivileged children living in slum areas to enroll in a language school.  (Angel Home children, upon passing the entrance exam are given priority enrollment into the Farah Schools). Farah School tuition is based on income.  All parents are expected to pay something.  A full scholarship to a Farah Christian School is $450.00.  Scholarships are subsidized by Supporters of Stephen’s Children. 

Education counselors support students in planning their future and choosing the university that meets the students’ needs and guarantees future jobs.  EMoE examinations are required along with the school’s monthly, mid-term and final exams.  

Each school has a medical clinic do screens and provide season vaccines.

Extracurricular activities include Sports, Gymnastics, Math and Science Competitions, Art and Drama, and Chess Clubs.

Farah III is in the planning stages. 

See Projects for more information.

Are you a Medical Professional interested

in helping for a short time?

Dr. Elizabeth visits from Norway.

St. Mary’s Health Center

We believe in a holistic approach to serving people—caring for the mind, body, and spirit. To truly reach the mind and spirit, we must first compassionately care for the body. We work to restore physical health, honoring the body as a manifestation of God’s precious design.

The individuals served by our medical center are in desperate need, with no access to alternative medical care in their area. Located in Ezbet El Nakhl—one of Egypt’s most densely populated garbage slums—the center reaches those who have long been unreached. This is why we believe the medical center has the power not only to save lives but also to restore hope for people longing for a better future.

The first floor of the medical center is now complete and includes:

• Outpatient clinics
• A dental clinic
• Laboratories for diagnostic tests
• Optometry Services

Outpatient services at the Medical Center include Urgent Care, Primary Care, Gynecology Clinic, Orthopedic Clinic, physical therapy, Dental Clinic, and Optometry Services. The medical center has equipment such as an X-ray machine, Laboratory, and Ultrasound. They are the first in the area and will serve the needs of thousands who are unable to otherwise afford to have scans and lab work performed.   

Volunteer teams from all over the world are included in our holistic ministry.

Summer and Winter Camps

Camps are held twice a year; once in winter and the second time in summer. The camps in winter are usually day camps while in summer they can be overnight camps. The winter camps are day camps taking place from the last week of January to the first week of February during winter break from school. 

The life-changing camp experience offers children the opportunity to spend time away from their home environments and to be nurtured by loving servants. They pray and memorize scripture, and this is the chance to establish a personal relationship with the Lord and accept Him as their personal savior. This relationship of love with Jesus is followed up in regular personal visits to the child after the camp.   

During the camps, children participate in games and discussion groups, learn biblical stories, and discover their own creativity. Prayer time is very special and important at these camps. The boys and girls attend well prepared awareness sessions and discussions addressing their daily challenges to help them face the reality of their community and avoid repeating mistakes and getting into trouble. It is a very encouraging experience to have small discussion groups where children from different slums discuss their circumstance and find that they are not alone suffering from these difficulties but others in different areas face the same challenges.  By discussing challenges, they are strengthened and encouraged by each other.

Children receive regular medical and dental checkups during camps.

Vocational Training

At our Vocational Training Centers, we offer a valuable alternative for older children not enrolled in primary education. Our program teaches them essential trade skills, basic literacy, alongside Christian values. With this foundation, our goals are to help them achieve personal responsibility and financial self-reliance.  It is a second chance program for students who struggle with traditional schools.  Vocational Training is a better alternative to dropping out of school.  It keeps them off the streets and gives them hope and purpose by learning a trade, discipline, and the value of work.

Shoes made by the Training School are given away.  School uniforms are provided to students at both Farah schools.  Agricultural products are given to the needy or refined and sold.

Ministry Leadership Training

The Families Advancing In Transformational Hope (FAITH) program requires a steady supply of new Ministry Leaders being prepared to go into homes just as Mama Maggie began by going into Garbage City to work with families and help their children.  By going into their homes, talking about Christ, discussing needs and aspirations she built trust.  Her early days of self-sacrifice were soon joined by others.  Today over 500 Ministry Leaders go into the homes of people living in the garbage slums and squatter slum communities, visiting each family on a weekly basis.   Stephen's Children trains hundreds of new leaders each year.  These leaders work with Stephen's Children but over time, will also work with other Christian organizations throughout Egypt.

All Leaders complete Leadership Training -Discipleship Training School using the YWAM curriculum during the first 3 months.  They serve under the guidance of a Senior Leader for their first 6 months.  Ministry Leaders are part of a FAITH team that works out of the Community Education Center in their assigned slum.  The Ministry Leader works closely with the family to identify needs, opportunities, and set goals.