Dear Family and Friends,

Time is zooming by here. Next month, at the end of June, when Charles finishes school, we will return to the United States where I will spend a year in Louisville working as a missionary in residence in PC(USA)’s Worldwide Ministries Division’s area office on the Middle East. So I am thinking of what to pack and what to give away and what papers I need close at hand. I am researching the Louisville schools via their website and identifying materials that will give folks in the U.S. an idea of CEOSS (Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services) and the work it does.

I am looking forward to being close to family and getting better acquainted with PC(USA). At the same time, I have already begun reflecting on the amazing and wonderful (and sometimes aggravating) mind- and soul-stretching experience I have had here in Egypt. The outpouring of love and concern and respect from CEOSS staff contributes to the bittersweet experience.

I am thrilled that over the past months CEOSS has received funding for several major proposals in which I participated. The funding enables CEOSS to implement programs desperately needed in impoverished Egyptian communities. One approved proposal funded trust banks, a group-lending methodology targeting female and disabled household heads who are prevented from entering the labor wage market by steep barriers in Egyptian society. The term "trust bank" refers to a group of between 15 and 40 members and is characterized by very small loan sizes, a savings component, weekly repayments, a four- to six-month loan term, and mutual guarantee at the trust bank level, that is, if one defaults, the rest agree to pay back the loan. Trust banks offer opportunities for holistically transforming people through economic empowerment, social interaction, confidence building, and political participation.

CEOSS selected the rural villages of Sharona and El Nasseraya in Middle Egypt to pilot the trust bank concept. The participants found the benefits of the loans to be immediate. Mrs. Nadia used to have a small vegetable stand but a year ago financial problems forced her to stop trading. With no working capital she had nothing to put her back on her feet. When she heard about the pilot, she immediately signed up for the practical business training, group support, and a new start. Mrs. Fawdia sold tomatoes and potatoes. With her loan she was able to pay for produce up front and add oranges and green beans to her selection. Mrs. Safeya used the 132 dollars she borrowed to place advance orders for eggs and butter that she collects and sells from her house.

Men benefit as well. Mr. Adel Rizk makes galabeyas for men and women. Due to a lack of working capital, Adel used to buy his cloth on credit. Each week he traveled to the market at Beni Mazaar, two hours away by bus and boat across the Nile, just to pay interest on previously purchased cloth. With his loan, Adel buys his cloth in bulk monthly. This provides him with a proper stock, allowing his customers to choose their cloth from his shelves and saves him the time and expense of three trips a month.

Poverty in Egypt is pervasive. Let us pray for those who struggle daily to feed their children. Let us pray especially for widows and divorced women and disabled persons who are ostracized by society and prevented by social barriers from improving their quality of life. Let us pray that the trust bank program will expand and make a difference.

Thanks to all of you who have supported Charles and me through prayer and cards and financial assistance. May God richly bless you.

Nancy Collins

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 139