Nestled in the city of Port Fouad, Egypt, located at the mouth of the Suez Canal, is a sanctuary for young women facing adversity.

St. Marina Orphanage is situated within a church complex that includes four buildings facing a common courtyard. The enclosed grounds offer residents a sense of safety and community. 

Visitors to the orphanage are welcomed into a spacious reception hall. Comfortable armchairs line three walls. The fourth wall features a large image of the Virgin Mary, complemented by a smaller image of St. Marina and a plaque, inscribed with a hymn about the saint’s unwavering faith and devotion.

About 45 Christian girls and young women from across the country, ages 15 to 25, sit quietly on the carpet, listening to the staff carry on a conversation. The atmosphere of calm and tranquility stands in stark contrast to the struggles many of these girls endured before arriving at St. Marina’s.

The three-story facility welcomes orphans, but also girls and young women from abusive situations or those whose parents believe their futures are at risk. As a result, the staff prefers to call it the “House of St. Marina” and strives to create a family environment and sense of belonging. The house provides holistic care — physical, spiritual, psychological and educational — to equip the girls as they prepare to embark on new life journeys.

“This is home for every girl in need,” says Isis Rateb, the house supervisor. “I often wonder: If Bishop Tadros had not established this place, what would have happened to these girls? Where would they have gone?”

The house began more than 40 years ago as a shelter for a few girls from families in difficult circumstances. However, as this need grew through the 1980s, Metropolitan Tadros of the Coptic Orthodox Eparchy of Port Said, officially established the home. 

The church’s response to other social needs resulted in the expansion of services and the construction of the church complex, which also includes a home for the elderly and people with disabilities, a residence for consecrated women, a public hospital and a chapel.

The Reverend Yaqob Rashed oversees the complex, as well as St. Abanoub Orphanage for boys at St. Mar Girgis Coptic Orthodox Church nearby.

Egypt has a considerable number of orphaned children, estimated at around 1.5 million, and is home to numerous orphanages, primarily run by nongovernmental organizations, churches and religious groups. Aside from parental death, reasons for orphanhood include parental illness, abandonment, poverty, domestic violence and family disintegration.

Father Yaqob says marital problems are widespread in the Christian community and couples often turn to the church for resolution. However, since resolution is not always possible and divorce for Coptic Christians in Egypt is difficult to obtain, some spouses convert to Islam, which nullifies the Christian marriage under Egyptian law. Many of the spouses left behind in this scenario are unable to manage raising the children on their own and fall into destitution. In response, the church in Egypt runs various outreach programs for children, as well as orphanages and homes, which provide for the children’s basic needs within a warm and stable environment.

Of the 45 girls and young women at the House of St. Marina last autumn, more than two-thirds were minors. Their reasons for being there are as varied as their backgrounds, says Father Yaqob. At any given time, he estimates about half of the girls are at the home due to family disintegration — including physical and sexual abuse in their families — and a tenth are there because of parental death or a parent’s conversion to Islam.

The balance of the residents of the home are minors whose parents are concerned about their daughters’ behavior, which in traditional Coptic and Egyptian society is considered at-risk, such as developing a romantic relationship with a Muslim boy or man. Often these begin on social media, which erases distinctions of class and creed. They fear for their daughter’s future, concerned she will run away, convert to Islam and cut off her family — increasing her marginalization and vulnerability. In some cases, girls have already run away and were brought to the home after their parents found them. At a loss with how to handle the situation, these parents hope the staff at the home will help their daughters reach maturity and make appropriate choices for their future.

“Adolescence is a time of love and infatuation,” says Father Yaqob. “When a girl receives affection from a Muslim or a Christian boy while feeling rejected by her family, she may become attached. At this age, marriage is not an option.”

The house serves “to remove her temporarily from that environment so she can regain focus and start anew,” he explains.

Sometimes, these girls come to the house against their will and will even try to run away. Despite the initial struggles, the girls typically regain a sense of stability over time through the daily rhythm at the house, says co-supervisor Karima Aziz.

“Eventually, they reflect on their situation and say, ‘I was naïve,’ ” she says.

The home’s caregivers ensure the girls are occupied from dawn until dusk with structured activities designed to emphasize well-being and skill development. Smartphones are not allowed in the house, although girls are permitted to call their family if the family situation allows.

“The girls arrive from an environment without structure. Here, everything is organized — from waking up to prayer, meals and activities,” says Father Yaqob.

The structure at St. Marina’s can shock the newcomer. Each day begins at 6 a.m. with morning prayer and educational activities. The girls who are at risk of running away study at the house in a home-school environment, while others attend local schools.

After school, the girls engage in various activities, such as cooking, sports and spiritual studies. They take turns managing household responsibilities and fostering teamwork.

In the evening, the dining hall transforms into a vibrant handicrafts workshop where the girls practice needlework, lacemaking, knitting and crochet. Karima patiently guides them from the basic skill of threading a needle to producing altar covers and decorative items. Each day includes spiritual activities as well, such as copying Bible passages, studying Scripture, prayer and memorizing hymns. It’s lights out at 10 p.m.

“In this home, spiritual nourishment outweighs practical skills,” says Father Yaqob. “The activities are designed to fill their time with hymns, Bible lessons and arts, keeping their minds occupied while addressing their spiritual needs.” 

These girls come from impoverished backgrounds, and their parents are not equipped to manage the complexities of adolescence today.

Coptic Christians represent only a tenth of the country’s population. Most live in Upper Egypt, where 80 percent of people live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank. Due to legal restrictions, discriminatory practices against Christians and other forms of social exclusion, Christians in Egypt face disproportionate levels of illiteracy, unemployment and violence, exacerbating the fragmentation of vulnerable families.

As a result, the girls at St. Marina’s do not come from “a healthy environment that teaches and nurtures them,” says Ms. Rateb, who oversees the house with a blend of firmness and compassion. “But when they encounter a positive atmosphere, they truly thrive.”

Martina Wadie, 16, has lived at the house for several months.

“Outside, we were preoccupied with worldly matters, but here we cultivate our talents, pray and read the Bible,” she says. “This seclusion allows us to find our own voice.”

Kristin Makram, 20, a second-year university student, says she has learned to “become more patient and responsible” since moving to St. Marina’s.

Stays can range from one month to two years or more, depending on each girl’s individual circumstance. If the home situation improves, girls return to their families. However, if her situation does not allow her to return, she can stay at the home until she marries or, once she reaches the age of maturity, finds a job and sets out on her own.

Those who choose to marry will often do so on the recommendation of the house staff, Father Yaqob explains. Following what is customary in traditional Coptic society, the house adheres to the practice of arranging marriages. When a young man expresses interest in marrying one of the girls, the house staff steps in to do what a parent otherwise would. Ms. Rateb and Father Yaqob interview the young man, assess his financial situation and job stability. If they are satisfied with his responses, they will speak with a young woman at the house who is willing and prepared to embrace marriage and family life.

Yuliana Medhat, 24, is preparing for her engagement after two transformative years. She earned a bachelor’s in commerce and plans to launch her own business.

“Through my academic education and learning handicrafts at the workshop, I am capable of opening a workshop and establishing a company, in addition to getting married,” she says.

Every morning at 5 a.m., Amal Nashed begins her day by preparing sandwiches for the 13 boys at St. Abanoub Orphanage. The boys call her “Mama” and her husband, Gerges Lotfy, “Papa.” As the sun rises, the boys depart for school.

The couple, now in their early 60s, have embraced their work at the orphanage, nurturing the boys from toddlers to teens, since the mid-1990s, after losing their only two sons as toddlers. They have cultivated an environment at the orphanage where each child feels important and cherished, imparting essential skills and values that foster personal development and mirroring the love and connection found in traditional families.

“We have formed a wonderful bond; they have become everything in our lives. I’ve witnessed them grow, marry and celebrate the births of their own children,” says Ms. Nashed.

This familial atmosphere is further highlighted when Ms. Nashed takes the children shopping during the holidays. The boys, calling out for her in the shop, often leave shop owners astonished at the sight of such a large family.

The orphanage began in a small apartment in the early 1980s, caring for only one boy. As the number of children increased, the orphanage relocated to a new building within the St. Mar Girgis parish complex in Port Fouad.

It is located on the fourth floor. It consists of two interconnected apartments with seven rooms. Each bedroom has three beds. There are two common rooms and a dining area.

Two teams of caregivers take turns living with the boys full time throughout the week, preparing meals, assisting the boys with their studies, and guiding them in their development with a disciplined and loving approach.

The rotation for Ms. Nashed, Mr. Lotfy and another caregiver, Marcelle Aziz, falls from Thursday to Monday. Marcelle is equally committed to the boys after retiring from a banking career.

“Raising these children is significantly more challenging than nurturing my own son,” says Marcelle. “We worry about them even more.”

After graduation, the young men set out on their own, but the bonds formed at the home tend to last and some return to visit from time to time. Mina Nasser, 32, is among them. He moved to St. Abanoub as a young boy, while his two sisters moved to St. Marina. He now works with a company affiliated with the Suez Canal Authority. One of his sisters married and started a family.

“What I learned here is hard to find outside,” he says. “The most valuable lesson was discipline. It was challenging as kids, but I later realized its importance.”

The Reverend Yohanna Adib, pastor at St. Mar Girgis Church and supervisor of St. Abanoub’s, cites marital breakdown, family disintegration, parental death and a parent’s conversion to Islam among the reasons the boys arrive at the house.

He says these boys face the general challenges of young people posed by smartphones and social media in addition to the challenges that come with being from a broken family.

“Caring for younger children is generally easier than older ones, who often come with established behaviors that require more effort,” he adds.

In cases where a child has at least one parent, the church first explores ways to keep that child with the parent, especially when they are prepared to assume responsibility — even if that means providing the parent with some financial aid, he explains.

Similar in spirit and mission to St. Marina’s, Father Yohanna says the staff and children “refuse to call this place an orphanage; we call it a home.”

“It is a ministry emphasizing spiritual, educational and social development, creating an environment where children can thrive with dignity.” 

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