Coptic Evangelical Church

The Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) is the service program of Global Ministries partner in Egypt, the Coptic Evangelical Church. Begun as a literacy project in 1950, CEOSS is one of Egypt's largest development organizations, providing integrated approaches to poor communities in areas of economic, agricultural, and environmental development, health care, and education.

In 1952, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Habib (1928-1997), a new graduate of Cairo Evangelical Seminary, began working with the rural poor in Egypt to increase literacy. By the mid 1950s, the project spread to surrounding communities, and Reverend Habib started a follow-up program to educate local leaders to continue the project. Some of the strategies initiated at this point, such as training volunteer leaders, establishing resident field staff in the villages, and conducting campaigns against harmful traditions, have remained cornerstones in CEOSS’ development activities even today.

Seeing the interrelated needs of poor communities, Dr. Habib developed a comprehensive program that included literacy, leadership training, home economics, improving family relationships, and income generating projects. In 1960, the Egyptian government officially recognized the program, and it became a registered social services organization designed to serve Muslim and Christian communities alike. To implement this new registration, CEOSS became independent of the Egyptian Evangelical Church, its parent organization.

Today the mission of CEOSS is to promote the sanctity, equity and harmony of life. It seeks to nurture moral and spiritual awareness, enhance a sense of belonging, promote respect for diversity, combat injustice, address conflict, and advance social justice for individuals and communities. To fulfill this mission, CEOSS has three scopes of work: Development, Enlightenment, and Dialogue.

Development: Promoting community based participatory development in health, education, agriculture, environment, and the economic arena; creating tools and forums that contribute to building pluralism in society; and establishing capacity building institutions targeted at development gaps.

Enlightenment: Encouraging a broadened role and vision for Egyptian religious and civil institutions enabling them to constructively cope with new economic, social, and political realities.

Dialogue: Creating multiple forums for dialogue to increase social and religious tolerance, contribute to democratization, and generate positive approaches to problem solving.

As a Christian voice of tolerance in an Egyptian context, CEOSS works with all people regardless of gender, race, religion, or beliefs. Through its various efforts, CEOSS encourages Muslim and Christian neighbors to work together toward common goals.

With over 45 years of experience, CEOSS is a leader in grassroots community development, and serves as a catalyst for cooperation and capacity building among other area Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Its goals are:

• To improve the basic conditions of life in impoverished communities
• To empower communities and individuals with sustainable development
• To promote tolerance, peace. and reconciliation
• To promote religious and social enlightenment

CEOSS is committed to a vision of broad citizen participation through effective local associations and committees. It has accepted invitations to work with more than 100 local communities over the past fifty years. Its evolving concept of "partnership" is built on an in-depth understanding of community structure and circumstances, strong working relationships with a broad-based leadership, a comprehensive development program, and gradual disengagement as capacity for development management increases.

Development staff today consists of about 60 field and technical services staff. They work with more than 3,000 volunteer leaders from multiple communities. These trained professionals promote and support development efforts of tens of thousands of men, women. and youth in nearly 100 communities in provincial towns and poor urban neighborhoods. CEOSS annually reaches 1.5 Egyptians with special emphasis being given to promoting the rights of women and their empowerment. CEOSS is now one of the largest indigenous, non-governmental organizations in Egypt and is increasingly recognized in the national and international arenas. Ever growing and changing, it is now in the process of envisaging how to most effectively expand its impact as it moves into the new millennium.

Donations
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