Bishopric for Public, Ecumenical, and Social Services

In 1962, the Coptic Orthodox Church founded the Bishopric of Public Ecumenical & Social Services (BLESS) to lead in achieving development in poor and disadvantaged communities. This work has gone through various phases, the last of which is Comprehensive Integrated Development (CID) at the community level in 29 communities and at the national level in the areas of youth and education.

The Roundtable Program of the Bishopric of Public Ecumenical & Social Services (COC-BLESS) directly targets 90,000 individuals – men, women, youth, children, church, and community leaders – in Upper and Lower Egypt communities. At the national level, BLESS focuses on one million young people and those unable to read or write through its work in youth and education. BLESS’s programming targets nine communities in the Upper Egypt Region, nine in the Middle Egypt Region, four in Cairo and the Beni Suef Region, and seven in the Lower Egypt Region. Two main goals of BLESS’s work include empowering people to discover and develop their potential and improve the social, cultural, and economic conditions of their communities and empowering Coptic youth throughout the nation to participate effectively in church and society. Key activities include community organizing, provision of community education on issues of health, hygiene, sanitation, and the environment, and training and support toward economic development.

BLESS website: http://www.blessegypt.org/