"To serve the poor is to
touch the heart of Jesus"
Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty amongst the poorest children in Egypt by providing education, connection, and opportunities for a brighter future.
"To serve the poor is to touch the heart of Jesus"
~ Mama Maggie
“We are all equal in the eyes of God.”
~ Mama Maggie
“The greatest joy in life is in giving to others.”
~ Mama Maggie
“When we share our blessings, we multiply them.”
~ Mama Maggie
“Kindness costs nothing, but it can change everything.”
~ Mama Maggie
"God chose the poor to teach us how to love”
Mama Maggie
Led by Mama Maggie, Stephen’s Children works to nurture, educate, equip, and train the poorest of the poor—children, young people, and their families—saving lives, instilling hope, restoring dignity, and transforming those without a voice into productive members of society, leaders, and agents of change within their own communities through the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Give Hope.
Change a Life.
Your gift helps bring Christ’s love, education, and care to Egypt’s most vulnerable children.
Stephen’s Children Began with One Woman’s Heartbreak - More than 35 years ago, Maggie Gobran—now lovingly known around the world as Mama Maggie—walked into Cairo’s garbage slums for the first time. What she witnessed would change her life forever. Families were living in mountains of refuse. Children slept on piles of waste. There was no clean water, no electricity, no medical care, and no schools. People survived by sorting, eating, and selling the discarded trash of others.
How You Can Help
Walk alongside our Ministry Leaders as they lift families in love and support. Monthly giving that transforms lives.
Home Visits
Programs & Services
Community Education Centers
A community Hub with Early Care, Preschool, Kindergarten, Before/After School, Mother's Workshops and Worship, family counseling, and adult learning.
F.A.I.T.H. Programs
Families Advancing In
Transformational Hope
Just as Stephen, the first Deacon, our Ministry Leaders serve as resource navigators, counselors, mentors, pastors, tutors, and advocates.
St. Mary's Health Center
A complete medical center serving those in desperate need. Located in Ezbet El Nakhl - one of Egypt's most densely populated garbage slums.
Angel Homes
These homes transcend mere shelter; they serve as a sanctuary for young boys and girls. This embodies one of the most significant realizations of Mama Maggie’s original vision from over 35 years ago, where vulnerable children, often left behind after losing their parents or when their caregivers can no longer support them, are rescued and nurtured.
Farah Schools
Farah means Joy, joyful, or rejoice it is mentioned 430 times in the Bible. Christian values and ethics are the core of Farah Schools’ teachings and guidelines. There is an atmosphere of joy, love and mutual respect. Students value appreciation and acceptance for each other and their teachers.
Vocational Training
Second Chance programs - they learn about Chrisitan living, work habits, reading and writing, mathematics and job skills while making shoes or clothing.
Summer & Winter Camps
The life changing camp experience offers children the opportunity to spend time away from their home and to be nurtured in a loving environment.
Instilling a Culture of Hope
The Stephen’s Children Foundation provides financial support to the existing and well developed Stephen’s Children ministries in Egypt’s garbage and squatter slums. Our dedicated team instills a culture of hope by nurturing hearts, training minds, and teaching our families the strength of God’s love.
Stephen's Children are made up of thousands of servant leaders have dedicated themselves to serve the forgotten, the poorest of the poor. With compassion they, "Rise Up' each day to make a difference. Many of these leaders grew up in these same impoverished communities they now serve. They have come back with the hope and determination to break the cycle of poverty for others.
Our team works with the poorest, most vulnerable children and their families to give them the skills they need for a bright future.
Leading by Doing
Dignity, self-esteem, love for oneself and others. This is the foundation of our relationship with the young children and their families. Through one-on-one mentoring and family assistance, we are able to create strong connections that allow the children to thrive and grow.
Leadership Starts
with Love
Providing early, elementary, and secondary education is a key component to helping these children gain skills that they can use to improve their community and create better opportunities for themselves.
Education Builds Confidence
Stephen’s Children volunteers work in and among the community, providing assistance where it is needed most. From medical treatment to counseling and vocational skills training, our team is focused on building a strong community with the skills and tools to create better tomorrows.
Building Thriving Communities
Inspiring Stories
Stephen’s Children has helped make a difference for over 30,000 families. Every day, these families face obstacles. With the support of Stephen’s Children, they find their way to remain committed to the harder path of creating a different future for themselves and their children.
Our Story ...
Egypt’s population has doubled since 1990, reaching more than 118 million. Among them are 10–12 million Christians—Egypt holds the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Many live in Cairo, the cultural gateway to the region.
In the heart of Cairo lies Manshiyat Nasser, known as Garbage City, home to the Zabbaleen—Coptic Christians who survive by collecting and recycling the city’s trash. Forced from their farmland in the 20th century, they settled at the base of the Moqattam Hills, building makeshift homes from the very refuse they gathered. Life here has long been marked by poverty, hardship, and discrimination.
This is the world Mama Maggie entered in 1989 when she founded Stephen’s Children. Confronted with extreme poverty, she chose to respond in faith:
“We don’t choose where or when to be born. We don’t choose where or when to die. But we can choose either to help others or turn away.”
Through that choice, Stephen’s Children was born—bringing hope, dignity, and love into Egypt’s most forgotten communities.
