Tales of Raphael

St. Raphael Educational Center Newsletter
February 2021

St. Raphael Educational Center is a school for Sudanese refugee children
in Cairo run by the Anglican Church. In this issue of the newsletter, we
feature stories of some of our students and a teacher.

Minan Adam Kenama
My name is Minan Adam Kenama, I am 17 years old and I have a twin brother
called Manas. My family came from Sudan in 2016. We are 8 siblings, five
boys and three girls, four of us are students at St. Raphael School. My brother
and I are in the same class and started going to St. Raphael in 2017; we
started in grade 5, and now we are in grade 8. My brother and I are so
excited to apply for the Sudanese certificate exams in the next few months.
We love our school, where we are getting a good education, and meet good
friends and classmates who we can play with.
One of the things I love most is that our school provides us with breakfast every day for free, this means
a lot to us. As we are a big family, it is difficult for our parents to pay for all our needs for food,
transportations and so on.
I hope to go to high school in the same school if God wills.

Ramzi Benjamin Hassan
My name is Ramzi Benjamin Hassan, I am 14 years old, and I have four
siblings. We came to Egypt looking for safety and stability as Sudan, our
country, is suffering from war and its consequences. Soon after our arrival,
my father had a traffic accident on his way back from work and passed away.
I thought I would not be able to go to school after his death, but here I am in
grade 4! I am happy to go to St. Raphael School. I learn new things and have
fun with my friends. I love my school, it is my second home.
In the future, I want to be a priest, so I can serve everyone like priests serve
me and my family nowadays.

Monica Angelo Osman
My name is Monica Angelo Osman, I am 13 years old.
My father is always working, he can not find time to play or hang out with
us, he works so hard to provide our five family members with our needs.
I am in grade 7 now and I have the desire to learn, and finish my studies, and
to work to help my mother and father improving our family’s income and
standard of life.
I love my school, it is where I accomplish my goal of learning, and I
also have fun playing with my friends. The school provides us with the books
we need for free and a free daily meal. My teachers are so kind, they love us,
give us the best education they can afford, and on the other hand, they sometimes help our families with
food.
God bless them all.

Teacher: Estphanos Soliman Gobara
I am Estphanos. I studied engineering in Sudan, and I have been teaching
mathematics and science at St. Raphael school for two years now. The
building has residential apartments, St. Raphael school and another school.
Sometimes we have issues with other tenants complaining of loud voices and
dirty stairs, I hope this problem does not increase and cause us to close.
There are about 30 students in each grade, up to grade 10, we will
have grade 11 next year. We have a lack of mathematics engineering
materials (rulers, protractors, compasses, etc.), the old materials were ruined
over the years. In some lessons, I simplify the academic idea and use anything
from the surroundings to help the students understand the practical usage
but having those materials would save effort and time. Also, the school needs
a lab for science with basic materials.
It is a big challenge for me to work as a teacher with no materials and
a very low salary, and if I find a second job it will definitely affect my focus on
the students and their understanding and improving.
I pray for everyone making an effort to provide rent and books for the school,
and I hope we can make it even better with God’s help.

Prayer requests:
o Pray for Sudanese refugees and others fleeing from their countries due to conflicts and war, pray for
the Lord’s care for them to acquire the necessary skills and to adjust to the culture in Egypt and city
life.
o Pray for peace, justice, equality, and respect for human rights in our countries.
o Pray for refugees with trauma, depression, physical and spiritual illnesses, and difficult conditions.
o Pray for girls to complete their education and not get involved in inappropriate relationships.
o Pray to about the use of drugs and alcohol among young men and women.
o Pray for divorced and widowed refugee mothers, the elderly and children, that the Lord will take
care of them.
o Pray for the supreme love of God and our love for each other to prevail over all societies regardless
of our differences in terms of color, gender, religion, beliefs, etc.

Here are some photos of the school: