Caritas Egypt Basic Education Programme (BEP) supports adults all over Egypt to break the cycle of illiteracy, poverty and disease. Our aim is to help all Egyptians realize their full potential, become active contributors to their communities and combat harmful practices. Since 1972 Caritas has been involved in the Basic Education. The education programme includes literacy classes, community health awareness sessions (including environmental awareness, reproductive health and rights), as well as, other classes to improve nutritional awareness among mothers and food supply for children. Between 1985 till 2016, over 25,000 literacy, social and cultural awareness classes have taken place, reaching over 425,000 adults, of which more than 84% are female. We trained more than 2,600 literacy and health monitors, supervisors and coordinators. We have collected over 300 stories from our participants in the programme during the beginning of 2018. This report presents the stories collected and visualises the overal patterns as collected so far.

The Storytellers

Reading guide: Every dot has a story. Click on a dot to read (text) or listen (audio) to a story. You can click the dot off and on again. To listen to the audio stories it is best to use Safari, Chrome or Firefox.

I am female/male

The stories

I considered myself blind. After I joined the literacy classes I can say I am able to see now – Nadia Ali from Qena

My story in one word was about...

The change took place in...

My story was about...

I used to be illiterate. The first time I was able to read and write was during the classes of Caritas. I also learned about gender equality, how we are all equal and I felt encouraged to stand up against violence. My husband used to hit me badly and this caused abortion. By being more educated I started to believe more in myself and I was able to stop him from hurting me. I am now divorced, able to continue my education and depend on myself. – Waffa Ahmed from Sohag.

The outcomes

The change I describe in my story is...

The change I describe in my story is mainly about a change in...

I learned how to read and write, but I also learned how to deal with my children and help them study – anonymous

The change described in my story can be observed in a(n)...

Significance and contribution

The change I described is significant because it...

I was a house wife and didn't do much for myself. One day I met a friend of mine who told me about the Caritas literacy classes. One day I joined this class and I felt so happy to be able to continue my education. After I passed the literacy class I joined the preparation classes and entered the formal education...I enhanced my skills, I also got a job and now I am studying commerce at a high school. I intend to continue my educational journey until the end. A lot changed in my life and my family... - Zahraa Abdelatty

The activities that contributed most to my story of change have been...