By Sara Ibrahim

Coptic Orphans, an international Christian development organization, is relaunching ‘The 21’ for the second year in the summer of 2023. This unprecedented program offers youth of the Coptic diaspora a free three-week trip to Egypt to reconnect with their heritage. 

‘The 21’ is “the gift of a life-changing trip to discover your Coptic heritage, serve the children, unite with your people; and in doing so, transform the future of Copts,” says Coptic Orphans. 

Two cohorts will be sent this summer, all participants must be between the age of 18-23, of Coptic origin, and reside abroad. Last year, Coptic Orphans sent 107 fellows who were from the UK, Canada, America, Dubai, and Australia. Many of the fellows were born abroad or left Egypt at a very young age– this trip for some was their first time experiencing Egypt since their families’ immigration. 

“The overarching goal was to provide an opportunity and means for young Copts to return to their homeland”, said Pheobe Iskander, the Assistant Diaspora Program Manager of Coptic Orphans.

Large-scale immigration began in the 1960s due to religious persecution and discrimination– it is estimated that the Coptic diaspora is around 1.5 million people. Iskander further describes how second and third-generation Copts often struggle with their sense of identity, and this trip aims to create a strong sense of a Coptic identity by visiting Egypt in order for diasporic generations to hold on to their faith and country, and share it with the generations to come. 

The program’s name pays tribute to the 21 Martyrs of Libya, who were killed by ISIS in 2015 because they refused to denounce their faith. Iskander explained, “we wanted to name the program after people who we could resonate with and who we can relate to, who shed their blood when it mattered. They chose God when it mattered. They chose their faith. And so there’s a lot to learn from them and we wanted to honor them”. 

‘The 21’ begins in Washington, D.C., with a workshop featuring prominent Coptic figures. Last year, Samuel Tadros, author of “The Motherland Lost”, Tony Rezk Egyptian-American artist of the 21 martyrs icon, and Dr. Emmanuel Gergis, all spoke at the workshop discussing the history of the Coptic identity and the current challenges Copts face in Egypt as a religious minority.  

After the workshop, the fellows travel to Egypt and begin the service and discovery portion of the program. During the weekdays they spend their mornings teaching English to Egypt’s fatherless and in the evenings they attend home visits to further foster a strong relationship with the children. 

Fellows from last year’s cohort shared that the kids they taught English showed them more about gratitude, simplicity, faith, and spirituality than they ever witnessed in their homes abroad. Fellow Angela Girgus described that this was in stark contrast to the life she lives “in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles”, and she will never forget what her time serving taught her. 

The discovery portion of the trip entails visits across Egypt, where fellows experience firsthand the rich history of the faith and the resistance of the Copts. 

Last year’s cohort visited Coptic Cairo, where churches from the 4th century still stand, and the Holy Family stayed during their flight to Egypt to escape Herod. They visited the Hanging Church (El Moallaqa’), Church of St. George (Mari Grigus), and Abu Serga. The fellows also spent time at the Moharaq Monastery and the Dronca Monastery, both sites in Upper Egypt where the Holy Family lived, and where Jesus consecrated the altar at Moharaq himself. 

Other sites of great significance to the Copts were also visited such as El Bostroseya, and Ansena, the place where many Christians were killed during the time of the emperor Arianos. 

At the 21 Martyrs Church, “Kenest Al-Eman”, last year’s cohort was able to see the remnants of the clothing of the martyrs, meet their families, and hear their stories. They sat and listened, and suddenly these martyrs became very real. The strength of the martyrs inspired a sense of Coptic pride that many of the fellows took home with them. 

After this visit, many decided to get traditional tattoos of the Coptic cross on their wrists, a historical symbol of Coptic resistance and commitment to the faith. 

“It’s a way for me to eternally memorialize this trip. It’s something that I will literally carry with me wherever I go. And something that I feel like reaffirms who I am and what I believe in… it’s a symbol of my faith but I also feel like it’s something that ties me close to the people that I met ties me close to the children that I spent so many hours with”, Angela shared. 

The trip ended with a visit to the Cathedral of the Nativity, located in the new administrative capital, where each fellow was given a doum tree. 

“Anyone who is planting this tree is not planting it for themselves. They are planting it for the next generation”, as doum trees take 75 years to bear fruit Iskander shared. 

“We came on the trip, to connect to our heritage. It’s [planting the doum trees] a way for our future sons and daughters to connect to our heritage and their kids and their kids”, shared fellow, Mark Michael.