My story began 25 years ago. When I was in high school, the mathematics teacher took us to an orphanage. Since that day, I have been fascinated by the question of how come and why all these children without a home or family. When I was 15 years old, I knew that I wanted to help these children, and I knew that one day I would surely do. I didn't know when or how, but I was sure it would happen. Years passed and I graduated from university. I preferred to visit the same orphanage and watch the girls grow up. I worked for the first time in 2001, and at the same time the orphanage asked for volunteers to support the new children financially. I decided that with my first salary, I would support one of the girls. After years, my relationship with her and other 7 girls remained strong. I felt that no matter how much love, money, and time we spent with them, it would never be like to be loved by a family of theirs in a home. Their decisions weren’t in their hands. Among those 8 girls, only two remained in touch with me and our relationship grew stronger by time. They are 20 years old and they study in Cairo University. Every time I try to do kafala for those two girls, Ministry of Social Solidarity refuse along with my family because I was unmarried and still young. They would always tell me that what I am doing is enough; I couldn’t agree with them because I was determined that I would do kafala when I get married and raise both of my two children and breastfeed them together. Now, I am 40 years old and unmarried. I am happy and proud of my decisions and all the expriences that made me who I am now. After a while, new laws were released, and it became possible to do kafala even if I am not married. I can now do kafala for my future daughter, raise her in a safe home and provide her with love and care. All those children deserve a safe home. They don’t deserve to be left out. They didn’t choose their circumstances. I knew about the new laws from the Facebook page: Adoption Story in Egypt. Since then, I followed Rasha Mekky, liked her story and was about to get in touch with her. I talked to her about my fears of the whole experience. She supported me and taught me a lot. On June, I found the link of the adoption application by the Ministry of Social Solidarity online. I finally took the decision and applied. I finished all the papers by the 30th of June. It was an official holiday, but weirdly enough I was able to submit my file this day. I was going to stay at my grandfather’s place but I couldn’t find the lease. However, officials helped me and made me sign an agreement that I would inform them of my new home, if I left that one. My biggest fear was telling my dad. I decided to visit him in Sahel. His first reponse was NO of course. I kept trying to convince him 4 days in a row. He was afraid that I might not be aware of how huge this step is. He didn’t want me to break my heart and lose the life I love. It would be hard for a single mother to be responsible solely of a kid. I was supposed to get back to Cairo for the social worker visit. My father wasn’t against the idea. I am sure that he will be the best grandfather to my daughter. I got a call on Sunday the 5th of July by the social worker. The visit report was positive, and the committee visit will be on the 15th of July. I couldn’t believe that in less than 10 days, I will have all the papers to have a family of my own. I started to look at the orphanages around me in Cairo. I saw more than 7 girls, their ages ranged from two and a half months to a year and two months, but my daughter was not one of them, she was not in Cairo at all. A week ago, I got a call from a surrogate mother who was looking for a girl like me, and she said that she went to Suez and saw two girls there, and she was not confident in her decision. She sent me their pictures, and I asked her to pray and decide. Then she decided to sponsor one of them, “Mariam,” and she asked me if I had found my daughter or not yet. She suggested that I check the photo of the other girl. At that time, I thought that I was not affected by the pictures she had sent. I asked her to send me other pictures. She sent me a picture of a girl as beautiful as the moon. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that she was exactly 27 days old. This means that she was born on the 20th of June. I was overwhelmed when I remember that I dreamed that day of my deceased friend’s father taking me by the hand to the gate of heaven and making me sit next to the Prophet in a reserved place for me. And I remembered the noble hadith (may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, he said: I and the one who takes care of an orphan are like these in heaven, and he pointed with his index and middle fingers). So, this was it. I traveled to Suez and saw my daughter Ghalia. She was one month old and I was supposed to wait another two months so that I could take her with me into our home. For two whole months, I kept waiting. They were the longest two months in my life. In these two months I will start the artificial feeding course so that I can breastfeed her as soon as she arrives. I believe that breastfeeding creates a special relationship between mother and baby. Moreover, it strengthens the immune system. I will do my best to raise her well and make her the happiest girl in the world. Everything she dreams of will be there. My family and I will provide her with the best life. We appreciate her. Ghalia now has her own family forever. You have enlightened our lives, Ghalia.

I was afraid to go to any baby shower and bless any child born in the family, for the fear of people’s looks at me or their fear of envy, because I am sterile and have been married for 10 years without children. I was dreaming of having a child to fill my life with joy and warmth. One time, I saw a woman sitting with her young son, feeding and playing with him. I was distracted by them and imagined that one day I might have this same feeling. I made many proposals to my husband that he would get married and leave and have children, but he always refused. One day, my husband’s relative went for a kafala of a beautiful daughter, God bless her. The first time I saw her, my heart ached, and the tears fell down my face. Since then, I stopped eating, and I spent an entire week, thinking of kafala, until one day I submitted an application without having any expectations. Unexpectedly in the same week, the Ministry of Social Solidarity called me and asked me to prepare my papers. I was extremely thrilled, but unfortunately my husband refused the idea. I kept nagging about it until he agreed and told me to ask for the family’s opinion. I presented the idea to my mother-in-law, but she also refused and told me that it was a huge responsibility. I convinced her and she agreed. I believe that this is my destiny and God’s will. Thanks to God, the process was very easy and I received my son, Mustafa when he was 10 months old, and now, God bless him, he is 3 years old, and all those who refused were the people who were most attached and loved him very much.

Hello, everyone. I am here to tell my story. I am a girl like any other girl who dreams of the white dress, the knight on a horse, home, and children. My dreams are simple. It was my destiny and God’s will for all this to happen. Thank God, I am very satisfied with God’s arrangements. I worked as a teacher at an orphanage. Every time I saw a child, I get attached to them, loved them, and felt like they were my children. I used to get extremely sad when I get attached to a kid, and then they walk away from class, and I would cry for many days and become attached again and again until I thought that I would continue to be attached like this to a child that was not mine. I wanted a child of my own. No one would take him away from me. I felt that my life was empty. There was no purpose in it, there was no life in the first place. It was only one color until I thought about going to the orphanage and go for a kafala, but I knew that it would be impossible because I am not married. I thought about do kafala for a child and visit him. The important thing is I hear the word “mama.” I want to be a mother like all women. I want to breastfeed, change diapers and raise them well. Before I went to the orphanage, I read a post by Shaima, Muhannad’s mother, that she got her son while she was divorced. She was like a moment of epiphany to me. I asked her, and she answered honestly and gave me hope. After a long time of despair, I decided and was determined to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother. I contacted Youmna Dahrouj, who helped me to know and understand everything about kafala. The next step was to inform my family of my decision, and a war started between me and them; they totally refused because they didn’t know much about how and why I would go for kafala. They see me as a girl from a rural community and this is against my traditions. I was determined to make my dream come true. I dreamed about her, about my daughter, whom I decided to name her Fatima, after my mother, may God have mercy on her. I wish the rejection was from my family only, but unfortunately even the Ministry of Social Solidarity rejected me. The day of the search was the worst day in my life. I swear I was going to die. I felt that my dreams were gone. I dreamed of Fatima by my side, crying, laughing, and playing, and I did not even see her. I dreamed of her everywhere with me. I would wake up all startled, thinking that I heard her crying, but I look next to me and find no one. That search day made me devasted and made my dreams all shattered. Do you know the angel who comes to rescue you from loss? This was Rasha Makki. This was my angel who came and touched my heart. I did not know her. I wrote a post, asking about kafala, she saw the post and send me one word. I felt that she was my sister or my mother. She said to me, “I saw your post. I feel you.” That word touched my heart. Someone gets upset because of you, and you don’t know anyone to help you. It was her, an angel sent from God to me. She helped me a lot. I felt like I was flying in the sky, and I was going to see Fatima soon. The dream of my life would come true. I chose her. I swear she was the oldest person there. I had mixed feelings. I felt afraid as soon as I took her away. Can I raise and make her happy or treat her well? I talked to her and she made me laugh, and I was hesistant about having her, when she kissed me. It is as if she was asking me not to leave her. The one who was with me said, “This is your daughter. She kissed you, and she doesn’t know you.” I said, “Okay” and left. When I came out of the room, I found her calling me “Mama”. I wanted to open my heart and hide her inside it. This is my daughter. This is Fatima. This is the one who will take me to heaven. And today, after five months, she is with me, the best five months of my life. I have a daughter who calls me her mother. She hugs me when I cry. I don’t know anything else but her hug. She colored my life with the taste of joy and happiness. May God bless and protect her, and may God strengthen me to raise her well and make her the happies girl in the world.