OUR charity of the month for August is St Mark Universal Coptic Care. This week reporter Chloe Laversuch speaks to some of the organisation’s young volunteers.

YOUNG volunteers at St Mark Universal Coptic Care regularly travel out to Egypt to meet the disabled and sick children who benefit from their work.

Andrew Mikhael, 26, began working with the organisation when he was still a business administration student but his experiences inspired him to enrol in a charity management programme. He is now celebrating two years with the organisation as programmes manager.

Andrew said: “I started as a volunteer and really enjoyed what the charity was doing. I know how desperate the people we are helping are and I am trying to do my bit to help them in a small way.

“We visit the people who receive our help to make sure it’s going to the right place and there will be 10 or 11 people living in a small space. They are very poor. When they receive help they are so thankful. We live a good life here and it puts things in perspective.

“Visitors go on holiday to Cairo and nice places in Egypt but may not realise that just a few miles away, the people have nothing.”

Founder Dr Naser Fouad’s teenage sons also give up much of their free time to help the charity.

Eighteen-year-old Michael said: “There’s a huge need in Egypt even for simple things like crutches which they don’t have but which change people’s lives. We also go out in the summer to teach English to primary school children. It’s really nice to get to know the kids there.”

And 15-year-old Chris added: “We get to go and meet the children there and have found out they are very talented and can make things with their hands and have lots of skills. It’s nice to go and learn something new from them. It makes you realise, if they are disabled and they can do it, I can learn these skills too.”

n For more visit stmarkuniversal coptscare.org.