The cobbler and his son

Samir's story

When we visited Samir, we could see the striking poverty that we expected. But to our surprise, this did not take away the sparkle and life from the eyes of Samir.

Samir is now one of our students, living in the poor area of Fumm el-Khalig near Old Cairo. His father is an old traditional cobbler, who is working for a few pounds a day, suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. Samir, the eldest son of a family of 5 children, whose income is barely sufficient for food, graduated with good grades at high school.

He had a choice to make: either study engineering as he always dreamt and hoped, or to take up his father’s dying profession and try to make a living out of it.

Being a cobbler in this day and age means a continuation to the same poverty and lack of self improvement, Samir explained. As he was pondering on what to do, he met a representative from St Kyrel Trust at church and a formal application was filled and sent to us. With a family of 5 and income under E£350 (£5.70) per month as well as high grades at high school, it was very straightforward to welcome Samir to our community of sponsored students. When he graduates, Samir is hoping to design an automated sewing machine, and we certainly look forward to his potential achievement.

Samir is one of many, many, of our brothers and sisters who need our help, and only with your support can we deliver this help.