Prison Ministry in Cairo
The prison ministry team of the Episcopal Church visits the Qanater prison, which is located outside Cairo, weekly.
The ministry has a heart to fulfil some of the inmates’ physical needs besides the moral and spiritual needs as well; becoming more like a family to them, since their own families are not present to alleviate the severity of their sufferings. Unfortunately, the prison administration can’t afford all the needs of the prisoners and our help is a necessity for the prisoners to tolerate the rough conditions of the prison.
Activities:
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Weekly visits.
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Promoting the beadwork of the prisoners that they produce while still in prison.
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Purchasing the foreign prisoners’ tickets.
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Buying some personal materials for the prisoners.
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Offering a weekly supply of; Rice, Sugar, Pasta, Oil, Tea, Nescafe, Honey, Sterilizer, Soap, Napkins.
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Providing medicine.
Our Vision:
Our vision is to offer love, hope and Unconditional love without any condemnation or judgment to the prisoners; nor any discrimination based on gender, nationality and religion; praying that through our deeds and words, they would encounter with God’s love and forgiveness.
Obtain permission to serve Holy Communion once per month.
Please Pray for:
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The prisoners, especially; the sick, with chronic diseases like diabetes and blood pressure, and those who can’t go back to their countries due to war, etc. and can’t stay in Egypt as well, due to their illegal situation. They need lots of prayers to be able to travel to any other country.
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The ministry team that God may give us wisdom and power to serve all prisoners with love and gentleness; and to be able to understand all their different cultures.
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The administration of the prison itself.
We were imprisoned by Satan when we were living outside the prison, but now Jesus set us free here in prison.
Female inmate, awaiting execution within the women's prison
How you can help
The Prison Ministry team values your support. You can support the prisoners through praying for them. We also welcome volunteers to join our weekly visits.
Give to the needs of the Prison Ministry. Donors enable us to provide food, clothing, and other necessities for the prisoners on a weekly basis, to hold celebrations for the prisoners at Christmas and Easter, and to purchase air tickets for those otherwise unable to get home after their release.
At this time donations are urgently needed.
You can give direct to the Diocese of Egypt or through JMECA.
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Donate £60 (£5/month) to Support a Prisoner for a Year
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Donate £360 (£30/month) - to Buy an Airline Ticket to help a prisoner who has finished their sentence to return home.
Visitor Reflections: Learning to Wait
The last two times I visited El Kanater prison with the Cathedral Prison Ministry were physical challenging. Recently, as we waited 45 minutes just to get in the front gate, the Egyptian women who were waiting to visit their husbands or sons were tense and anxious to get in the gate, crowding and pushing, and in the heat, tempers flared.
Another Tuesday in August was over 40 degrees in the shade. After a thorough body search, we sat in the waiting room for four hours, and were only allowed to stay with the women inmates for half an hour. As we waited, a German friend reminded me that
We may have to wait a few hours, but some of the inmates are waiting for years.
This put my "suffering" into perspective, and reminded me why we visit the prison to serve and encourage these inmates.
--Rosie Fyfe, Partnership Office of the Anglican/Episcopal Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
Prison Ministry in Alexandria
In 2014 The Anglican Church started a new prison ministry in Alexandria, on the north coast of Egypt. This new ministry is co-ordinated by Mrs. Nabila Mansour, a member of the St Mark’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Alexandria.
There are eight regular volunteers from different denominations. There are also four students from the Alexandria School of Theology joining the prison ministry for the practical component of their training.
The team visit Borg el Arab Prison and Hadra Prison. Borg el Arab is lo-cated 45 kilometres south-west of Alexandria. It is a men only prison, and there are 8 foreigners and 250 Egyptians.
The conditions in which the men live are very poor. The cells are under-ground and have only small windows. Many men share the same rooms and there are no beds, only mattresses on the floor. Skin diseases are common. As most of the Egyptian men are from other areas of Egypt, they receive few visitors and no-one else provides for them except this ministry.