We are empowering the most vulnerable children of Egypt to grow into leading members of society. By doing this, we are breaking the stigma of being an orphan in Egypt.
Mission
Our mission is to grow confident men and women who shatter the stigma of being an orphan in Egypt. We create a comfortable home environment that provides the children with all the love, support, resources, and guidance they need to thrive.
About us
We are a non profit 501c3 US based organization named The Littlest Lamb founded in 2007 by Mira Riad. We finished building a state of the art facility for orphaned and at-risk children in 2014, located near the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. We opened our doors with one child in 2015, fast forward to 2022 with 90 children and a full dedicated team and community to raising the standard of care for orphaned children.
During the waiting period of design, program building and construction phases we worked hard on fundraising to secure and grow an endowment fund to continue to serve orphaned and vulnerable children country wide.
Our first project, Birdrock Home, is an exceptional home for orphaned, vulnerable and at-risk children (OVC). Some of our children have one living parent or relative that consider Birdrock Home as a last resort to save their child and family. Other times, they are completely abandoned with no ties to any biological family. We offer these children the chance to become game changers in society and to break the stigma of being an orphan in Egypt. We have invested in our 90 children by providing them with personalized, curated programs and schedules, trauma-informed staff, and a beautiful facility on a 9 acre plot with sports and arts amenities. This provides an incredible wave of pride for them. Our home is designed to hold 13 smaller families in their apartments with 2-3 caregivers who take shifts throughout the week. We are investing in these children to give them the the quality of life and top education to become future CHANGE MAKERS who will transform Egyptian society.
“Birdrock” is the name given to our first home for orphaned children.
Inspiration came from this excerpt:
“I was aching and vulnerable, feeling far from home, when, through the harsh shore wind, I saw a large rock surrounded by the rough churned-up sea. The rock was covered with all kinds of animals: willet, gull, cormorant, sea lion, sea lion, seal, pelican, otter. All had found refuge from the hammering of the sea; climbing, winging, hauling, themselves on the rock; living together, laying on each other; finding this rock-oasis of wind and sun; too tired once on the rock to fight, each having been wrung out by the pounding of the wet, wet hours. Every survivor, regardless of what they survive, knows the hammering of the sea, and the rock we find refuge on is an exposed place where we finally accept each other - too tired to talk except through simple touch. For those who have suffered, tolerance is not a political position or even a principle. For those who have suffered, who have hauled ourselves into the sun, anything exhausted beside us is family”
— Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening
Our 5 Holistic Goals
Spiritual
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Health
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Education
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Social
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Environment
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Spiritual 〰️ Health 〰️ Education 〰️ Social 〰️ Environment 〰️
01. Spiritual & Values
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Teaching our children our 7 - 14 values is our utmost priority for our children. ⭐️ Respect & Collaboration ⭐️ Honesty & Transparency ⭐️ Integrity & Diligence ⭐️ Diversity & Acceptance ⭐️ Compassion & Understanding ⭐️ Gratitude & Mindfulness ⭐️ Resilience & Fortitude
We are working hard to prepare them to lead society by giving back to their communities. They learn to give back to their communities and reflect on their own lives by going on service trips in underprivileged communities. We offer one on one and group journaling, gratitude and meditation sessions with compassion as a central focus.
02. Mental & Physical Health
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Our children love to play Squash, Soccer, Karate, Basketball, Dance and so much more. All of these physical activities lead to a healthier body and mind. We focus on the body and mind interchangeably when dealing with traumatized children because of the inherent consequences that they have on each other. We have US trained psychologists that see our children and advise our childcare team to holistically improve their lifestyle. We have seen life changing events first hand with this combination of care. We aim to provide this to more children in Egypt.
03. Social & Community
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We have a continued goal to increase awareness of the many stigmas our children face. We do this through opening hard discussions throughout the surrounding societies using social media platforms. We also discuss many of these topics with our partnered international schools. Our children regularly have outings with their siblings, friends, and Birdrockians. In the summertime, there are frequent trips and activities planned outside of Birdrock to integrate them as much as possible. They attend local churches, Sunday school classes, scouts and extracurricular activities on the weekends.
04. Education & Academics
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We provide our children with tutors and after school support for homework and projects. Coping with international level education is a challenge for our children considering the stigmatized pressure and other elements in their life. Implementing a structured Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) trauma-informed CASEL approved programs for our children is our next targeted educational goal for teaching at Birdrock. Teaching grit, emotional regulation and coping skills are an essential part for a balanced life.
05. Environment & Maintenance
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With our systems, policies and programs in place, we have a goal to expand to protect more children outside of Birdrock home by educating orphanage care-workers and opening our facility for OVC children in the community. For 2023, we have a 25% increase goal for in-kind donation sponsorships in order to maintain the level of care for our children. This includes and not limited to; educational tuition, uniforms, essential items (food, health, hygiene supplies etc.), activities and sports. Check out our sponsor lists!
Our Timeline
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Idea to Fruition
After graduating St. John’s Law school and NYU Social work School, Mira Riad, founder of The Littlest Lamb, felt a need to provide a solution for orphaned children in Egypt. Mira, accustomed to giving back to Egypt from both her father and mother, Maged & Mona Riad, to help the needy every summer.
In 2005, Mira Riad visited several orphanages in Cairo, Assuit and Minya and leaving her inspired to make a change.
In 2007, she purchased 9-acres of land twenty kilometers outside Cairo. We host our first fundraiser, raising $50,000. We are incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in the United States.
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Things begin to take shape as the perimeter is laid for our construction site. We score big when Brazilian football legend Pelé joins our efforts and vows support. The Littlest Lamb marks its groundbreaking.
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The dust stirred up by the revolution is beginning to settle, and The Littlest Lamb is licensed to operate in Egypt.
We are proud to announce the launching of our English Language Tutoring Program. We launched Mental Health Programs, providing counseling to orphans in need for the orphanages throughout Cairo
Phase 1 and 2 of construction is completed. Interior design process starts.
We have our opening celebration at the November 2014 with special guests including, Ex-Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehlab, Ex- Social Solidarity Minister - Ghada Wahly, Sir Magdy Yacoub, Youssra, Hussien Fahmy and more.
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During our furnishing and hiring our first few staff members, our first child moved in! We work on hiring, training and systems building. We prepare for our family to grow exponentially using the five holistic strategies. Keeping those main five aspects in mind while building programs that last. By 2018, we grow to 45 children.
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We double our children by 2022, by protecting a total of 90 children.
We develop a department and program to protect and elevate many other lives in orphanages around Cairo. This department is called the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Department.
Awareness with social media campaigns elevate the issues behind orphanhood and highlights of struggles of OVC children begin to rise. We speak on these topics widely, storytelling and challenging societal stigmas.
COVID hit hard and children needed an intense educational solution while quarantining inside our Birdrock Programs. We created a full-house diverse program entailing a detailed schedule for all children, customized to their educational and activity needs.
We acquire new land next door to plan for our expansion. Building permits in process.
