Join us in building a better future for orphans and Kafala families

Slide 1
Our Mission

Advance quality care for orphans by advocating, educating, and developing resources for Kafala families

Yalla Kafala

Yalla Kafala is a non-profit charity founded in 2020 with the aim of creating a better life for orphans in Egypt by raising awareness about Kafala, facilitating Kafala procedures, guiding Kafala families and preparing them by providing them with the necessary tools to raise children who are mentally and behaviorally healthy.

Kafala Stories
Rahil

”There are people who told me that you can’t go for a kafala because she is of a noble lineage, and others told me that she will grow up like her family, but I know that this was nonsense, and that she is the best girl in the world with us as her parents.” My name is Raheel, a wife and a mother. I have four children, including my daughter from Kafala. I had the idea of kafala in my head for a long time, even after I got married and gave birth to two sons and a daughter. I used to think that there were thousands of girls in the homes who couldn’t find love and warmth. My heart ached and I thought about kafala, and they kept telling me that I already have 3 children, refusing my idea. I don’t have any siblings and I was afraid that my daughter would be alone too, so I decided to choose her sister, and I decided not to listen to anyone and just go for it. At that time, I found Yalla Kafala website and contacted them. I thought that they would refuse me because I have 3 children, but Rasha Mekky said that these rules changed and she supported me until I found my daughter. When I started to go through the process of kafala, I felt that God loves me, because it was the fastest kafala case ever; within less than two months of submitting the papers, my daughter was in my arms, and because I love my husband very much and love whoever loves him, I loved Hoor and chose her; she ran to him, hugged him and stayed in his arms. It felt like she chose her father, and he willingly decided to be her father. I cannot describe my happiness when I received the birth certificate. Hoor entered our house and filled it with joy and happiness. She became a beautiful sister to my children. There isn’t any special treatment, they are all my kids and we all love each other. She is still too young to know the truth, but I will start telling her stories about her birth & childhood, and after that I must let her face the whole world with courage and confidence. I really wish people would just stop judging our children and change their perspective about kafala, and people sponsor children in their homes because the children’s place is our homes, and the prophet said, “I and the one who takes care of an orphan are like this close in Paradise”

Yasmine

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.

Khadija & Moustafa

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t live in Egypt, can I still adopt/ become a kafala parent?

Yes, Egyptian citizenship holders can apply for Kafala/adoption, even if they live outside of Egypt, on the condition that at least one of the two parents is an Egyptian citizen.

Adoption is the formal, permanent transfer of parental rights to a family other than a child’s own and the formal assumption by that family of all parenting duties for the child. In some Islamic countries; including Egypt, the term ‘Kafala’ of Islamic law is used to describe a situation similar to adoption, but not necessarily with the transference of inheritance rights, or the change of the child’s full name. Despite Kafala being strongly encouraged in Islam there have been a misleading CULTURAL perception about its true meaning, practice, and significance. As a result, our innocent children have been under institutionalized care of orphanages rather than being granted a warm family life and home. We created this page to restore back the authentic meaning of Kafala in Islam that was taught by our beloved prophet.

Telling your child the truth about their kafala is crucial for their psychological well-being and identity formation.  There are several key points to consider when approaching this conversation with your children:
1- The younger the child is when they are informed, the better the results tend to be.
2- Informing the child of the truth is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process throughout the child's life, adjusted according to their age.
3- Telling the child the truth should be done in simple and age-appropriate ways. Initially, it's best to avoid sharing too many details. Children seek more information as they grow. Always maintain clarity and honesty and avoid lying or distorting Kafala events.
4- You can start with children at the age of 3 by reading stories about Kafala, available on the Yalla Kafala YouTube channel. Afterwards, you can tell the child their own kafala story using personal photos, making them the hero of their tale.
5- Recognize that your perception of kafala will impact your child's perception. If you tell your child their kafala story with sadness and despair, they might absorb these feelings and feel the same way about their kafala. Conversely, if you tell their story with pride, emphasizing the joyful moments and explaining why you feel fortunate about their kafala, your child will most likely feel proud of their kafala journey and happy to be part of their kafala family.
6- If your child is seeking answers that you do not have information about, be honest and tell them that you do not have this information, but are willing to help them find it if they want.
7- Acknowledge that the kafala child has an unknown past that they are not responsible for. So, it's normal for the child to have feelings of longing for their biological family, even if they've never met them. This longing does not diminish their love for their kafala family. Therefore, it's essential to respect and acknowledge their feelings and help them express them in healthy ways.
8- Follow Yalla Kafala's page to learn about the schedules of positive parenting workshops and how to tell your child the truth.

Our Facebook Posts
Post image

7/30/2025

هي الكفالة في البيت حرام؟ ازاي اكفل طفل في بيتي؟ ايه التحديات اللي ممكن تقابلني؟ ايه اللي مستنيني من سعادة بوجود طفل في بيتي؟ عايزة اتكلم مع حد مر بال...

Post image

7/20/2025

The secret's out—our camp is the place to be this summer! We're so grateful for all the love! But the fun isn't over yet! We're now opening registra...

Post image

7/20/2025

فريق الدعم الأسري في "يلا كفالة" عمل أول جلسة دعم جماعي للأسر الكافلة في مصر! ودي حاجة بنعتبرها الأولى من نوعها اللي بتقدمها مؤسسة في مصر. عملنا الجل...

Follow us
GuideStar Platinum Level

Yalla Kafala is a Platinum Level participant in the GuideStar program, demonstrating our commitment to transparency.