“The day I saw her, I and her father were so confused. We did not feel anything. We were confused and did not know what feeling we were supposed to feel, but after we walked from there, we felt that we missed her greatly and our hearts got attached to her.” I am Marwa Hafez, and I went for kafala after 21 years of marriage without children. I presented it to my husband and he initially refused, but when he learned about the issue of breastfeeding and that the presence of a girl would no longer be forbidden or haram, he agreed that we would go for kafala. We made this decision in June 2021, and we began the journey of preparing the papers and submitted them on the 4th of July, 2021. The day of submitting the papers coincided with the day of Misk’s birth, and the procedures and approvals took about nine months. I swear it was like a pregnancy period. I was suffering during these nine months because I saw my daughter when she was 3 months old. Security check took a long time. I wanted to have her right away because she was sick in the hospital. I used to travel to Minya every 15 days for nine months until I received her on the 17th of March. It was only 4 days before Mother’s Day. It was as if God was comforting my heart and her father’s with her beautiful presence. It was as if my life started again. On that day, Misk came to our place, and we were preparing a party to welcome her. My sisters and my family were all happy. A week after we received her, we held a big party for her in a large hall. We invited all our beloved friends, friends of our friends, relatives and neighbors. All of them were happy and it was a day that we still talk about to this day. Praise be to God, it has been a year since Misk got in my life, and this is the year in which I was born. Every Mother's Day, I hold you in my arms, and every day I hold you in my arms is a Mother’s Day for me. May God not deprive me of her or her presence in our lives, me and her father’s.

” I used to collect Omar’s toys and the Ramadan lantern that I bought, and I would imagine him sitting and playing with it. I would break my fast alone, tears falling down my face, imagining that he was next to me” I started thinking of kafala when I was young, and when I grew up a little, I volunteered in a nursing home, and this experience made me know more about what’s happening in orphanages, how children think of their lives and circumstances. When I grew older, got married, and separated childless, the loneliness increased. That’s until I saw a post for a kafala mother whose circumstances were completely similar to mine, until she sponsored a child just like my own. Within two days, I submitted all my papers, and in the same month I submitted it, my son was born. The journey was difficult and took a long time, but despite everything, it worked, thanks to God. My file was rejected more than once on the pretext that I chose in my application to have a child and I am the mother of a single child, and some people found it inappropriate, but I insisted on my choice to the point that when my file was approved, it got approved for a girl. I went and submitted a request to the ministry to change the sex of the child from a girl toa boy, and it was approved for me, thanks to God. I saw my son in another governorate, and we set a date for him to come home to me, but I was tired of Corona. The date was postponed several times because of my illness & then Ramadan till the Eid. I finally got Omar on my birthday, but when I woke up, I felt severe pain in my stomach, and it was a long way to travel, and the pain increased that we had to postpone again for the third time. I finally received Omar and my friend took him off because I was still very tired. As soon as we arrived safely, I was very thankful, and my friend supported me and lifted me up so I could rest on the bed; it was like I gave birth to him and returned home with the same exact pain and feeling. It was a long day, but the house was filled with joy and the sound of a baby crying. Finally, I became a mother, thank God. “I knew it was difficult to find someone to have kafala of him because he is 4 years old and most people choose infants.” I am Laila Fathi, I work as a pharmacist. I was married and left behind two daughters, and the eldest was in medical school, but unfortunately my marriage was ended. God compensated me with my current husband, he understood me and encouraged me, and I asked him to help me ensure that I achieve my dream. The first time I heard about kafala was when I saw the story of Rasha Makki and her son Mustafa. I communicated with her and she answered my questions and encouraged me to take this step. I couldn’t believe it when I told her that I have my son Omar. I chose to have Omar despite the difficulty of the situation. From the first sight, my heart was attached to him and I knew that he my son, Omar, is one of the missing children and spent a year and a half on the street. This means that he was abandoned either because of an inheritance or was kidnapped and thrown away. This reminded me of the hard circumstances that I had been through in my life, and I felt that he was like me. I knew Omar long time ago. I used to go and see children at the orphanage. I would check on them, get them gifts, and play with them. The first time I saw him, I felt that he was radiant with light, and he resembles me and my children. He had a loud laugh that stole my heart. Many people used to say, “No, he can’t be an orphan. His mother could come back at any time and demand him,” but my thoughts that he is alone and he needs our help and God will reward us for our goodness. On one side, there were those who accepted the idea and encouraged me, such as my sister and my uncle, who embraced me and many of my colleagues at work who supported me in my decision. On the other side, there were those who rejected it and were against it and said that it was enough to visit him at the orphanage, but I was determined to get him to my home because I saw that he needed a home, safety, good education, and people to take care of him. His life also changed. He entered kindergarten and now he loves swimming. I cannot forget his joy and the sparkle in his eye when he saw the sea of Alexandria. The big streets are a strange thing to him, and he is not used to them yet. He doesn't tell me about his difficult life at the orphanage. He doesn't want to go back there again, and he is happy with his new family. Omar is God's compensation for me. He compensated me for everything that happened in my life. May God not take him away from me.

”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”