Support for Families offers broad assistance to families in dire financial need. Families participating in this program receive monthly stipends to assist them with basic necessities, including rent and groceries. The Program currently sponsors over 1,000 families.

Egypt’s efforts to provide resources and access to its disabled population are grossly underdeveloped. The insurance system in Egypt is particularly limited and basic medical care is largely inaccessible to those in need. Medical procedures are often paid for in cash and the costs are often beyond even a middle class individual’s means. The Healthcare Program provides assistance to Brethren of the Lord unable to meet their own medical costs. The Program offers financial aid to individuals suffering from Hepatitis, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Diabetes, Hemophilia, Tuberculosis, as well as other chronic illnesses and psychiatric disorders. BLESS negotiates with private health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to obtain treatment at discounted costs. The program provides funds for medication, various operations and other related fees such as, tests, x-rays, and medical equipment including wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids and crutches among other equipment. The Healthcare Program also serves individuals with both physical and mental disabilities; a particular emphasis is placed on their maximal integration into society.

Recent events have drawn attention to the poor state of public education in Egypt. Students seeking to advance to, and complete, a university education require significant private expenses. These expenses include textbooks, supplies, uniforms, and private tutoring on which academic success is dependent. Typically, all of these educational amenities are out of reach for the Brethren of the Lord. BLESS serves and aims to help in breaking the cycle of poverty through the Education Assistance Program.

In Egypt, when a couple is making marriage arrangements, it is the bride who traditionally provides some of the furnishings for the couple’s new home. Unfortunately, there are many instances where the Brethren of the Lord are actually hindered from marriage because they cannot afford these furnishings or other associated expenses. In response to this problem, the Marriage Expense Assistance program was developed to assist young engaged couples with these costs. The program also assists couples with appliances and other household necessities.

Over 42% of Egypt’s population is concentrated in small urban areas; in addition, there is a great deal of migration that occurs because of unfortunate economic circumstances such as unemployment. As a result, housing availability has emerged as a serious problem in significantly overpopulated areas. One of the consequences is mixed housing in which families of different religions are constrained to live together in a single-family apartment. These mixed families are forced to reside in very close living quarters, usually having to share a single bathroom.
The Housing Program funds the construction of modest shelters for Brethren of the Lord who would otherwise be homeless or forced to live in dangerously overcrowded conditions. Furthermore, the Program also funds home repairs such as deficient roofs, or a lack of electricity or plumbing.

The Income Generating Projects program – oriented towards facilitating self-sufficiency – assists families through vocational and job training in an effort to contend with the significant rates of unemployment in Egypt. In addition to providing such training, the program offers the capital and resources necessary for establishing an income-generating business. Some examples of trades that have been arranged include: fruit/vegetable stands, street vending carts, tailoring and livestock tending.

The Brethren of the Lord who struggle to meet their daily needs are typically unable to support themselves in the aftermath of unexpected losses. Due to high levels of poverty and unemployment, it is nearly impossible for the average Egyptian to maintain a personal savings for a “rainy day”. The Emergency Relief program was formed to assist victims of natural disasters, unexpected accidents, catastrophes and acts of terrorism. The program also extends assistance to Christians living in precarious conditions in Sudan.