Seven years have passed since the Arab Spring and the unforgettable Tahrir Square, symbol of all the squares of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, crowded with women, men and many youths forcefully invoking the demise of the autocratic regimes, respect of human rights, transparency, freedom of information and social justice. Seven long years in which Egypt, the historical and cultural reference point for the Arab world, has been marked by an unprecedented political crisis. There is still a strong internal instability, caused by sporadic outbreaks of terrorism, that have resulted in the drop of tourism and foreign investments. And despite the efforts of the government to invest in infrastructures (such as the inauguration of the new Suez canal) and heal its international relationships, the onset of the economic crisis is weighing heavily on the country’s 90 million inhabitants. The great urban areas are concentrated along the banks of the Nile (5% of the territory). Ten million are in the capital city of Cairo (which become 12 during the day), the second most populated African city. Immersed in this metropolis, the families that live the spirituality of the focolare, come from every social category and belong to various Christian churches. They have the same difficulties as all the others: growing unemployment, the crisis of parental roles in a society that is increasingly moving away from religious and social values and which is dazzling the new generation with the temptations of consumerism. Families that are trying however to go “against the current,” helping one another mutually and working hard to serve the schools, churches and institutions. The convention on the family entitled “Source of hope and joy” was held last 27 January, with the participation of about 300 people. It was a feast, with songs and dance, sharing sessions, moment of reflection on the theme of dialogue between husband and wife, parent-children relationships, suffering, illness, and divisions and difficulties of families. Many were testimonials of tangible love that heals suffering, like that that of Wagih and his wife, who suffered a stroke and is confined to a wheelchair; or that of a couple which, through dialogue, recomposed the pieces of their almost broken family; or that of another couple which understood that children not only need to be loved but above all, need parents who love one another. “The families of the focolare,” the letter from Cairo  says, “give a great contribution to families also through the St. Joseph Institute and the Pro Vita, created in March 1994, incarnating the Gospel in family life and in the heart of society. The Institute engages in the preparation of young couples for marriage and as a family counseling service, with branches in various dioceses. They give strength and courage, amid many difficulties to couples also in the Muslim world. In these years the number of marriage annulment cases has dropped to the minimum, despite the great number of couples with problems that go for consultation. The Institute gives its contribution in the various events in the family sector, and represents the Holy See in the international conventions of the Muslim world.» The Koz Kazah Foundation has been active since 2007 in the Shubra community, one of the most populated districts of Cairo, and last 25 February, inaugurated a new office in Fagala. The aim is to work, in cooperation with AMU, on social projects, educational programmes for children at risk, create events to awaken the sense of belonging to one’s own city (cleaning of roads, murals, conferences, shows). In a society which, not only in Egypt, sees no reason for hope and joy, these constructive actions seem to emit the perfume of another spring. AMU: Project CHANCE FOR TOMORROW