Our Story
Born from faith, shaped by need — the story of two sisters who turned a simple observation into a lifeline for communities an ocean away.
How It Began
A Problem With
an Obvious Answer
Farasha Medical Aid was founded on a simple and troubling observation: hospitals across the United States discard enormous quantities of unused, unexpired medical supplies every year — while clinics serving Coptic Christian communities in Egypt struggle to treat patients with whatever little they can find.
"We kept hearing from family in Egypt about clinics running out of gloves mid-surgery. And we knew that boxes of those same gloves were being thrown away right here in Los Angeles."
Sisters Natasha and Nicole Khalil grew up in the Coptic Orthodox diaspora community of Los Angeles. Their faith, their family ties to Egypt, and their proximity to the American healthcare system planted the seed for something they couldn't ignore.
In 2023, they began reaching out to hospital partners, recruiting volunteers, and figuring out how to move supplies from surplus shelves to monastery clinic doors. Farasha Medical Aid was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit shortly after — and the first shipment left Los Angeles in 2024.
The name Farasha — Arabic for butterfly, فراشة — reflects the transformation they believe is possible: that something discarded can become something life-giving.
Farasha Medical Aid was incorporated as a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation.
The Co-Founders
The Sisters Behind
Farasha
Natasha and Nicole Khalil are Los Angeles–based sisters who built Farasha from the ground up — driven by faith, family, and a conviction that the gap between surplus and need didn't have to exist.
Natasha is the driving operational force behind Farasha Medical Aid. With a background in psychology from Loyola Marymount University and deep roots in the Coptic Orthodox community of Los Angeles, she turned personal conviction into a functioning nonprofit logistics operation — coordinating hospital partnerships, volunteer networks, and international shipments.
Her belief that every community deserves dignified healthcare access is at the heart of everything Farasha does.
Nicole co-founded Farasha alongside her sister, bringing a complementary perspective and a shared commitment to the Coptic communities their family has long been part of. Her involvement spans the organization's early formation, community outreach, and the relationships that have made Farasha's work possible from the very first shipment.
She believes that faith expressed through action — not just words — is what the communities Farasha serves have always needed most.
Founder photos coming soon — check back or contact us.
Our Journey
From Idea to Impact
Farasha Medical Aid Is Founded
Natasha and Nicole Khalil incorporate Farasha Medical Aid as a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The early months are spent building hospital relationships, identifying partner monasteries in Egypt, and recruiting the first volunteers.
Supplies Leave Los Angeles for the First Time
The first consolidated shipment departs for Egypt, carrying surgical gloves, wound dressings, and IV supplies collected from hospital partners. It reaches St. Macarius Monastery's clinic in Wadi El Natrun — the beginning of an ongoing relationship.
Eight Shipments, 47+ Clinics, 12,400+ Supplies
The operation scales rapidly. Each shipment grows in volume. New monastery partners are added — including St. Bishoy and St. Samuel. The volunteer team grows to 34 active members. A second hospital partner comes onboard.
Supplies Arrive the Day Before Three Scheduled Procedures
The St. Macarius clinic had been without surgical gloves for six weeks. Farasha's March 2025 shipment arrived one day before three procedures were scheduled — a moment the clinic director called "unwrapping a kind of miracle."
Continuing to Grow
Farasha continues to expand its hospital and monastery network. With 100% of donations going to direct aid and a fully volunteer-run team, the mission remains as focused as the day it began: delivering hope, one supply at a time.
What We Stand For
Our Values
A butterfly begins as something overlooked. We believe the same is true of discarded supplies — and of communities long left behind by global healthcare systems.
We are not delivering charity. We are delivering dignity — to communities that have always deserved better and to patients who deserve care without exception.
100% of every donated dollar goes to supplies and shipping. Our team is entirely volunteer-run. We publish our EIN and welcome scrutiny because accountability is non-negotiable.
We don't arrive with assumptions. We work with Coptic leaders on the ground in Egypt to understand what is needed most — then we deliver exactly that.
Become Part
of the Story
Whether you give, volunteer, or simply share what we do — you help write the next chapter of this work.