Refuge Egypt began in 1987, when two teachers from All Saint’s Cathedral began a small outreach crafts project with refugees in Cairo. In the years since, our programs have expanded to cover a broad range of refugees’ diverse need: food aid, skills-training, job placements, psychosocial support, pre-school services, youth outreach, medical services, and more.
Our approach to programming is holistic, responsive, and driven by the needs of the refugees we serve. Our programs are diverse because the needs of refugees are. We seek to empower refugees towards sustainability, but also recognize immediate needs demand immediate relief.
Through these programs, by God’s grace, we’ve been able to serve hundreds of thousands of refugees in the city, lifting individuals and families out of poverty.
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ORGANISATION
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Refuge-Egypt serves people from Sudan and other African countries, living in Egypt, who have fled their original country of nationality due to war or disaster, and who have well founded fears of return due to persecution or loss of rights. We seek to provide humanitarian assistance, spiritual guidance and encouragement to help build self-sufficiency and self-respect in preparation for repatriation, resettlement or integration into Egyptian society.
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We seek to show God’s compassion
We are a Christian agency and believe that God has called us to live out our faith practically by showing His love to those around us. We want to reflect Jesus’ compassion and concern for those who are in need, His desire for justice and His love for all people. We seek to serve, not to be served.We care for refugees
The refugee and asylum-seeker community in Cairo is our first priority and we exist to work with that community to help to meet their present needs and to provide the encouragement and resources they need to enable them to rebuild their lives here, in their home countries or wherever they go in the future.We respect and value all people
We put people first and see every individual as made in the image of God, regardless of background. We therefore treat every client with respect and dignity, are available to listen to them and to encourage them, and are willing to go the extra mile to try and meet their needs. The management team, staff and volunteers will respect each other’s gifts, knowledge, experience and opinions, seeking to encourage each other. We seek to grow and develop the skills and competencies of our staff.We communicate clearly and openly
We will seek to be accountable to our beneficiaries and to make our policies and services clear and easy to access. Leaders and staff will be open with each other and leaders will communicate all policies and plans clearly to staff. We will work in relationship with other organisations so that we can cooperate to provide the best services we can. We will communicate regularly and honestly with our donors and supporters, respecting and valuing their input. We will seek to make the work of Refuge-Egypt known locally and internationally and to communicate the situation of refugees in Egypt.We work with commitment and integrity
We are committed to doing what we say we are going to do and to leading by example. We will be honest and transparent and take personal responsibility for being good stewards of the time and resources we have been given. We admit our mistakes and learn from them. We will constantly seek to improve our work and the services we provide. We will be accountable to the Diocese and its Bishop via the Refugee Ministry Committee, its Chairman and members. -
Refuge-Egypt is a ministry of, and therefore governed by, the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa. This governance is exercised through the Refugee Ministry Committee (Governing Board) that has the Senior Pastors, and nominated lay members, of the English, Arabic and Sudanese congregations of All Saints Cathedral as its members. The committee reports directly to the Executive Board of the Diocese which is under the chairmanship of the Diocesan Bishop. The Committee meet every second month with ad hoc meetings as required. The Terms of Reference of the Refugee Ministry Committee are agreed by the Executive Board. The Director of Refuge-Egypt is an ex-officio member of the committee and other members of Refuge-Egypt’s management team attend the meetings from time-to-time.
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We abide by the Diocesan ‘Principles of Faith and Practice’ as received and approved by Diocesan Synod. These are available online here.