Cairo, EgyptHoliday Fundraising Campaign 2009-2010

Elementary and secondary education for over 200 refugee children

Fiona bursts into the director's office beaming with a smile from ear to ear. "UNHCR agreed to resettle [another unac-companied minor] this morning!" To Fiona, the Director of StARS' Children's Education Program, this is something to smile about.

A small percentage of the students enrolled at St. Andrew’s CEP program are unaccompanied minors – typically kids with no family or home, forced to band together to spend the night wherever they can and work jobs on top of their studies. While education for children is the number one pri-ority for most parents, these children unfortunately lack the support system of a home. StARS alleviates the incredible obstacles these children face by paying for uniforms, school obstacles these children face by paying for uniforms, school transportation, and accreditation fees – and of course pro-vides all children with two hot meals a day. But the reality is that life for these young CEP students is very hard with-out family and support. To most of us, being with family around the holidays is something to look forward to each year. Most of us would not like to imagine what being alone on these special days would feel like. Last year, all the unac-companied minors had a dinner together at Fiona's on Christmas day. It was not exactly Christmas for everyone at the dinner as our students are from numerous religious backgrounds, but it felt good to be together celebrating in some semblance of a family gathering.

Despite her efforts to create the vestiges of family, Fiona is the first to admit that these young people need more. They are in extreme risk living in Cairo without family or connec-tions. So for this reason, Fiona beams when she hears an-other one of her unaccompanied students will be resettled to the U.S. She worries for them when they arrive in Ameri-ca, where resettlement case workers will assist and follow them for a few months or until they turn eighteen, but still, there are jobs in America, more jobs than Cairo. And then there is the potential for college for these young people in the States.

Still, these unaccompanied young people are but portion of CEP's student body. There are over 180 other students in CEP and a waiting list of over 200. The waiting list for children’s classes has been closed for 18 months, but not be-cause of lack of interest. It's a bittersweet fact that facilities are simply operating beyond capacity. Yet we still hope to make our services available to all the refugee children on our list in the near future, but cannot do this without the reour list in the near future, but cannot do this without the re-newed, generous support of donors. Like every year and every gift, there is the promise of so much potential.

The courtyard within St. Andrew’s is always alive with the energy of shouting, playful kids. But upon second glance, it is evident that this is not just recess time – these kids have no-where to go and nothing else to do when they are not in class.

As of last year, St. Andrew’s has been fortunate enough to afford full-day education for its oldest students. All older students are now in school from 9 to 3, which is a great stride for their educa-tion. However, this also means that younger siblings are either waiting around for their afternoon class, or waiting after their morning class for their older siblings to finish and accompany them home. In addition to the younger siblings kicking a ball around the yard, there are plenty of children with working pararound the yard, there are plenty of children with working par-ents, waiting for their parents’ arrival with the workday’s end.

To engage these younger children in the classroom while their older brothers and sisters are also in class is ideal – they are al-ready on school grounds, so it would be beneficial to make use of their time. CEP hopes to expand its full-day education to the younger students, but unfortunately does not have the capacity in classrooms or teachers at the moment.

A new portable classroom costs approximately $8,000 and could accommodate 25 students. This means just two class-rooms could allow a full-time program for younger students and provide an opportunity to advance their education. As much as the laughter and shrieks of kids playing warms the heart, a pro-ductive and educational use of time is within our reach.

African Refugee CooperativePatterns and circles, making everything out of nothing

In the entry hall at the top of the stairs, visitors are greeted by a large, colorful painting of two women walking. Behind the women are groups of more women, each group painted within a circle. Upon first glance, the circles do not seem like the focal point of the painting. However, other paintings that grace the various walls of the office have similar circles built into the design.the design. During a recent Christmas bazaar showcasing work from artists at StARS, Samuel, an artist from Sudan, was asked about the recurring circle themes in his paintings. He answered simply that it is the ‘hole of hope’. A refugee who has lived in Cairo for several years, he has painted for many years and studied art back in Sudan. When asked about the hole of hope, he talks about an exhibition in Cairo in 2004 that used talks about an exhibition in Cairo in 2004 that used art to elicit conversations and emotions about the con-cept of human dignity. It was during this exhibition that he first painted the hole of hope into his work. Now, the hole of hope is visible in each piece he paints. Samuel’s already beautiful paintings are made even richer by the knowledge that the simple circle that shows up in a detailed sun, a colorful ball, or outline of another image always represents something greater: the power of hope. Samuel is part of the African Refugee Cooperative (ARC) at StARS, a cooperative of over 30 refugees who create art to sell through a variety of venues in Cairo. Some of the artists, like Samuel, studied art in their home countries before moving to Cairo. Others have learned various skills here that they have put to use to create beautiful scarves, jewelry, mirror frames made of recycled materials, and a variety of other creations. of recycled materials, and a variety of other creations. Around the corner of the guild hall of StARS, the ARC has a long, narrow workspace and a shop filled with the various goods. Artists come and go, often working in the outdoor workspace. Ismail, the keeper of the keys and creator of many frames and paintings, can always be convinced to open up the shop--even when it is not shop hours. Enchanted visitors could spend it is not shop hours. Enchanted visitors could spend hours in the low-ceilinged, jumbled space, digging through the various treasures and creations.

Albino, another artist from Sudan, showcases his work both in the ARC and in a gallery in downtown Cairo. On Saturdays, he takes StARS refugee chil-dren to the gallery, exposing them to the power and beauty found through creating and enjoying art. All his pieces are charged with energy and dynamism, as is his home, the walls and ceiling of which are splashed with the vibrant colors of his work. splashed with the vibrant colors of his work.

However, one of his most compelling pieces is a well-worn scarf that he wears many days as the weather grows colder in Cairo. The scarf is an elaborate pattern like many others sold throughout the city, but the real beauty is in the words he has embroidered in white, running all along the bottom: “Make something out of nothing.” When people ask about the words, he happily takes the scarf off, unfolding it and showing the message. He always laughs as he shows the scarf, saying, “See, it is true.”

-Kathleen McRae, Volunteer since November 2009

Resettlement Legal Aid ProjectBuilding pathways of justice to new beginnings

RLAP has worked with over 700 refugees in Cairo this year on a variety of legal matters. Staff and interns interview clients to determine legal eligibility for refugee status or resettlement to another country,communicate with governmental agencies on behalf of clients, and prepare testimonies and appeals.

An Iraqi doctor working in an Iraqi hospital, he had seen more unnecessary death during his residency than many doctors see in their entire careers. Dead bodies peppered his commute to work; sectarian expenditures tossed to the roadside like spent bottles. The body of a coworker was among them; a doctor shot dead on his morning commute. If there was one thing Shakir learned during his last few years in Iraq and after his flight to Egypt, it was that “there is nothing that will be with you forever.” A sad was that “there is nothing that will be with you forever.” A sad truth from a man who seemed only to want happiness.

Shakir, a refugee and RLAP client, arrived at StARS afterfleeing to Egypt in an effort to escape the long arm of sectarianviolence in Iraq. Upon arriving in Egypt, he learned that his medi-cal residency in Iraq would not be recognized to practice medi-cine in Egypt. A qualified medical doctor from the top medical school in Iraq—with the unparalleled depth of experience that war brings to the surgical theatre—was met with the sad reality that his expensive application for a medical license in Egypt was rejected without appeal (and without an official letter explaining the reason).

In Egypt, his medical residency was not only officially unrecog-nized, but its equivalent was a twelve-month at-cost internship running into the thousands of U.S. dollars. He paid for this, but was still denied a license to practice medicine in Egypt. It seemed every attempt to change his life for the better was met with an-other disappointment.

But then he discovered StARS and with it a community ofrefugees who understood his sense of desperation. He has once refugees who understood his sense of desperation. He has once again taken another leap and chartered a path towards fulfillment through counseling other refugees, while pressing forward with his own petition for resettlement to another country. However, the petition is time-consuming and requires specialized knowl-edge of the procedures of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as international human rights law.law.

Expecting refugees to simultaneously fend off the ever-encroach-ing penury and listlessness that accompanies such great up-heaval, all while acquainting themselves with the intricacies of UNHCR policy and international refugee law, is as unrealistic as it is cruel. Shakir’s story demonstrates the overwhelming string of loss that typifies the struggle of refugees; a seemingly endless ava-lanche of tragedies. While their status continues to deprive them of basic human dignities—the right of a doctor to work as a

doctor, the right of their children to attend schools, it is this precise lack of opportunity that makes them appealing cases for resettlement through the UNHCR. That is where StARS and the Resettlement Legal Aid Project (RLAP) come in; giving this persecuted and impoverished population the tools to build a new future for themselves.

“You can’t be yourself and you can’t just be human,” reflects “You can’t be yourself and you can’t just be human,” reflects Shakir on his time as a refugee. But he smiles while recount-ing the good work he is doing to improve the lives of others through the St. Andrew’s community. Deprived of basic rights and dignities for so long, it is encouraging to see the tired grin of satisfaction creep across his face.

-Brendan Rigby, Volunteer since June 2009

A Quick Thought...

Recently, a taxi driver appeared at RLAP’s door.whoexplained that he had driven a man, wife, and son tothe airport that morning. He reported that this manhad burst into tears and started kissing the groundand thanking God at the terminal. He came and toldus because he was so moved, and thought we shouldknow how thankful this man was for RLAP.know how thankful this man was for RLAP.

Empowering at-risk youth and preventing violenceEarlier this fall, the St. Andrew’s office was abuzz withnews – youth in three areas of Cairo, who had previouslymaintained violent rivalries, had agreed to a peace treaty.Phones of the Youth LEAD staff were ringing every othersecond, the excitement of the young men buzzing at theother end. The night before, over 70 young men had metand agreed to peace. and agreed to peace.

The real story here is that this is not just any other peaceagreement. This agreement was generated among theyoung men themselves after a respectably long period ofnon-violence, without the intervention of the staff atYouth LEAD – though it was obviously encouraged and supported.

Within these youth and in other communities prone toWithin these youth and in other communities prone togang violence, numerous peace truces have beenestablished. However, such peace truces are oftenbrought about due to initiation from outside,well-intentioned but misguided mediators. What oftenresults is a declaration for peace that looks pretty onpaper, but is really just a conglomeration of empty wordsin the name of peace. in the name of peace.

At other times, peace truces surface in direct response tocertain acts of violence. While this idea is on the righttrack, it too is an incomplete solution. The mixing ofemotions action can be unstable and at risk for collapseunder the pressures of vengeful forces and pre-existingconditions in the community, the same conditions thatlead to gang-violence in the first place. The staff at Youthlead to gang-violence in the first place. The staff at YouthLEAD work not to produce a document, but to identifyand tackle the underlying conditions that lead young mento choose gang-violence.

The Youth LEAD project operates four centers currently,with plans in the works for three more centers, to provideat-risk youth with an alternative to the streets. The youngmen can take English classes, receive tutoring, life skillmen can take English classes, receive tutoring, life skillclasses, attend demand-driven seminars, take hip-hoplessons, seek counseling, use computers, or simply hangout in a safe environment. By offering these young men

resources and support, Youth LEAD is working toeliminate the perceived need among youth forgang-violence, and in effect, supplying these youngmen with the tools and resources to resolve theirconflicts and establish their own peace.

By fostering a safer environment, the Youth LEADproject encourages these young men to forge peaceproject encourages these young men to forge peacethemselves. The fact that this peace truce arose after a period of peace suggests development of realprogress, rather than impassioned reaction to a recent occurrence. Youth LEAD fosters and encour-ages peace, but not just in the name of peace – moreimportantly, in practice. And sure enough, thesentiment of accomplishment has echoed through-out the Youth LEAD centers with celebration, pizzaparties, and the creation of an official banner, paint-ed excitedly the night after the young men shook hands in peace.

-Sarah Conner, Volunteer since October 2009

Wish List

$20 - Pair of Sneakers for Sports Activities

$100 - Art Class Supplies$100 - Recorder$100 - Paint Renovation$100 - Paint Renovation$300 - Desktop Computer

“Architecture is a social act and the material theatre of human activity...” -Spiro Kostof

Upon entering Cairo, the evidence of too little space is every-where. How could it not be, in a city of 20 million people? Apartments rise higher and higher into the sky, one on top of the other, cars and taxis traverse the streets, carrying a never-ending stream of people, and the city never seems to stop living. It is a space filled to the brim with people.

Inside the courtyard of St. Andrew’s, it is obvious that space is similarly a problem.

In the Resettlement Legal Aid office, things are similarly In the Resettlement Legal Aid office, things are similarly cramped. In both a poetic and fitting manner, a graduate of Yale Law sits in the tiny kitchen as she provides legal aid to help the clients who come to our door. The walls are damp in spots where water is coming in, the sounds of people selling their goods and bustling about pierce through the open window near the ceiling, and the accordion door sways slightly in the breeze where it has come unattached from the wall. in the breeze where it has come unattached from the wall.

Even more compelling than the well-educated staff practically living on top of each other is the space issue for the refugees themselves. Outside the accordion kitchen door of the legal aid office, at least three meetings are being conducted simulta-neously within the small set of open rooms. The room is loud with the sounds of many voices and many languages coming together, although everyone is trying to keep their voices low. Naturally, the goal is to use all the people and resources availNaturally, the goal is to use all the people and resources avail-able in order to serve more people at one time. The need is never-ending. Refugees come not just from far reaches of the city, but from other parts of Egypt, to receive legal aid from StARS. To turn them away would be awful, but the alternative has difficulties as well. Often the stories recounted by the refugees are horrific ones of torture and pain, and yet they must be discussed with another group of people mere feet away. Privacy and confidentiality are musts, yet they are fleet-ing with the amount of people in the room.

Ahmed S, the RLAP office manager and go-to operator at StARS, tells me about how he tries to place meetings of refu-gees from differing countries next to each other, so that at least the difference in languages can provide some barrier of privacy. But still it is hard and unfair to see a woman in tears, while across the room people are drinking tea and laughing. Though the laughter and tea drinking should not have to end, the dichotomy is a painful one.the dichotomy is a painful one.

The space issue is not confined to the legal aid office. Fiona, the director of the Children’s Education Program (CEP), tells me about not having enough opportunities to teach the chil-dren due to lack of space. Only the high school students have a full day of school, due to the lack of classrooms. Downstairs I watch two classes being taught on opposite ends of the Guild Hall auditorium. A temporary partition separates the classes, but the noise of little voices carries across the entire hall.but the noise of little voices carries across the entire hall.

The administrator of the Adult Education Program (AEP) and I meet in the Pastor’s Office in order to gain a quiet moment, demonstrating the difficulty of space even in trying to find a spot to talk for five minutes. Previously he served as the Com-puter Department head; he talks of his old hopes to expand the computer department, before he realized that there simply was not room for it.

Youth Leadership, Education, and Access to Development (LEAD) provides services to at- risk refugee youth from its four community centers. But its StARS administrative office mea-sures 2 x 4 yards. In its admin meetings, the six “dream team” field staff sit in the corners between a desk, file cabinet and book shelves, before they go back to work in four different refugee neighborhoods.

Even the Executive Directors’ office is home to three desks: one for the accountant, one for the Development officer, one for the two co-directors. Each time the Directors need to dis-cuss something confidential, at least two persons have to leave the room.

Space is certainly an issue at St. Andrew’s: that is not in ques-tion. And yet, unlike the hurried, sometimes even hostile at-mosphere that Cairo offers in its lack of space, St. Andrew’s lives within its lack of space well. The conversations, though often difficult, are no less filled with care because they are close together. The staff’s awareness of the issue has not bred resentment or grumbling. All quickly acknowledge the problem, but all work graciously within the limitations.

As AEP’s Ibrahim told me, StARS may have limitations be-cause of space, but that does not change the fact that it is a peaceful place, a wonderful place, and a home.

Help us expand our services and welcome more people into the St. Andrew’s home.

-Kathleen McRae, Volunteer since November 2009