Our Mission
St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) seeks to create a safe, holistic place for the isolated and vulnerable refugee communities in Egypt to come together for empowerment, education, community development, and social services.
Our History
On 11 October, 1979, members of St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo inaugurated a refugee center in its Guild Hall. In its early days, “as many as 115 came for games, conversation and tea. In the early years there was also a rudimentary effort in English language instruction,” provided by ESL teachers from the congregation (“A history of St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo, 1899-1999). During the 1980s, with the influx of many refugees from the Horn of Africa, St. Andrew’s expanded its refugee services to include education and advocacy. Most of the refugees have fled their homes in the Sudan and Horn of Africa due to war or famine, in order to seek safety and well-being in a nearby country. Today St. Andrew’s Refugee Services provides programming to refugees from Southern Sudan and Darfur, Somalia, Eritrea, Iraq and other nationals, refugees from 32 different countries. Services are delivered to refugees based on need and without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, national origin, tribe, or religion. The refugees themselves are involved in the administration and staffing of the program whenever possible.
Becoming Involved
Refugees and Displaced Persons from any country are welcome to participate in our programs. Volunteers from any nation, especially long-term volunteers, are also most welcome. Email us for more information, or stop by.
