„Being a refugee in a country that is not one’s own is difficult. That person is neither equal to the citizens of the host country, nor are they able to return to their own country. The only effective way to support refugees in any country is through education, giving individual refugees the skills needed to address the difficult circumstances they are living in, and use these skills to uplift their own community. Skills-building, therefore, should never be an effort that serves the interest of an individual refugee only, but a refugee with strong motivations to serve other members of his or her community as well. This is why Dutch donor EO-Metterdaad has done well to support the “Training Community Leaders in the refugee community in Egypt,” project.“

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• Cornelis Hulsman, Director of the Arab-West Report & CAWU-Learning Centre 

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The Refugee Leadership Training Project , initiated by EO Metterdaad, has the a mission to support community development amongst refugees in Cairo. The RLT project took place between February 2020 and January 2021 based on a recognized need for improved leadership amongst increasing refugee populations, and because of the increasing anxiety and delinquency amongst the refugee youth in poor urban Cairo neighborhoods. 

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The RLT projects primary focus was in training 30 to 40 refugee leaders in leadership techniques, providing them with the necessary tools to promote social inclusion of youths in their community and develop mini-projects to tackle crime and violence among youth, and supporting them in accessing legal and medical aid and resolving conflicts. On the orientation day, 59 leaders attended, representing Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan.

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When the Covid-19 pandemic happened, the workshop was moved online. Although held online until July 17, they were explicitly tailored to give practical applications and in the understanding of the struggling refugee youth, in the light of new information.

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In 2018 CAWU discovered the need for remedial education for low-income English-speaking refugees. This developed in 2019 to a learning centre with 20 refugee students and 30 students in 2020. The goal is to prepare them for an internationally recognised high school diploma that gives them opportunities to pursue higher education. CAWU’s experience in refugee education made it a natural partner, in the refugee leadership training project, with the cooperation of Refuge Egypt of the Anglican Diocese, the Comboni Fathers and Sisters, and the Egyptian Moral Rearmament Association.

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If you would like to know more about the Training Sessions Input, the Eight Outreach Activities and the Future Project Recommendation, please find the detailed report here.

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