Anglican Communion News Service

[Southern Cross] The Joint Relief Ministry (JRM), a combined service consisting of the Anglican and Presbyterian churches of Egypt is giving relief to thousand refugees in dire straits, who fled their home country as civil war rages unabated in Sudan.

Mr Mark Bennet, a Church Mission Society (CMS) missionary and co-ordinator of the JRM, said it was important that an environment where in refugees would feel safe and welcome was created. Bennet said, "The ministry aims to provide a welcoming environment to people who are not used to feeling welcome. When the world turns their back on them, the Church provides a place to be, a place of acceptance and love demonstrated in the services."

The service, operated from All Saint's Anglican Cathedral, Cairo, offers medical aid, education, food, clothing and income generation training to refugees.

He said the situation of the refugees was difficult since they are not well welcome in Egypt and that this is further aggravated by the fact that their they have spent their lives in a country torn apart by war.

"People come here with a burden of hurt. They are not well accepted in Egypt and are not happy to be here. They have lived in a country at war their whole lives, Mr Bennet said.

Although refugees are legally allowed to reside in Cairo, there are no provisions in place in terms of camps and as their number keep on increasing, there is a struggle for employment, accommodation, health care and education.

In an effort to meet the refugees needs in the area of schooling, All Saint's Centre along with JRM, provides schooling for refugee children from Sudan as well as Eritrea and Ethiopia. Currently there are 60 children attending school the need could rise, as there are thousands of refugee children within Cairo.

The war, which is estimated to have claimed around two million Sudanese, is being fought between the Islamic government of the north and people of the south, a largely Christian area. But Mr Bennet added, "The war is about more than just religion, with the people of Sudan also divided over race, resources and history.