An ecumenical approach to Egypt’s refugee crisis

Egypt faces a mounting refugee crisis, driven by escalating regional conflicts and compounded by reductions in U.S. humanitarian funding. Egypt is currently home to more than 1 million registered refugees and asylum seekers, with projections estimating that number could reach 1.3 million by the end of 2025. Two-thirds are Sudanese, with women and children comprising nearly three-quarters of the refugee population. Many more refugees remain unregistered, especially in southern regions like Aswan, and face increasing barriers to legal protection, education, healthcare, and employment.

Image

In response to these challenges, the American Mission Fund of the PC(USA) is partnering with a local refugee-led organization and has awarded it a grant of $10,000. The organization offers education, legal aid, psychosocial services and community development to all nationalities, regardless of religion or registration status.

In December 2024, Egypt enacted its first national asylum law, shifting refugee registration from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) to a state-controlled system. UN agencies have condemned the law for lacking non-refoulement protections and criminalizing humanitarian aid. Refugees now face mass detentions, xenophobic rhetoric and restricted access to basic services. Residency permits are nearly impossible to obtain, with appointments scheduled as far away as June 2028. Without a valid residency permit, refugees are cut off from public services and face an increased risk of detention or deportation.

“The model of refugee leadership works but it needs partners and support”, says Christine Samuel, a representative of Refugees Thrive International, a U.S.-based nonprofit that partners with refugee-led organizations in the region.  “The PC (USA)’s support is a powerful act of solidarity.”

The $10,000 grant from the American Mission Fund will help refugee-led organizations sustain core programming at a time of acute financial strain following the suspension of U.S. foreign aid in early 2025. That decision triggered sweeping cuts across the humanitarian sector, and Cairo was no exception.  UNHCR’s medical partner in Egypt, lost nearly 70% of its budget overnight, leading to the closure or downsizing of essential medical services.

By supporting a wide range of programs — including education, legal aid, healthcare, mental health and advocacy — refugee-led organizations participate in a network of aid that complements the work of larger partners such as UNHCR and Save the Children. These organizations provide invaluable complementary support, offering services in the local area in the relevant language and at a fraction of the cost. Organizations such as  Refugees Thrive International support refugees in the region through funding and advocacy underscoring the vital contributions of ecumenical and secular partners in addressing the regional refugee crisis.

Image

“Presbyterians have a long history of standing with the vulnerable,” said Luciano Kovacs, the PC(USA)’s global ecumenical liaison for the Middle East and Europe, in support of the American Mission Fund grant awarded in 2025. “This grant is a tangible expression of our commitment to justice, dignity and the leadership of displaced communities.”

The organization’s work is especially critical for unaccompanied and separated children, whose numbers have surged by 65% in the past year. With public education increasingly restricted and community schools forcibly closed, many refugee children are left without access to learning, making them vulnerable to exploitation.

As the protection space in Egypt continues to shrink,  refugee-led organizations remain one of the few safe havens for displaced people to find support, community, and hope. The PC(USA)’s American Mission Fund grant helps ensure that this vital work can continue.

Learn more about refugee-led organizations in Egypt here.