Episcocare, Egypt-First Aid Training for Refugees
Egypt, with its population of 97 million people (2018), is bordered by Libya to the west, Sudan to the south and Palestine and Israel to the east. Only 3% of Egypt’s land is arable, making a small section of the country very densely populated. It is ranked 115 on the UN’s Human Development Index out of 189 countries [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2020].
Episcocare, the development arm of the Anglican Diocese in Egypt, is working to provide better life opportunities for the poorest and most marginalised groups through implementing educational and development programs, with one of their focus areas being to improve the living conditions of refugees. There are over 250,000 refugees living in Egypt, with most refugees arriving from Syria and Sudan. Episcocare serves refugees, migrants and asylum seekers living in Egypt who have fled their original country of nationality due to war or disaster and aims to provide humanitarian assistance, spiritual guidance and encouragement to become self-sufficient.
Needs
- First Aid training
- Domestic sanitation and hygiene awareness
- Healthcare awareness training for mothers in slum areas on healthy practices, nutrition, intestinal infestation and anaemia
- Improve access to primary healthcare services by providing medical check ups and treatment for children living in slum areas
The objective of this project is to raise awareness within refugee communities regarding health and sanitary issues, especially first aid measures and domestic sanitation. The project so far has proven to be extremely effective especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as trained refugees are playing an important role in not only preventing the spread of the virus, but also educating other members of the community. Medical Mission Aid is providing significant funding for first aid training, courses and workshops and aims to continue to provide support for Episcocare’s incredible work amongst the very vulnerable displaced populations in Egypt. MMA would like to expand its support in future to also contribute to the work of Episcocare in improving access to primary healthcare services and health education for those living in slums in extreme poverty.
