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SACRED HEART CHURCH'S WORK WITH SUDANESE REFUGEES
The Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic Church belonging to the
Latin Vicariate of Egypt. It has been
serving the Sudanese refugee community in Cairo since 1984. Presently, three
Comboni priests and one deacon minister it. The church is located near the city centre in the
district of Abbassiya.
Regular worship services in Arabic, English and French, and Christian
educational programs for all age groups are available for the Christians of the
refugee community to attend.
Additionally, the church implements relief, health, educational, income
generation, and social and cultural activities that can be accessed by the
wider refugee community from all faiths.
In order to meet the continuing flow of refugees coming from Sudan to
Egypt in recent years, two other Christian communities have been established in
Cairo in the last five years; the Holy Family Church in the district of Maadi,
and the Salesian Church in the district of Zeitun.
Centre councils, comprising of the Parish Priestand some Sudanese congregational members meets regularly at each of the three church centres to
coordinate the work of the communities.
The Sacred Heart Church coordinates with the following organizations in
order to share ideas, resources, expertise, and lessons learned, and minimize
duplication of work:
The Inter-School Committee,
which is made up of representatives from four different churches, all of whom
run children's educational programs for African refugee children in Cairo. The
committee meets once a month to share ideas and experiences, and to plan and
implement joint teacher training workshops and educational activities.
The Refugee Inter-Agency
Committee, which includes representatives from UNHCR, the International
Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross, embassies
of resettlement, and other refugee serving NGOs. The committee meets bi-monthly
and acts as a forum for information sharing on refugee matters and services.
The aims of the Sacred Heart Church are to:
- Create a welcoming environment for the Sudanese community.
- Encourage the spiritual growth of its members.
- Help preserve Sudanese cultural heritage.
- Provide emergency assistance to the most vulnerable members of the community.
- Provide educational and skills training to the community so that upon resettlement or repatriation their opportunities for successful integration will be enhanced.
- Empower the community through training, decision making, and community participation in all church activities.
