AMERA is a human rights organization that provides free legal, social and mental health services to the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Egypt. For the last ten years, AMERA has tirelessly served people who have fled their home countries due to persecution, conflict, torture, trafficking, violence and terror. We work with refugees (mostly from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea) to rebuild their lives and provide safety to their families. If you would like to know more about our work, please go to: http://www.amera-egypt.org
TODAY, AMERA is threatened with imminent closure due to a lack of funding. Without us, thousands of refugees will be left without access to essential services that protect their rights.
Founded in 2003, AMERA continues to be the first and only organization in Egypt to provide legal, social and mental health services to refugees under one roof. This holistic approach, coupled with the collective expertise of our staff, enables us to quickly identify individual and community needs. In this way, we provide essential services in a safe space, treating refugees with dignity and respect.
AMERA is the ONLY organization in Egypt that offers:
. Legal advice and representation before the UNHCR, increasing their chances of protection from return to their home countries
. Direct resettlement referrals to foreign embassies for the most vulnerable refugees in Egypt
. Specialized assistance for children who have fled persecution without their parents, including victims of trafficking, who rely on AMERA for access to protection, education, healthcare and other basic services
. Advocacy for refugees in indefinite and arbitrary detention
. Community outreach programs, headed by refugee staff, to raise awareness and empower refugee communities, pioneering an emergency outreach response to the massive Syrian refugee influx since 2012
. A dedicated team working with survivors of sexual and gender based violence to help them access a full spectrum of medical, social, legal, and psychological services
AMERA in Numbers
1537 refugees provided with services in the last two months
3400+ refugees provided with community outreach services in the last 12 months, of whom 1200 are Syrians
15% of our clients are under 21 years old (not including family dependents), half are women
30% are survivors of torture
72% of our clients receive more
AMERA helps the survivors of Sinai’s ‘torture camps’: Every year, hundreds of refugees from Eritrea and Ethiopia are trafficked to the Sinai region of Egypt. There, they are held in ‘torture camps’ and subjected to horrific physical, sexual and psychological torture in order to extort money from their families in their home country and abroad. In the past 12 months AMERA has provided advice, representation and care to over 100 survivors of Sinai’s torture camps. For more information on this practice see a BBC World Service program, ‘Escape from Sinai’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0153h3m).
We are in URGENT need of immediate funding to continue serving our clients.
For every £2.25 donated, staffing costs are covered for each refugee provided with psychosocial support.
For every £2 donated, staffing costs are covered for each refugee accessing legal services.*
Any size donation will make a difference to a life today!
You can make a donation towards the work of AMERA Egypt by giving to AMERA UK, a registered UK charity (Charity Number: 1098788, Company Ltd by Guarantee: 4644642)
Please donate with JustGiving or PayPal by clicking the link below:
http://www.justgiving.com/amera/Donate
From the UK: you can also donate to AMERA by texting AMER01£ (and the amount you wish to donate) to 70070
If you are a UK Tax Payer, please visit our website to learn about maximizing your gift at no additional cost.
If you would like to make a donation of £1,000 or more, we’d be happy to discuss with you the intended focus of your donation. Please feel free to contact us at donations@amera-uk.org
Thank you,
AMERA-Egypt