The UK-based international Christian charity BibleLands has launched a Christmas project aimed at providing emergency health care, food, counselling, guidance, education and training to refugees in Egypt.

Since the outbreak of mass violence in neighbouring country Sudan, Egypt has become the land which has absorbed the most refugees. Especially in Cairo, the city is overcrowded with exiles and refugees of different cultures, languages and religions. While 87 percent of the Egyptian population is Muslim, a strong need of support for the Christian minority and a voice to represent them has been aroused.

Nigel Edward-Few, Director of BibleLands, said, "In Egypt, there are no refugee camps and without status, this refugee community has no access to any state medical care or other vital services. In Egypt, in any event, such resources are already spread too thinly among the local population."

Biblelands is responding to the needy in Egypt through the launch of their Christmas Appeal - an Egyptian Christian-led project. Together with the project partners, the charity will provide basic emergency aid to the refugees.

"BibleLands' key Project Partner in Cairo, Refuge Egypt, gives emergency food, clothing and health care to 25,000 refugees, including families, pregnant women and the sick, passing through its clinics and family care unit each year. As this project faces ever-increasing demands, BibleLands' ongoing support is particularly vital," Nigel said.

BibleLands aims to raise £150,000 this Christmas to support the project. With the number of refugees arriving Cairo increasing by 7,000 per year, the work of Biblelands is extremely important. BibleLands has partnered with Egypt's All Saints Cathedral-centred project, which has been recognised and accredited by the UNHCR.

The major part of the project is to provide training and education for refugee children who are not able to speak Arabic. The Saint Andrew's Refugee Ministry, BibleLands' partner in Cairo organised a basic education for children. Computer skills or literacy training for adults is also available to equip them to become competitive in employment.

The Africa Hope School provides education, regular medical check-ups and a meal to its pupils each day while the Sonshine School in Alexandria focuses on children aged 4 and 15.

Nigel Edward-Few concluded in his appeal message, "Those who reach Egypt are pinning their hopes on this appeal and the support that they hope it can bring. To give just one example, the food programme at The Africa Hope School in Cairo had to be suspended last year due to a lack of funding, but following the generous response from BibleLands' supporters, we were able to reinstate it."

"Now that the situation in the Sudan has degenerated even further, we hope that a similar wonderful response this year through our Christmas Appeal, will enable this essential work to continue and provide refugees from Sudan, especially the children, with a new hope for the future in Egypt."