Egypt (MNN) — Egypt needs more help, according to the UN, as it now hosts more refugees from Sudan’s civil war than any other country – a conflict the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Three-quarters of all refugees in Egypt come from Sudan, which has tripled the total refugee population in just two years. Bonita, with the Nuba Mountains Bible Institute in Cairo (NBIC), says that most of the refugees they encounter are single mothers with children.
“The husbands didn’t come with them, either to protect our land back in Sudan, or maybe they were killed in the war,” she explains.
Single moms struggle to survive
(Photo courtesy Speak Media Uganda/Pexels)
Legal barriers make it hard for refugee moms to secure gainful employment in Egypt. “[Companies] have to have 10 Egyptian employees for every foreigner that they want to hire, so it’s hard to keep that ratio,” Bonita says.
With hungry mouths to feed, many refugee moms find work wherever they can. “Most of them work under the table and just get cash in hand,” Bonita says.
“They’ll work cleaning somebody’s house or they’ll work cleaning somebody’s business, or making tea for them, or running errands.”
This kind of work often reinforces harmful stereotypes. “There’s a lot of racism in Egypt,” Bonita says.
“In all the old movies, all of the servants in the homes were dark skinned, so anybody dark skinned is looked at as ‘less than’ and lower. Every day, they’re traumatized by racism in the streets.”
To meet these needs, NBIC and its partners offer purpose and the hope of Christ through an intensive, year-long women’s program that meets weekly.
“It focuses on psychological awareness, spiritual and theological training, and leadership training, so it’s quite a broad program and covers different aspects of their lives,” Bonita says.
The women’s program also “equips them to train others and to serve their community,” she adds.
In addition to the women’s program, NBIC offers a three-year refugee assistance program that meets twice a week, as well as an intensive annual program that meets four days a week.
Restoring dignity
NBIC also meets the unique needs of Sudanese women. In 2024, “a lady came from the [U.S.] and did a series of workshops on women’s health [and] that really empowered women to have a little bit more control over their bodies and their health,” Bonita says.
(Photo courtesy nomso obiano/Pexels)
Rape and sexual assault are frequently used weapons of war in Sudan. Last year’s workshops “encouraged the community to support and embrace women, even if they’ve conceived because of rape… instead of the community rejecting them,” Bonita says.
“Women are coming that are pregnant, but not because they want to get pregnant at all.”
The workshops helped Sudanese women realize their unique value in God’s eyes.
“She (the presenter) really integrated the Gospel into that, and how Jesus gave us life through His water and His blood, and women have an opportunity to be like God in also giving life through water and blood,” Bonita says.
“That really gave dignity to the women and helped them to see that, ‘I am made in the image of God, and I get to be like God in a way that men don’t.’”
How to help
Ask the Lord to surround refugee moms with His comfort and peace. “A lot of them have families still in Sudan that are suffering, and they get news of relatives that have been killed and things, so it’s really challenging,” Bonita says.
“Pray for all the (refugee) women who are single moms in Cairo. They have three, four, or five kids, and they’re trying to make a go of it on their own.”
Pray that Sudanese refugee moms can find strength in the Lord. Bonita says, “All of our students have a real heart to serve their community, and yet they have to work really hard just to provide for their family and for their kids.”
Header image is a representative photo depicting Sudanese refugee women and children. (Wikimedia Commons)