ASIL Programs > Career Development > Arthur C. Helton Fellowship > Helton Fellowship Profiles and Reflections > 2008 ASIL Helton Fellows > ASIL Helton Fellowship Reflections

Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance
Cairo, Egypt
By Jennifer Ismat, 2008 Arthur C. Helton Fellow

During this past summer, I had the opportunity to work with an amazing non-governmental organization, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) in Cairo, Egypt. On my way to Cairo, I had reflected about my past experience as an undergraduate student studying abroad years ago in Egypt and I thought I knew everything that there was to know about this great city. However, this time I unlocked a part of Cairo that I had never known and imparted an experience that I would never forget.

Cairo is host to one of the largest urban refugee populations in the world and AMERA is the main organization providing legal aid to refugees. I spent my summer mainly working with individual refugee applicants and on preparing their claims before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

An advantage to working as the legal advocate of refugee applicants is that you are working for the individual, instead of making the final determination of whether they are granted refugee status or are resettled. It is up to you to research the supporting evidence and add information that you need to represent the strength of your client’s case. While this can make you feel like you have some control over accurately presenting a strong claim, this also gives rise to one of the greatest challenges. A refugee applicant comes to you and places all of his hopes and dreams in you. You are seen as the miracle worker and with you by their side they believe that they are safe. This can be a great deal of pressure because it is not just a matter of paperwork. It is actual human beings that are sitting in front of you and whose lives are depending on the outcome of their case. If they fail to get refugee status at the appeal level, then they will get deported back to their home country where they were tortured and persecuted.

While balancing a client’s hopes and dreams can be difficult, it is perhaps the most rewarding experience when you are able to make a difference in their case. It can be very hard for refugees to write their own claims because of language barriers. Often times a refugee applicant has a strong claim but cannot express it fully because he or she is unfamiliar with the UNHCR system. The unfamiliarity and language difficulties can create a lot of pressure on applicants whose life is riding on their claims. These factors show why it is imperative that there are more legal aid organizations around the world that are specifically devoted to helping refugee applicants.

Finally, I learned a lot from everyone I worked with at AMERA. I was able to learn about various cultures and legal systems. I al

so learned more about myself. I recognized how easy it is to go abroad to volunteer and learn for a few months and then return to your home country. This is something that many refugees could probably never do and may never be able to do in the future. It is eye-opening to realize how things that seem so mundane in your own life are so significant in your fellow people’s lives.

This is just a snapshot of my experience working with refugees in Cairo. I have always been interested in international law, but I had never seen its direct application for individuals until now. After this experience, I would like to continue working with refugees and international law, whether it is through policy advocacy and international law writing or through direct legal aid offered to refugees around the world.