Founded in 1979, St Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through education, legal aid, and psychosocial services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.
StARS’ Mission is to enhance the quality of life of refugees in Egypt and make their rights a reality through client-centered programs.
StARS’ Vision is a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for refugees in which they can exercise their rights, pursue their aspirations, and live in dignity.
Project Description: Refugee Legal Aid Program
The Refugee Legal Aid Program (RLAP) provides advice and representation to refugees seeking recognition by UNHCR through refugee status determination procedures in Egypt and assists refugees in accessing resettlement to safe third countries. RLAP is seeking Volunteer Legal Advisors to assist vulnerable refugees in their resettlement processes.
Role
Each year, RLAP offers several unpaid internships for qualified candidates who can join us for six months. RLAP also considers highly qualified candidates who are able to commit to work full-time for at least three months.
Under the supervision of the Resettlement Coordinator and Resettlement Legal Officers, the Resettlement Volunteer Legal Advisors are responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to urban refugees in matters related to resettlement.
This includes: assessment of initial requests for assistance with resettlement; the screening of refugee cases to identify those of heightened vulnerability fitting UNHCR’s criteria, specific need, or strategic importance; and preparation of detailed written briefs addressing accounts of persecution in countries of origin in support of claims for resettlement. The Resettlement Volunteer Legal Advisors are part of a team of approximately 20 staff and volunteers.
Responsibilities
All duties are carried out under the supervision of the Resettlement Coordinator and Resettlement Legal Officers.
Legal and Technical
- To conduct the screening and intake of potential clients for representation in resettlement matters.
- To prepare resettlement referrals to both the African/Iraqi and Syrian Resettlement Units at UNHCR.
- To maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR policies and procedures in resettlement matters.
- To provide general legal counseling and assistance to refugees regarding their applications for registration, protection, and resettlement before UNHCR.
- To maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of StARS’ clients.
- To assess extra-legal client needs and recommend referrals to other StARS teams or external organizations as appropriate.
- To undertake comprehensive case management practices including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client, and keeping detailed notes of all casework activities.
- To adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Policies and Procedures Manual, and the StARS Code of Conduct.
Programmatic
- To attend and contribute to RLAP Resettlement Team meetings.
- To build and maintain relationships with StARS psychosocial and education staff.
- To attend one intensive week of training.
Communication/Reporting
- To communicate regularly with the Resettlement Coordinator and Resettlement Legal Officers, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within RLAP.
- To submit activity reports as requested.
- To promote information sharing within RLAP and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.
Qualifications & Experience
The ideal candidate will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society. She or he will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.
Essential qualifications:
- English being the official language of UNHCR Cairo and StARS, Resettlement Volunteer Legal Advisors must be fluent in oral and written English.
- Excellent writing skills.
- Well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
- Commitment to and sensitivity toward vulnerable or displaced people.
- Ability to live and work in a fluid security environment.
- Ability to work in a team as well as individually.
- A positive attitude and sensitive manner in advocating for clients who are survivors of violence, trafficking, torture, and SGBV.
Desirable Characteristics:
- Fluency or working knowledge of Arabic or a refugee language is an advantage.
- Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines and procedures.
- Knowledge of the general protection situation and vulnerabilities of refugees in Egypt.
- Knowledge of the general situation of the countries from which StARS’s clients originate.
- Life and work experience in the Middle East or Egypt.
Hours: 40-hour work week (Sunday – Thursday)
Supervised by: RLAP Resettlement Legal Officers
Closing date for applications: 1 February 2017; applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Anticipated starting date: 26 February 2017
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and brief legal writing or academic writing sample to rlap.applications@stars-egypt.org. Please write “Resettlement Volunteer Legal Advisor” in the subject line.
The cover letter should address your qualifications for the internship and why you are interested in working with RLAP. It should also outline any time commitments you will have outside of our office during the period of your internship (whether you are seeking to work part-time or full-time), and for what time period you are applying.
