Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Call for Applications: Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Volunteer Legal Advisor

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support 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: Driven by a commitment to solidarity and human dignity, StARS works both as displaced people and for displaced people to support the resilience and leadership of individuals and communities in their pursuit of an enhanced quality of life.

StARS’ Vision: StARS envisions a future where displaced people and the societies they join stand in solidarity, recognizing the strength and leadership of refugees. In this world, the displaced thrive with dignity, claiming their rights and enriching our shared human experience.

Standard of Professional Conduct: StARS and all its staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in StARS’ Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Policy, and PSEAH policy.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: StARS is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. StARS expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.

We serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Project Description: Refugee Legal Aid Program

The Refugee Legal Aid Program provides advice and representation to refugees seeking recognition by UNHCR through refugee status determination procedures in Egypt, supports refugees to address protection risks they face in Egypt, and assists refugees in accessing resettlement to safe third countries.

StARS has a full-service center dedicated to meeting the education, protection, support, and advocacy needs of unaccompanied children and youth in Cairo. The unaccompanied children and youth population in Egypt is made up of approximately 9,000 children and youth, of which StARS serves a majority within its programming. The Refugee Legal Aid Program is seeking Volunteer Legal Advisors to work as part of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program within the center to provide specialized legal representation and advice the unaccompanied children and youth refugee population in their refugee status determination process, and on protection and resettlement matters.

Role

Each year, the Refugee Legal Aid Program offers several unpaid internships for qualified candidates who can join us for six months. Under the supervision of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers, the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Volunteer Legal Advisors are responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to urban refugees in matters related to their refugee status determination procedures with UNHCR Egypt, matters related to protection, and representation in resettlement.

Unaccompanied Children and Youth Volunteer Legal Advisors conduct refugee status determination workshops to educate unaccompanied children and youth refugees about the process in Egypt; conduct screening interviews to assess merits of representation with refugees seeking assistance at first instance, in appealing the rejection of their refugee status determination claims, or seeking to reopen their UNHCR files; accompany unaccompanied children and youth refugees to refugee status determination interviews at UNHCR; represent refugees in all refugee status determination procedures; serve as an on-call legal advisor, providing information and assistance to unaccompanied children and youth clients on a walk-in basis; conduct screening interviews with unaccompanied children and youth clients with protection needs, including providing protection advice and drafting referrals to the UNHCR Child Protection and Resettlement units.

Unaccompanied Children and Youth Volunteer Legal Advisors are responsible for their own caseloads and get extensive direct experience representing refugees. Following the completion of their six-month commitment, volunteers have gone on to work with UNHCR, IOM, and other international non-governmental organizations.

The Unaccompanied Children and Youth Volunteer Legal Advisors are part of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program’s team of approximately 10 legal staff and volunteers.

Responsibilities

All duties are carried out under the supervision of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers.

Legal and Technical

• Responsible for managing own caseload spanning the spectrum of the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program’s work.
• To conduct workshops with groups and individual clients regarding the refugee status determination procedures at UNHCR in Egypt.
• To conduct screening and intake interviews with potential clients seeking representation in refugee status determination matters.
• To conduct the screening and intake of potential clients for advice and interventions in protection and resettlement matters.
• To prepare resettlement referrals to the UNHCR Resettlement Unit.
• To serve as on-call resources for clients seeking legal advice on a walk-in basis, providing counseling to clients regarding registration, protection, and refugee status determination procedures at UNHCR.
• To maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR policies and procedures.
• To maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program’s 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 keep detailed notes of all casework activities.
• To adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Staff Handbook, and the StARS Code of Conduct.

Programmatic

• To attend and contribute to Refugee Legal Aid Program team meetings.
• To build and maintain relationships with StARS’ unaccompanied children and youth psychosocial and education staff.
• To attend an initial intensive three-week training program.

Communication and Reporting

• To communicate regularly with the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator and Senior Legal Officers, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within the Refugee Legal Aid Program.
• To become familiar with the Refugee Legal Aid Program database program, accurately record and follow up on all relevant case management, and provide activity reports as requested.
• To promote information sharing within the Refugee Legal Aid Program and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience

The ideal candidate will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society. They will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.

Essential qualifications:

• English being the official language of UNHCR Cairo and StARS, Volunteer Legal Advisors must be fluent in oral and written English.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
• Willingness to commit to a minimum service period of six months.
• 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 children and youth, 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’ clients originate.
• Life and work experience in Africa, the Middle East, or Egypt.
• Experience working with children and young people.

Working Hours: The Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Volunteer Legal Advisor is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Reporting to: Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Coordinator

Closing date for applications: 24 May 2025

Anticipated Starting date: 15 June 2025

How to Apply:

To apply: Please send your Cover Letter and CV and brief legal writing sample to applications@stars-egypt.org using the subject line “Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Program Volunteer Legal Advisor”. All applications should provide contact information for two professional/academic reference (referees will only be contacted after interviews).

The cover letter should address your qualifications for the role and why you are interested in working with the Refugee Legal Aid Program. It should also outline any time commitments you will have outside the office during the you are able to volunteer, whether you are seeking to volunteer part-time of full-time, and for what time period you are available to volunteer.

Note: Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for an interview.