St. Andrew's Refugee Services

What St. Andrew's Refugee Services does

St. Andrew's Refugee Services (StARS) is a Cairo-based nonprofit refugee service provider founded in 1979 by Saint Andrew's United Church, operating from a single downtown office at 38 July 26 Street. The organization serves refugees and vulnerable migrants from at least eight countries — Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — through four core program areas: Education Services, Psychosocial Services, Refugee Legal Aid Program (RLAP), and Community Outreach Services, plus a dedicated Unaccompanied Children and Youth Department. Program offerings span Montessori preschool, K-12 instruction on the Sudanese English curriculum, eight-level adult English and Arabic literacy, IT and vocational classes, mental health and casework, medical access support, drop-in emergency response, community hosting, and legal aid with UNHCR representation and IOM resettlement coordination.

The technology stack is non-proprietary: StARS uses standard office productivity tools (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) for adult IT instruction and has no disclosed platform, app, or AI components. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries through direct in-person delivery at the main office, the Naimo Center for unaccompanied children and youth, and on-site education facilities.

StARS is funded entirely through charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and churches, accepted via check, credit/debit card, automatic monthly bank withdrawal, and PayPal. The organization has no disclosed paying customers, no product revenue, no venture or private equity funding, and no parent company. Its go-to-market is community-led via word-of-mouth among refugee communities, UNHCR and partner referrals, and direct walk-in access to the Cairo office. The partnership ecosystem — UNHCR, IOM, the American University in Cairo's Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies, and refugee community-based organizations — anchors both its referral pipeline and its credibility within Egypt's refugee protection system.

Name

St. Andrew's Refugee Services

Legal name

St. Andrew's Refugee Services

Website

https://stars-egypt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

St. Andrew's Refugee Services (StARS) is a Cairo-based nonprofit founded in 1979 that provides free legal aid, psychosocial support, education, and community outreach services to refugees and vulnerable migrants from eight countries in central Cairo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAI

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGABAH

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPADAHAE

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Refugee, Migration & Displacement Services

SECONDARYBPAGAAAH

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYEDADALAG

Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

Keywords

• Refugee services
• Legal aid services
• Psychosocial support
• Refugee education
• Community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: StARS is funded primarily through charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and churches. The organization accepts donations via check, credit/debit card, automatic monthly bank withdrawal, and PayPal. Donations are tax-deductible.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

StARS is a Cairo-based nonprofit that provides free legal aid, education, psychosocial, and community outreach services to refugees and vulnerable migrants. Founded in 1979, it operates four integrated program areas (education, psychosocial, legal, and community outreach) serving displaced people primarily from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Services include UNHCR refugee status determination support, preschool through adult education, mental health and casework support, and direct material assistance, all delivered from its Downtown Cairo headquarters and program sites.

Product overview

StARS is a multi-service refugee support organization offering four broad program areas: Education Services (Montessori Preschool, Children's Education, Adult Education, and Capacity Building programs), Psychosocial Services (Adults and Families, Medical Access, Drop-In and Emergency Response, Community Hosting, and Mental Health programs), Refugee Legal Aid Program, and Unaccompanied Children and Youth Department (with Psychosocial, IERP, UYBP, Direct Assistance, Groups and Activities, Young Mothers, and Youth Development programs). Community Outreach Services supports coordination across all programs. The organization operates as a unified service provider addressing the comprehensive needs of displaced people in Cairo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $50 provides 12 hours of professional interpretation for clients in legal aid programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American University in Cairo (AUC) - Centre for Migration and Refugee StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStARS partners with the Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies at AUC to create free, high-quality professional development courses for refugees. Courses include academic discussion, public speaking, policy and advocacy, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and introduction to public relations.
• UNHCRcoreOthersStARS works with UNHCR on refugee status determination, protection, and resettlement processes. RLAP provides representation and support for refugees through UNHCR processes, including following up on cases and ensuring communication between clients and decision-makers.
• IOM (International Organization for Migration)minorOthersStARS works with IOM as part of the resettlement process, coordinating to ensure refugee cases progress through resettlement pathways.
• Refugee Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Community Outreach Department maintains contact with refugee community-based organizations in Egypt. StARS collects data on CBOs and assesses their needs and capacities to help them provide efficient support within their communities. RLAP also conducts workshops with refugee CBOs to explain asylum processes.
• Refugee Community Schools in CairocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education Access and Capacity Building Program provides tailored teacher training and school management workshop sessions to strengthen technical skills within refugee community schools in Cairo.
• Saint Andrew's United ChurchcoreOthersStARS was founded in 1979 by Saint Andrew's United Church in Cairo, which established the organization's mission and initial support structure.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): The IRC is a major international humanitarian organization providing refugee services including legal aid, education, and psychosocial support globally and in Egypt. It is a broad incumbent serving similar refugee populations with overlapping capabilities but at much larger scale and geographic footprint.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a major international humanitarian organization operating in Egypt with programs supporting refugees and vulnerable communities through livelihoods, education, and protection services. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping refugee-serving capabilities.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC): DRC is a leading international refugee organization providing protection, legal aid, education, and livelihood support in Egypt and across the region. It operates as a broad incumbent with overlapping service offerings and direct Egypt presence.
• Save the Children Egypt: Save the Children operates in Egypt providing education and child protection services to refugee children, overlapping with StARS' children's education programs and unaccompanied youth services at much larger organizational scale.

Others

• UNHCR Egypt: UNHCR Egypt is the UN agency responsible for refugee status determination and protection in Egypt and is a key referral partner and ecosystem player for StARS' legal aid program rather than a direct competitor. It anchors the institutional framework within which StARS operates.

Direct peers

• Caritas Egypt: Caritas Egypt is a faith-affiliated humanitarian organization providing social services, education, and emergency assistance to refugees and vulnerable migrants in Egypt. It directly competes with StARS in serving refugee communities with similar integrated service models.
• International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC): ICMC operates refugee protection and resettlement programs in Egypt, directly comparable to StARS' Refugee Legal Aid Program and resettlement coordination work with UNHCR and IOM.
• Egyptian Red Crescent Society: The Egyptian Red Crescent is a humanitarian organization providing emergency relief, health, and social services to refugees and vulnerable populations in Egypt. It is a directly comparable peer serving similar populations with overlapping emergency and social assistance mandates.
• Refuge Egypt: Refuge Egypt is a Cairo-based NGO providing legal aid, psychosocial support, and community services to refugees in Egypt. It is a directly comparable peer operating in the same city with overlapping service areas including legal aid and psychosocial support.
• Terre des Hommes Egypt: Terre des Hommes operates child protection and unaccompanied minor programs in Egypt, directly comparable to StARS' Unaccompanied Children and Youth Department and Naimo Center services. Both organizations focus on child-focused humanitarian interventions in Cairo.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Andrew's Refugee Services