African refugee children find education, hope in Cairo

Children stay at the playground before class at African Hope Learning Center inCairo, Egypt, on June 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Mounting financial pressures have challenged AHLC's existence in recent years. With 80 percent of its budget coming from donations, AHLC finds it even hard to pay the rent of the villa on time, James told Xinhua, adding that there is also a lack of budget to purchase educational equipment and to repair broken desks and chairs.

"It is crystal clear that without proper financing, the center will surely stop operating. But it is hard to convince people to donate to a cause they know nothing about. You see Syrian refugees on television every day, but the world seems to have forgotten African refugees," Dreanos said.

Another predicament manifests in the very name of AHLC.

"Officially, we cannot call AHLC a 'school' because we are not accredited with the Egyptian government, so we need to call it 'learning center' instead," Dreanos said, adding that it is paperwork and lack of qualified teachers that stands in the way.

Against all odds, AHLC is struggling to survive.

Recently, the center has held a series of fundraisers to raise awareness of African refugees in Cairo. The school is also considering hiring two full-time Egyptians to help facilitate the center's accreditation process. Moreover, the school has implemented an international curriculum that will give the graduates a better chance to be enrolled in overseas colleges.

Support from the local community provides the vital impetus for AHLC in hard times.

"We appreciate that Egypt opened the door to us. Though we used to have some minor problems with surrounding community, we are excited to see more Egyptian volunteers recently. Some help us tutor the kids, and some contribute to arranging extracurricular activities," James said. "We are blessed to have them."