I think it is important to say a bit about my background and the context I worked in so as to fully grasp what I have to say. My full name is Gezahegn Birhanu Bezabeh, I come from Ethiopia. I was born on September 14, 1976 and have a diploma in library science from Addis Ababa University. Before coming to Egypt in February 2002, I was at the early stage of pursuing my undergraduate degree in political science. I showed a bias towards politics while I was a child, but due to family pressure and the prevailing inimical atmosphere I embarked on my higher education in library science, for which I have no aptitude. I used library science as a stepping stone to find a niche in the political science department. I think, the world over, politicians are held in contempt, which is manifested even in voter apathy. In our country there is a saying that goes, “It is advisable to be distant from politics – the closer you become, the more dangerous.”

Unfortunately, my dream of pursuing my higher education was nipped in the bud when I ended up in exile in 2002. When I got to Egypt I adjusted my mind not to become a statistic in Cairo. What I found among my people here defies description, both those who had been here for a long time and new comers alike. I found them disoriented and losing touch with reality. They were obsessed with resettlement as the only panacea to bring to an end the ordeal of exile.

I conducted a sort of feasibility study to identify like-minded people capable of joining me to alleviate the suffering of fellow refugees. I have not been lucky enough to attain the critical mass to bring about a paradigm shift, but I have had some success. The book Wasted Lives by Zygmunt Bauman portrays asylum seekers as outcasts. It is discomforting to learn that our very mention would induce such an impression. I hope by now you understand the gist of the complex forces that influenced my exile experience.

I joined AMERA in the summer of 2002 when it was under the umbrella of the Egyptian Human Rights Organization. I had a friend who told me about the existence of legal aid for refugees. I was desperate to find any undertaking to keep myself busy.

I remember hearing Barbara Harrell-Bond (the founder of AMERA) speaking to a desperate refugee who was at a loss for how to thank her for a favor she had rendered. Without false modesty, Barbara replied, “On several occasions in my life I have been through hard times and people were good to me to see me through them. This is how I pay back the favor I owe to them and I hope in the future you will be able to pay back by extending your help to those in need.”

I found it inspiring to hear such a statement. It has become my motto.

Joining AMERA, in turn, opened up more opportunities to meet new people and to develop closer ties with the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Programme (FMRS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC).

In April 2003 I joined St. Bakhita Training Center as an English teacher and extended to teach Social Studies. I would like to use the opportunity to thank the center and my boss, Sr. Florence, for the grooming I received.
My exposure has enabled me to assist researchers at FMRS in conducting research among my people. I also helped the UNHCR in a month-long research project in 2002 and later in 2004 for their sex and gender-based violence initiative.

In early 2003 I did a three-month training course for interpreters offered by the AUC. I have heard that to qualify as a bona fide translator it can take may years of rigorous training, but the training at the AUC laid the foundation to screen out the right candidates with previous academic background who meet certain requirements. To my knowledge, all of the translators at AMERA have done the course.

Here in Cairo one can work as an interpreter for embassies (US, Australia and Canada), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Caritas, UNHCR and in some informal settings like hospitals and state institutions. Most translators dream of working for IOM because of the pay incentive or for the UNHCR, hoping to be resettled.

At AMERA the payment is based on each piece of work and by any standard it is more than enough, but not as good as, for example, IOM. How then does AMERA manage to retain the best translators? In my opinion it is because the atmosphere is relaxed, the booking of interpreters is on the basis of flextime to allow translators to pursue other interest and there are no office politics. Our performance is guided by the code of conduct for interpreters and there is a conscious effort by staff and interns to maintain a friendly relationship with us on a peer level.

For AMERA-Egypt I worked as a part-time translator, but my contribution also involved participating in discussion groups to create a conducive work atmosphere for staff members and interns, giving cultural orientation for new interns to optimize their interaction with clients, acting as a community resource person for AMERA’s community advisory board, facilitating research and community outreach programmes.

AMERA gave me an opportunity to contribute to the refugee community, to do courses to do my job better, to meet new people, to feel I belonged somewhere professionally, to weather the challenges of exile and, of course, to make a legitimate income.

I am glad to state that within the range of my experience on the refugee scene, AMERA is unrivalled in terms of fulfilling its mission.