In response to the growing crisis of Eritrean refugees across the horn of Africa and further, Release-Eritrea is launching a refugee support project – Halawi Hawey ('My Brother’s Keeper') to work across the network of prisons and police stations, in Egypt, where hundreds of Eritreans are incarcerated after they have caught during their flight from Egypt into Israel via the Sinai Desert.

Many prisoners are shot in the back by Egyptian soldiers or traffickers, and hence sustaining serious bullet wounds that often go untreated. Due to the lack of sanitation and shortage of food, as well as previous torture and physical and mental trauma, even those without such injuries succumb to various health problems. The project will therefore focus on supplying medical care and the provision of food and basic health and physical care products to prisoners.

Along with these, the project will advocate on behalf of prisoners and work towards securing resettlement at a more secure location, elsewhere in the region.

Halawi Hawey will give priority to child prisoners and children who are incarcerated alongside their parents, as well as vulnerable young women. Release-Eritrea’s director, Reverend Dr Berhane Asmelash, thanked all those who made generous donations to support the project and said: ‘I am touched by people’s solidarity and generous donations in response to our plea on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Egypt. I thank every church and their members who rallied behind our wish to be our brothers' keepers; the cause for the dislocation of every single one of these precious brothers and sisters is the atrocities that are being committed in Eritrea. I once again call on all Eritreans and friends of Eritreans in the international community to denounce these barbaric acts of violations against Eritreans and to pray for the Halawi Hawey Project, and especially the victims still in Sinai.’

Project Halawi Hawey will start operations in April 2011; if you require further information please contact Mr Million Joseph, Release-Eritrea’s advocacy officer on:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact through the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/halawihawey

Release Eritrea is a human rights charity registered in the UK.