Welcome back to Nairobi! Today we're working with the Foundation for Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Refugees (FLBQR), a group of women and children living in Nairobi who aim to sustain themselves and live collectively. Some of the members of FLBQR went through a jewelry-making training, and although they had plenty of jewelry to sell, they were having trouble finding potential customers. For a while, they had been selling at the Maasai Market in Nairobi, but other vendors found out they didn’t speak Swahili, they started questioning why they were there and what they were doing. We saw that the Ibis Styles hotel in Nairobi had some local vendors, and asked whether these women might be able to sell their goods there. To check it out, I sat down with Dhalie, the head of FLBQR, and Maryanne, from Ibis Styles. Maryanne told us more about the project, how each of the vendors are able to sell their goods Wednesday - Sunday, and how they pay monthly rent that includes lunch for the … [Read more...] about In Style
Changemakers365
Getting Connected
Hello, hello everyone! It's Sam again, and welcome to Nairobi! We’re spending the next few days working with the LGBTQI refugee community. Many of these refugees have come from Uganda and are trying to build a safe life here, but Kenya also houses LGBTQI refugees from across East Africa and even further away too. We’re starting today with a community-based organization called Refugee Trans Initiative (RTI). We know RTI well, and have spent many days with members like Vanilla, Doreen and Purity. In our time getting to know them, we’ve come to learn that a computer is a particular need of theirs... It’s hard to establish yourself as a serious organization without the ability to draft necessary documents and connect with the world, so, we brought them a computer they’d be able to use. They were elated when I told them we were coming down to visit them with it. Vanilla, the head of RTI, told us, “thank you, Alight, for this precious gift to us, RTI, we are forever grateful and … [Read more...] about Getting Connected
Stitching Together
Handicrafts are one of the most popular small business ideas amongst displaced women around the world, and the women of the Rohingya widows block are no different! Last year we had supplied five sewing machines for the widows block as well as hired a trainer through our partner organization so the women could learn how to sew at a professional standard. This year, I went back to check in on how things are progressing and whether there were any gaps which I could support. Joshna and Senwara, two women from the block with small children, told us they had made clothes for their kiddos and others during the colder months. Their friends – other women in the block – had started selling handmade clothing in the area, but soon the market became oversaturated with other female tailors with the same idea. This didn’t stop them from losing interest in this trade though. They continued to teach each other, building on their skills, and started to experiment with other techniques. We … [Read more...] about Stitching Together
Growing Power
We’re back in the Rohingya widow’s block with our partner Anando, supporting women by amplifying their talents and voices! One of my favorite things about being back here was spending hours of time having conversations, learning from the women about who they are, what their life is like, and their hopes for the future. It was during these conversations that I learned that many of them had gardens and fields back home, where they grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables to sell as well as to supplement their meals. A lot of women worked alongside the men of the household tending to these gardens. This was one of the biggest things they missed about their home, along with the open fields and ample space to roam around. While we couldn’t relocate them into homes with open fields, we definitely COULD bring gardening tools and seeds and saplings to them so that they could find a bit of comfort in what was once familiar. We were even able to provide training in best … [Read more...] about Growing Power
Space to Play
When you step into the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, you see children with the biggest smiles, playing with homemade toys, trailing their older siblings everywhere you look. Some attend informal schools or religious schools. The very few that can afford it may have in-home tutors, which provide additional support to the kids in the evenings. While some families may earn a small income thanks to the small businesses they’ve started – selling tea or vegetables, or perhaps offering salon services – most of our friends living in the widows block don’t have enough to support their families and buy many of things I had as a child, like spare clothes and toys. During one of my visits, we came with our hands full of toys, sports equipment, and board games for the littlest kids of the block. I have never seen such excitement over blocks and balls! Faruq, an 8-year old boy with a boat load of curiosity and a much bigger heart, told me that they hadn’t played with many of these toys … [Read more...] about Space to Play
Rekindling Friendships
Hello hello everybody! It's Shamaila, back in Bangladesh and doing the doable with our partner Anando! I'm visiting the incredible Rohingya women at a refugee camp near Cox's bazaar, who I had worked with before but hadn't seen in quite some time. It was so wonderful to see - and work with them- again. Given the unease around what the future holds for these women and their families, we felt that a reunion, complete with an afternoon full of fun, joy, and connection was in order! Many times, meaningful friendships with people like me, a person from outside their community, signifies hope that change is possible. This afternoon of fun was the perfect way to solidify everything that came with our friendship. We kicked off our time together with a lunch party featuring a handpicked menu delivered from a local lunch hotspot that the Rohingya community rarely got to frequent. With gratitude in her eyes, one of the women said, “This is the second time I am eating meat since we fled … [Read more...] about Rekindling Friendships
Pride and Joy
Meeting people's basic needs is never a small thing. But people are more than the basics - like you and me, the people we serve are complicated and deserving of joy and dignity. Today, we’re back with El Jardin de Las Mariposas, helping them find that joy too. When we spoke with them about what they wanted to do together, one idea that came up was attending the Gay Pride Parade in the capital of Baja California, Mexicali. They were able to arrange a float that they could present in the parade, but they needed a car to get there - it’s about a three hour drive from Tijuana. So, to help them with this last piece of the puzzle, we were able to rent a car for the group to drive to and from Mexicali! They had a great time, and even had one of the house members dressed in a crown and Ms. Mariposas sash to help represent the house! This crew had made all the arrangements...they just needed an extra push to help them cross the finish line. And the happiness and joy sparked … [Read more...] about Pride and Joy
A Day in the Sun
As migrants and asylum seekers arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border, looking for a better life, many of them are assigned a number. And that number holds the key to your destiny...the sooner it's called, the sooner your case gets heard by immigration officials. But the wait can be heart-breakingly long, and spirits can run very low. We met with one group of LGBT migrants that we've been working with over the past few days, we talked about what might make them feel a little happier, a little more joyful while they wait. They came up with an idea...what about a trip to the beach? The beach idea was an instant hit! Everybody voted for it. So we got all the beach essentials — beach blankets, sunscreen, playing cards, uno, bubbles, soccer balls and beach balls. After packing into cars, we headed to Playas de Tijuana, where people pretty instantly started running into the water or playing soccer . We grabbed snacks, sodas and pizzas so that returning soccer players and swimmers could … [Read more...] about A Day in the Sun
A Soft Place to Sleep
We’ve done some house repairs at Casa Arcoiris for the past few days — a broken counter, rotting floorboards, bugs creeping through the floor. The residents don't know how much longer they’ll be living here, whether it’s because they'll find another house they can buy, or because they can no longer afford the rent. Even so, we wanted to make their stay at the house as comfortable and difnified as possible - no matter how long they'll call it home. Thinking along those same lines, it was easy to find our next project - new mattresses. Now that the house had been patched up and fumigated, we could safely replace some of the old, beaten down mattresses with new ones! This was an especially exciting development for residents who had been living in beds that had become the homes of bugs. Having a comfortable place to lay your head at night can make such a dramatic different in the quality of your sleep, and even the quality of your days. Having a new mattress not only helps … [Read more...] about A Soft Place to Sleep
Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite
We’re spending another day doing the doable with Casa Arcoiris, an LGBT migrant house in the heart of Tijuana. Today, we’ve focusing on getting everyone here a good night’s rest. The residents of the house live in a dorm-room style, with bunk beds tucked against the walls and a little bit of room in the middle for people to walk. We were happy to be able to fund the construction of several bunk beds when we met with Casa Arcoiris the first time in September. Living in such close quarters can be hard, but the residents all seem to take it in stride. But, some of the beds have bugs. We weren’t sure if they were bed bugs or fleas, but as soon as they showed up in one room, they started to spread. It was uncomfortable for the residents using these beds - something we couldn’t even imagine having to deal with long-term. Now that the counters had been fixed and floors repaired, making it harder for other insects to make the house their home, we decided to have everything … [Read more...] about Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite