Life in Nairobi is tough for all asylum seekers and refugees, but particularly for LGBTQI people. “We’re out of the frying pan and into the fire,” one Ugandan woman told us as we sat with her in August. Many have been cast out and disowned by their families and friends at home, and abuse, discrimination, and violence continue to mar their daily lives in Nairobi. Faced with these challenges and thoughts of the loss of family, it’s easy for them to forget that there is love and hope in the world. But in this seemingly scarce and desperate environment, the community have come to learn that they are one another’s family. They act as mother and father, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles for one another all in one. They share the little they have amongst themselves to make sure they all have enough to eat, respond quickly if one of their fellows is threatened or attacked, and open their doors to one another to ensure no-one is left homeless. They are the epitome of love and hope … [Read more...] about We Are Family

“How are you supposed to run an NGO without tables and chairs?” Craig, Executive Director of the Refugee Coalition of East Africa, asked us as we sat down in their new office space on the few plastic garden chairs. They had managed to rent them from another organization for our meeting. Good question, I thought, and we laughed about how hard it is to be taken seriously when you don’t even have a chair for your guests. The Refugee Coalition’s new office space is a beautiful house located in the suburbs of Nairobi, which doubles as a safe house for LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees. With a large garden (complete with a swing set!) surrounded by high walls and enough space to house 20 asylum seekers comfortably, it was easy to see why they had selected this house as their new base of operations – you could feel the safety and tranquility as you walked through the gate. The only problem was they were struggling to work without any office furniture, or an office space that felt like … [Read more...] about Back to Business

I arrived in Nairobi only days after Shamaila had flown onto the next stop on her trip, eager to pick up where she had left off. For those of you who read the post from Day 248, Crane will be a familiar face. The Executive Director of Lunko Haute Couture, a community-led organization equipping the LGBTIQ community with tailoring and modelling skills, Crane is fast becoming known in the Nairobi fashion scene. He's a shining example of finding abundance in a space that, upon first glance, seems so scarce. We heard rumors that Crane was planning a charity fashion show - and I couldn’t resist investigating. As we sat down together in the Lunko Haute Couture safe house, Crane chatted excitedly about the big event he was planning. The Ubuntu Refugee Charity Fashion Walk will take place in November, and will harness the power and creativity of designers across Nairobi to fund the establishment of a refugee learning center. Here LGBTQI refugees can easily access skills training and … [Read more...] about One Stitch at a Time

In Nairobi, one of our strongest alliances is with a coalition of grassroots, community-based organizations called the Refugee Coalition of East Africa. The “Coalition,” as it’s informally known, is well respected among the international humanitarian agencies based in Nairobi for its unified support to the LGBTIQ refugee community. I’m personally super inspired by their commitment to see beyond time and resources to serve with love and compassion. They’re leaders, activists, counselors, and humanitarians, all rolled into one. And we’re on a mission to find ways to elevate their role in the community. During my short trip to Nairobi, I was honored with an invitation to their first strategy meeting after their recent elections. With a new Executive Director in place and other new team members, this meeting was mostly about building a strong team foundation so they could continue to expand their vision and programming. Given that food should really be a part of any meeting (it … [Read more...] about Breaking Bread

One of my favorite people I've met in Nairobi is Crane, an incredibly kind-hearted and hardworking person who has dreams to re-establish his fashion businesses. Before he fled to Kenya as a refugee, he was a well-known designer who also ran a successful modeling agency. Many knew him and his beautiful kitenge designs for both men and women across Uganda. Those who went through his modeling agency often found themselves at the doors of success in the modeling world. When I saw pictures and videos of his previous work, it was no wonder why! It was clear he was talented beyond words.  Now, on the outskirts of Nairobi, he has found his creative space and is well on the road to re-establishing himself. Community members and beyond are rocking his designs - a range of casual t-shirts, dresses, and formal wear. Even his modeling agency has seen tremendous growth over the last few months since we had last met! Crane is a leader with a beautiful mission: his business Lunko Haute … [Read more...] about Where Beauty Meets Bravery

I'm back with Doreen, from the Refugee Trans Initiative, who never fails to inspire me. She's always dreaming up new ways to think of a better tomorrow for her friends and the rest of the LGBTIQ refugee community in Nairobi. One fine Kenyan winter day, we spent many hours with RTI thinking about how their small businesses could grow further into support systems not only for the residents, in their safe house, but beyond. And it was during this day we heard about “Silent Scream Board” idea (which I still think is a brilliant idea to promote wellbeing!), and another new idea around storytelling integrated into holistic spa services. The RTI spa had been doing well, but the team running the initiative reached a point where they felt like they needed to re-evaluate their strategy moving forward. Doreen told us with excitement that they were developing a plan “to train fellow LGBTIQ refugees in beauty therapy – a combination of spa and [talk] therapy skills.” She went on to say … [Read more...] about Telling Their Own Stories

The Refugee Trans Initiative has another inspirational thought leader, the co-founder and current lead of RTI - Vanilla. Our team has followed Vanilla's journey for months, even before there was a formal community-based organization called RTI. We've been there for the initiation of the organization, development and expansion of the spa business, and overall growth of their safe house. Where we haven't been able to support projects directly, we've provided connections and moral support because we believe so deeply in Vanilla's vision for the transgender refugee community. During one our recent conversations, Vanilla and I were talking about leadership skills, specifically about strategies she uses to ensure peace and stability in their safe house. The LGBTIQ refugee community faces many barriers. And given these experiences, they often don't know where their next meal will come from. Many leaders, including Vanilla, have told us stories of people in their houses only eating … [Read more...] about Hop to It

Hello hello from Nairobi, where my colleagues (and friends!), Jamie, Zeinab, and I, are once again working as part of a team to support the LGBTIQ refugee community! You may remember the series of projects we implemented earlier this year in response to an emergency relocation of nearly 200 refugees due to security and protection gaps in Kakuma Refugee camp, where they were staying. We also met many others living in urban Nairobi, part of a 500+ community. It broke our hearts to see the marginalization coupled with homophobia many in the community faced, but believe me when I say there were an equal number of bright spots - both amazing people and beautiful moments - that gave us such a strong sense of hope! This time around, we mostly checked in with the small community-based organizations, which had emerged over time from within the community themselves. These organizations, known as CBOs, are usually one of the first places people turn to for support. As Kenn from one of … [Read more...] about You Are More Than Enough