Late last year, close to 200 LGBTIQ refugees were relocated from Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya to a new space just outside Nairobi. They needed to move because they weren't safe - they were facing harassment and physical violence because of their identity. Their home in Kakuma had been ransacked, leaving them with next to nothing. In this new, highly secure center in Nairobi, which was once a gated school, people arrived with just the clothes on their back. While they were given blankets, the folks were in need of most basic things. But people weren’t allowed in and out of the Center, due to personal security issues. That's where we came in. These refugees weren't able to access the things they needed - and even if they did, they didn't have the money to buy them. Luckily, we were able to distribute cartfulls of basic toiletries – soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and sanitary pads, helping this community regain their dignity. “It’s amazing what you’re doing for these … [Read more...] about Finding Abundance

While staff in our Nairobi office might order take out and eat with their office mates over lunch, it’s rare that the whole staff can come together for the midday meal. This team is so busy helping to run our Somalia program that time spent together isn't always the number one priority. So we did a quick survey — in the most discreet way possible — to figure out what food they would be most excited to eat. Unsurprisingly, the staff overwhelming voted in favor of Somali food, as a large part of our staff identify as Somali. So the choice was easy! We ordered an abundance of food: fish, goat, chicken, pasta, rice, chapati, bananas, and too many sauces to count. To drink, we also had fruit smoothies — avocado, mango, or passion fruit. People were delighted and surprised, and while some ate on individual plates, a group of women decided to eat in traditional Somali fashion, loading up a platter with food and eating together as a group. Everyone was soon busy chatting … [Read more...] about Time Together

Welcome to Kenya! We’ll be spending the next few days in and around Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and one of the largest cities in East Africa. First things first, we wanted to surprise our colleagues at the ARC Nairobi office. Like all our teams around the world, they work really hard. Their office space should work to refuel the energy spent ensuring our programs in Somalia run smoothly and save lives. One Friday afternoon, we decided to drum up a little surprise... When most of the staff had left for the weekend, we replaced the old coffee cups with fun, colorful ones, bought different types of coffee and tea, and got them a whole bunch of snacks. We wanted to make sure everyone's’ needs were met — for the staff with a sweet tooth, we got a variety of cookies, and for the salt lovers, different nuts and chips. Not only did this add a little color and some extra food to the office, but it transformed the coffee and tea station into a more inviting meeting spot, … [Read more...] about A Fresh Start