What do refugees in Nairobi say about RefugePoint’s self-reliance programs? How have these services impacted their ability to achieve lasting independence?

To answer these critical questions and more, RefugePoint partnered with the impact measurement experts at 60 Decibels, who conducted an in-depth phone survey with former clients—those who either graduated from or worked their way to self-reliance (self-sufficiency) through our Urban Refugee Protection Program.

Below, we’ve highlighted key takeaways and recommendations from the evaluation, alongside additional context to help frame the results. For a deeper dive, the full evaluation report prepared by 60 Decibels is available here. 

 

Impactful and unique services for urban refugees: RefugePoint is contributing to a positive, lasting impact on clients’ lives

Most respondents (91%) report that the services they received from RefugePoint improved their quality of life. The top factors enabling this change were increased business opportunities, family support, financial stability, and food security.

 

RefugePoint’s services enable urban refugees to meet their goals

A strong majority (81%) of respondents agreed that RefugePoint had helped them achieve their goals during their time as clients. The three most commonly-cited goals respondents said RefugePoint helped them reach were financial stability through business, better healthcare access, and improved living conditions. 

 

 

RefugePoint’s services are unique

Roughly three out of four respondents (77%) said they had no access to critical services like healthcare, business grants, and education support before RefugePoint. RefugePoint’s services may be helping fill an even greater gap facing female urban refugees. 85% of female respondents said RefugePoint was the first agency to offer them services, compared to 64% of male respondents. 

 

Former clients are largely satisfied with RefugePoint’s services

Respondents reported strong satisfaction with RefugePoint’s services, giving the agency’s stabilization services a very high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 69. Female respondents gave a significantly higher NPS score than male respondents. Key drivers of client satisfaction included support given to meet basic needs, business and financial support, and follow-up from RefugePoint staff. However, those less satisfied wanted to see more reliable service provision, longer support after graduation, and greater levels of financial support.

 

Food and business support were the most commonly used, and highly rated, services

Most respondents (95%) reported receiving food support from RefugePoint, and 88% received business support. These services also topped the rankings of the services that respondents found most helpful on their journey toward self-reliance. Medical services and enrollment in the national health insurance program were used by about half of the respondents, with smaller numbers of respondents reporting receiving counseling, education support, household goods support, child protection casework, refugee resettlement, public health information, and emergency cash assistance. 

 

Life after RefugePoint

RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Protection Program supports refugees in Nairobi, Kenya who face extreme vulnerabilities. Stabilization and empowerment services do aid many clients on their way to self-reliance, but cannot remove all the vulnerabilities and challenges facing these refugees and their families. Respondents to this survey also exited from RefugePoint’s services between 2019 and 2023. These years were marked by major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, a cost-of-living crisis, and widespread street protests in Nairobi in 2024 that disrupted lives and livelihoods for millions, Kenyan nationals and refugees alike. These events may have had an influence on some or all of the results highlighted here, particularly these below.

 

40% of respondents did not feel confident about their ability to meet  their own basic needs just before leaving services

Only 51% of respondents said they felt confident in their ability to take care of themselves and their families without support just before exiting RefugePoint’s services. Among the 40% who did not feel confident, the most cited reasons were housing instability, insufficient or unstable income, and food insecurity. 

 

41% also faced a major setback to their self-reliance

Furthermore,  41% of respondents said they suffered a setback that affected their self-reliance after leaving RefugePoint’s services. These included illnesses or other health challenges, business failure, and struggles to access needed healthcare. 

 

Yet, former clients have a wealth profile comparable to the Kenyan national average

In spite of the many challenges they face, many respondents are finding ways to gain at least some wealth and assets in their host country. The percentage of respondents falling in the bottom 60th percentile of the Kenyan national wealth distribution is almost exactly 60%, suggesting that— on this measure at least—refugee respondents have attained a wealth profile comparable to that of their Kenyan neighbors. Many still face hardships and deprivation, but considering that many refugees who become clients of RefugePoint arrive in Kenya with barely any assets at all, this finding represents welcome evidence that many are both building assets and rebuilding their lives. 

 

Technical note

60 Decibels contacted 333 refugee former clients living in Kenya who exited RefugePoint’s services between 2019 and 2023. Data collection took place in September and October 2024. 184 former clients participated in the evaluation, a majority of them women (64%).  The evaluation obtained a response rate of 61%, based on these parameters point estimates calculated from these data have a margin of error of +/- 5%, at a 95% confidence level. Most interviews were conducted in Swahili and took an average of 30 minutes to complete. Respondents were given a small cash compensation for their participation. 

 

Acknowledgment: We wish to express our gratitude to the former clients who took the time to participate in this evaluation, RefugePoint colleagues who assisted in numerous ways, and our evaluation partners at 60 Decibels. 

by Patrick Guyer and Paul Karanja, RefugePoint