Amongst the crowd, Alemitu’s smile is the widest. The type of person that lights up everyone around her through her own joy.
Prior to 1992, Alemitu was living happily in Jimma, Ethiopia, running her own restaurant. That year, war forced her to flee from her home. She and other refugees who were fleeing walked for many days through the heat, seeking safety in Kenya. The thorns and stones made the long walk even more difficult. After eventually arriving in South Sudan near the Kenyan border, the group of refugees were taken to Kakuma Refugee Camp in the back of a cargo truck. Alemitu spent 12 years in the camp until interclan violence between the local Turkana community and the refugees forced her to flee once again, this time to Nairobi, Kenya, with her partner at the time, her son, and their adopted son.
Today, Alemitu lives in Nairobi with her daughter, Doreen. After some years of living in the city, Doreen’s father abandoned the family and disappeared. A single mother, Alemitu found it very difficult to work and care for her daughter, who has a disability. RefugePoint provides Alemitu and her family with food, medical, and education support. Alemitu was unaware that her daughter had opportunities for education until she was connected with RefugePoint. Our staff were able to enroll Doreen in a special education primary school. RefugePoint covers Doreen’s school fees, uniforms, and transportation to and from school. “Now, instead of staying home, my daughter can go to school, and I can go to work,” Alemitu told us.
Unfortunately, in Doreen and Alemitu’s neighborhood, there is a significant stigma around disabilities. For years Doreen was very isolated. In school, Doreen can socialize with other children and play in a safe environment. She’s learned to follow instructions, socialize, and next year will begin learning crafts, such as beadwork, that the family hopes will help her future job prospects. Being in school helps reduce Doreen’s risk for abuse in her home and neighborhood when her mother is away. Alemitu tells us that Doreen is very social and loves to dance. Like her mother, Doreen is almost always smiling.
RefugePoint’s support has allowed Alemitu to start her own business making and selling soap. While cleaning the home of a fellow Ethiopian woman, Alemitu noticed the woman making soap and learned through observation. After sourcing the ingredients locally, Alemitu makes small batches of soap in her home, allowing her to care for Doreen while she works. Alemitu then sells the soap in her local community, bringing her one step closer to self-reliance. A few of her top-sellers include Lemon and Orange scented soap. Alemitu loves her work, but unfortunately, COVID-19 significantly impacted her business. Before the pandemic, she used to go door-to-door, making sales while her daughter was at school. At the moment, she’s relying on incoming business from her neighbors. To ensure she has consistent income when soap sales are slow, Alemitu also cleans homes in Nairobi.
Despite the incredible challenges she’s faced, Alemitu has an unwavering spirit and is hopeful for the future, for both her daughter and herself.