With drastic reductions in refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid happening in the U.S. and worldwide, people who have been forced to flee their homes are suddenly faced with even more desperate circumstances. In a world where the number of forcibly displaced people continues to grow while resettlement opportunities are becoming more scarce, it is crucial …
I have lived in Kakuma for 22 years. My family fled from South Sudan in 2002 due to the civil war and sought safety in Kenya. I think I was four years old. At Kakuma, we were provided security, which we never had back home. Life there [South Sudan] wasn’t easy because we depended solely …
Abisi Olivier, a former refugee from Congo, is one of eleven refugees who departed for Canada in late 2023 to work as Continuing Care Assistants through the Economic Mobility Pathways Project (EMPP). Although he trained as a nurse assistant, Abisi had been teaching history and Kiswahili at a high school. “When I got to the …
RefugePoint supported me with food assistance, helped me to enroll in Kenya’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), and provided rent support. Their help allowed me to focus on growing my business and securing my children’s future. My name is Chantal, and I am a businesswoman from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I sell vitenge …
The Economic Mobility Pathway Program (EMPP) is crucial because I’ve seen so many skilled refugees in Kakuma who need assistance in obtaining long-term solutions. Without the EMPP, these refugees would never have been discovered. I am a South Sudanese refugee who has lived in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya for around 20 years. Kakuma …
I’m the first in my family to graduate high school. I’m really proud, and I am an example to my siblings. That is actually what made me work so hard in school so that I can set an example for my brothers. I love videography and photography. I used to see my friends doing it, …
For nearly three decades, Aleu, a South Sudanese refugee, called Kenya home. Aleu arrived with his parents at Kakuma Refugee Camp in 1996 at the age of four. His entire childhood and educational journey—from elementary to high school—were shaped by the environment of Kakuma. After completing his education, Aleu worked for four years as a …
The year 2025 marks RefugePoint’s 20th anniversary. Since our founding, we’ve helped over 179,000 refugees access resettlement and other pathways to safety, and thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. In addition, we’ve been successful in demonstrating new life-changing, refugee-centered approaches that have been adopted by other organizations and funders. These …
We’re celebrating the launch of Transforming Refugee Response, a series of briefs showcasing how RefugePoint has contributed to important and concrete changes in how the world responds to refugees. Drawing on 20 years of experience partnering with refugees to access life-changing solutions and working with partners to improve broader response systems, we’re proud to highlight …
The modern-day US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has effectively ended following the Trump administration’s recent termination of contracts with resettlement agencies and the dismantling of USRAP infrastructure both domestically and abroad. RefugePoint mourns the loss of this vital tool of American diplomacy and human rights, which has long served to protect refugees, strengthen American communities, …
