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From Fear to Food: Family one step closer to stability

RefugePoint | February 17, 2012

Fadumo and her children rarely slept consecutively in the same place while fleeing her war torn country – and sometimes not even inside. Motivated by a genuine fear that government agents from her former country continued to pursue her, the family slept on the floors of other refugees’ apartments, in abandoned buildings and on the streets.

“My basic problem is security,” the mother of two toddlers shares from a local school gymnasium where RefugePoint distributes food once a month to the most vulnerable of refugees. “I keep on moving from one house to another house with my small children. I go to different families and beg for a place to stay. When I don’t find a place, it is very bad for us.”

Without shelter, refugee women and children in particular are at-risk for kidnapping, assault and human trafficking, not to mention malnutrition and illness. Another refugee woman collecting her monthly rations the same afternoon was raped over a year ago while returning home from a small street stand where she sold coffee. The assault led to a pregnancy which put her in even greater danger when her community shunned her – cutting her off from the only security net she had after her husband was abducted by the military in her home country. Learning about her situation, RefugePoint provided the woman emergency medical care and food assistance.

Back in the gymnasium where staff parcel out rice, beans, salt and other essential staples into large straw sacs that women work together to drag across the floor and eventually home Fadumo shares how a recent housing appeal became the start of a series of “RefugePoints,” a term the staff describe as the moment of deliverance from danger and despair to a new path of security and hope.

“I am lucky. I found another refugee family who told me we could stay with them. ”

Unfortunately, with limited resources themselves, the family could not afford to also feed Fadumo and her children. Fortunately, the host mother happened to be attending RefugePoint’s group counseling for survivors of gender-based violence and invited Fadumo to join her at the next session, which is how RefugePoint discovered her plight and enrolled her in the food program.

“You can see that my life has completely changed,” Fadumo exclaims. “Today I am going to cook for my children and I expect by the afternoon they will already be more healthy.”

NOTE: RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Assistance Program identifies the most vulnerable refugees and provides them the support they need to stabilize their lives. In 2010, the staff delivered 9,717 baskets of food to 1,034 refugees and provided 1,279 months of shelter for 159 of the most at-risk refugees.

Fadumo and her children rarely slept consecutively in the same place while fleeing her war torn country – and sometimes not even inside. Motivated by a genuine fear that government agents from her former country continued to pursue her, the family slept on the floors of other refugees’ apartments, in abandoned buildings and on the streets.

“My basic problem is security,” the mother of two toddlers shares from a local school gymnasium where RefugePoint distributes food once a month to the most vulnerable of refugees. “I keep on moving from one house to another house with my small children. I go to different families and beg for a place to stay. When I don’t find a place, it is very bad for us.”

Without shelter, refugee women and children in particular are at-risk for kidnapping, assault and human trafficking, not to mention malnutrition and illness. Another refugee woman collecting her monthly rations the same afternoon was raped over a year ago while returning home from a small street stand where she sold coffee. The assault led to a pregnancy which put her in even greater danger when her community shunned her – cutting her off from the only security net she had after her husband was abducted by the military in her home country. Learning about her situation, RefugePoint provided the woman emergency medical care and food assistance.

Back in the gymnasium where staff parcel out rice, beans, salt and other essential staples into large straw sacs that women work together to drag across the floor and eventually home Fadumo shares how a recent housing appeal became the start of a series of “RefugePoints,” a term the staff describe as the moment of deliverance from danger and despair to a new path of security and hope.

“I am lucky. I found another refugee family who told me we could stay with them. ”

Unfortunately, with limited resources themselves, the family could not afford to also feed Fadumo and her children. Fortunately, the host mother happened to be attending RefugePoint’s group counseling for survivors of gender-based violence and invited Fadumo to join her at the next session, which is how RefugePoint discovered her plight and enrolled her in the food program.

“You can see that my life has completely changed,” Fadumo exclaims. “Today I am going to cook for my children and I expect by the afternoon they will already be more healthy.”

NOTE: RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Assistance Program identifies the most vulnerable refugees and provides them the support they need to stabilize their lives. In 2010, the staff delivered 9,717 baskets of food to 1,034 refugees and provided 1,279 months of shelter for 159 of the most at-risk refugees.

Counseling Offers Hope to Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

RefugePoint | February 14, 2012

The RefugePoint conference room is a brightly lit space where sun pours in from two sides and a circle of fifteen chairs can fit comfortably. Coffee mugs and tea line the back table while RefugePoint Counselors Lonah and Clotilda finalize the agenda on the front white board and then wait quietly for their fourteen guests to arrive.

The setting is a stark contrast to the dark, complicated stories the refugee women exchange over the course of the next four hours on Tuesday morning. Born originally in the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, the refugee women are here for their second group counseling session for survivors of gender-based violence – a new approach RefugePoint began in September that is already leaving a positive impact.

“We recently finished a similar six-part series with Oromo refugees fleeing Ethiopia and the women told us they want to organize similar groups within their community outside of our office. This is a good sign they found the experience worthwhile,” Clotilda shares.

Once settled, Lonah begins the conversation by sharing a video produced by the international organization IRIN entitled “Our Bodies – Their Battleground” about the role of gender-based violence in war – a subject these women know all too well. One statistic during the film notes how during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda between 250,000 and 500,000 females were raped. As reenactments of young women caught in the grasps of aggressive soldiers flash on the screen, some clients begin to look away while others fold their arms tighter across their chests.

When the film ends, Lonah gently notes how gender-based violence is an epidemic in war and these women are not alone and should not feel ashamed. Young girls are especially vulnerable. In today’s group, one mother cries at length over failing to protect her seven-year-old daughter from being raped on the outskirts of a refugee camp. In her words, “I have no peace inside. I will never have peace.”
The mother, like many of the women in the room, was also assaulted prior to escaping her home country. Her recovery is further complicated by the fact she has also not seen her son since her family fled the Congo in 2007 during the escalating conflict that has claimed more than 6 million lives since 1998.

“I don’t know if he is dead or alive. I don’t know if he has eaten today. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.”

Again, the mother is not alone. Every woman in the room is either separated from or grieving the loss of a loved one. Several times throughout the morning, the counselors are struck by an almost honorary collective moment of silence that follows each woman’s testimony. When a different mother with a baby in her arms begins to fight back tears while recounting the death of her parents at 11 years old that left her an orphan, another guest quietly crosses the circle, scoops up the baby in her arms and exchanges a tissue into her hand with a soft grasp, again as if to say, ‘you are not alone.’

Facilitators like Lonah and Clotilda often grapple with how much to speak during sessions and how much to remain quiet and let conversations unfold. Reflecting on the session, Lonah notes, “I really felt today for the first time the power of silence. We didn’t need to speak. These women were bringing hope to each other.”

NOTE: The Urban Refugee Assistance Program. Last year, eighty refugees took advantage of individual counseling. Another twelve Oromo refugees participated in the pilot group counseling session that will continue in 2012.

The RefugePoint conference room is a brightly lit space where sun pours in from two sides and a circle of fifteen chairs can fit comfortably. Coffee mugs and tea line the back table while RefugePoint Counselors Lonah and Clotilda finalize the agenda on the front white board and then wait quietly for their fourteen guests to arrive.

The setting is a stark contrast to the dark, complicated stories the refugee women exchange over the course of the next four hours on Tuesday morning. Born originally in the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, the refugee women are here for their second group counseling session for survivors of gender-based violence – a new approach RefugePoint began in September that is already leaving a positive impact.

“We recently finished a similar six-part series with Oromo refugees fleeing Ethiopia and the women told us they want to organize similar groups within their community outside of our office. This is a good sign they found the experience worthwhile,” Clotilda shares.

Once settled, Lonah begins the conversation by sharing a video produced by the international organization IRIN entitled “Our Bodies – Their Battleground” about the role of gender-based violence in war – a subject these women know all too well. One statistic during the film notes how during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda between 250,000 and 500,000 females were raped. As reenactments of young women caught in the grasps of aggressive soldiers flash on the screen, some clients begin to look away while others fold their arms tighter across their chests.

When the film ends, Lonah gently notes how gender-based violence is an epidemic in war and these women are not alone and should not feel ashamed. Young girls are especially vulnerable. In today’s group, one mother cries at length over failing to protect her seven-year-old daughter from being raped on the outskirts of a refugee camp. In her words, “I have no peace inside. I will never have peace.”
The mother, like many of the women in the room, was also assaulted prior to escaping her home country. Her recovery is further complicated by the fact she has also not seen her son since her family fled the Congo in 2007 during the escalating conflict that has claimed more than 6 million lives since 1998.

“I don’t know if he is dead or alive. I don’t know if he has eaten today. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.”

Again, the mother is not alone. Every woman in the room is either separated from or grieving the loss of a loved one. Several times throughout the morning, the counselors are struck by an almost honorary collective moment of silence that follows each woman’s testimony. When a different mother with a baby in her arms begins to fight back tears while recounting the death of her parents at 11 years old that left her an orphan, another guest quietly crosses the circle, scoops up the baby in her arms and exchanges a tissue into her hand with a soft grasp, again as if to say, ‘you are not alone.’

Facilitators like Lonah and Clotilda often grapple with how much to speak during sessions and how much to remain quiet and let conversations unfold. Reflecting on the session, Lonah notes, “I really felt today for the first time the power of silence. We didn’t need to speak. These women were bringing hope to each other.”

NOTE: The Urban Refugee Assistance Program. Last year, eighty refugees took advantage of individual counseling. Another twelve Oromo refugees participated in the pilot group counseling session that will continue in 2012.

Somali mother escapes with daughters by sea

RefugePoint | February 12, 2012

Sahra leans across the arm rest and whispers that she does not want her face shown in the photo, but that she very much wants to share her story. In fact, she hopes when her daughters graduate from high school to write a book about their harrowing journey from Somalia to Norway ten years ago and the plight of refugee women in east Africa.

“Many women suffer,” she tells me. “Even me.”

Sahra and I are both traveling to Kenya for the first time. As Communications Officer for RefugePoint, I am kicking off a six-week virtual tour of our work throughout Africa while Sahra is meeting her first grandchild – a subject that brings a smile to her face as beautiful as the pink scarf that wraps gracefully around her hairline.
This is Sahra’s first return to east Africa since she and her two youngest daughters escaped Somalia in 2002, which is ironically the same year 2,500 Somali refugees unexpectedly resettled in my hometown in Maine and I began working in the refugee field. She says she has heard of Lewiston and I tell her I have many wonderful Somali friends there while I try to digest the trip she describes.

It was a decade ago and security in the capital city of Mogadishu was deteriorating rapidly. By this time, she had already lost one brother to a bomb blast outside her home and her husband was receiving death threats. To try to protect her children, Sahra sold her deceased mother’s remaining gold jewelery and paid $13,000 to a boat captain to transport her family to Yemen where they eventually applied for refugee protection.

The six day journey was very dangerous. Sahra and the girls hid in the hull of a barge typically used to transport animals, only this time it was humans – hundreds of Somali refugees in search of safety.
“Many people died along the way,” Sahra exclaims. “Mostly elderly and children. There were no windows. It was so hot and people ran out of water quickly.”

Fortunately, Sahra spoke English and she eventually pleaded with the Indian captain to let the family come up on deck for fresh air and freedom from the horror below. He eventually obliged and even shared some water and food with them.
Sahra and the girls eventually arrived in Yemen where they were granted protection and were resettled to the country of Norway – one of the 24 countries worldwide which participate in the UN’s refugee resettlement program.

Today, the family are safe and grateful for their new start. Sahra works in childcare and her now teenage girls excel at school and speak three languages, including Norwegian, English and Somali.

“Today, I tell my girls they can do anything,” Sahra says confidently. “They were so young when we fled that they don’t remember and I don’t remind them. It is too painful. I just want them to have good lives.”

Note: RefugePoint helps other refugee mothers like Sahra escape danger and reach a place of safety and hope. We also share her particular concern for the safety of girls, which is why we have been collaborating with the United Nations and partner NGOs to identify lasting solutions for refugee children- a project we will share more about in upcoming travel posts.

Cheryl Hamilton joined RefugePoint in September 2011 as the new Communications Officer

Sahra leans across the arm rest and whispers that she does not want her face shown in the photo, but that she very much wants to share her story. In fact, she hopes when her daughters graduate from high school to write a book about their harrowing journey from Somalia to Norway ten years ago and the plight of refugee women in east Africa.

“Many women suffer,” she tells me. “Even me.”

Sahra and I are both traveling to Kenya for the first time. As Communications Officer for RefugePoint, I am kicking off a six-week virtual tour of our work throughout Africa while Sahra is meeting her first grandchild – a subject that brings a smile to her face as beautiful as the pink scarf that wraps gracefully around her hairline.
This is Sahra’s first return to east Africa since she and her two youngest daughters escaped Somalia in 2002, which is ironically the same year 2,500 Somali refugees unexpectedly resettled in my hometown in Maine and I began working in the refugee field. She says she has heard of Lewiston and I tell her I have many wonderful Somali friends there while I try to digest the trip she describes.

It was a decade ago and security in the capital city of Mogadishu was deteriorating rapidly. By this time, she had already lost one brother to a bomb blast outside her home and her husband was receiving death threats. To try to protect her children, Sahra sold her deceased mother’s remaining gold jewelery and paid $13,000 to a boat captain to transport her family to Yemen where they eventually applied for refugee protection.

The six day journey was very dangerous. Sahra and the girls hid in the hull of a barge typically used to transport animals, only this time it was humans – hundreds of Somali refugees in search of safety.
“Many people died along the way,” Sahra exclaims. “Mostly elderly and children. There were no windows. It was so hot and people ran out of water quickly.”

Fortunately, Sahra spoke English and she eventually pleaded with the Indian captain to let the family come up on deck for fresh air and freedom from the horror below. He eventually obliged and even shared some water and food with them.
Sahra and the girls eventually arrived in Yemen where they were granted protection and were resettled to the country of Norway – one of the 24 countries worldwide which participate in the UN’s refugee resettlement program.

Today, the family are safe and grateful for their new start. Sahra works in childcare and her now teenage girls excel at school and speak three languages, including Norwegian, English and Somali.

“Today, I tell my girls they can do anything,” Sahra says confidently. “They were so young when we fled that they don’t remember and I don’t remind them. It is too painful. I just want them to have good lives.”

Note: RefugePoint helps other refugee mothers like Sahra escape danger and reach a place of safety and hope. We also share her particular concern for the safety of girls, which is why we have been collaborating with the United Nations and partner NGOs to identify lasting solutions for refugee children- a project we will share more about in upcoming travel posts.

Cheryl Hamilton joined RefugePoint in September 2011 as the new Communications Officer

RefugePoint addresses East Africa famine on “The Bill Good Show”

RefugePoint | August 12, 2011

Vancouver-based radio station CKNW interviews RefugePoint about the current famine in East Africa and how people can help. To hear the interview with Executive Director Sasha Chanoff and field-based Protection Officer Megan DaPisa, listen here.

Vancouver-based radio station CKNW interviews RefugePoint about the current famine in East Africa and how people can help. To hear the interview with Executive Director Sasha Chanoff and field-based Protection Officer Megan DaPisa, listen here.

New York Times Magazine: New York Times Magazine follows a RefugePoint social worker on food distribution day, part of our life-saving urban refugee protection program.

RefugePoint | July 1, 2011

New York Times Magazine 2011: New York Times Magazine follows a RefugePoint social worker on food distribution day, part of our life-saving urban refugee protection program.

A protracted famine in Somalia continues to displace hundreds of thousands of people from their homeland. Hungry and desperate, Somalis appeal for help from humanitarian organizations in refugee camps and urban cities throughout the horn of Africa. At RefugePoint’s urban care clinic in Nairobi, our social workers report seeing an increased number of Somalis among their caseload since the famine began.

Featured in a July 2011 New York Times Magazine article, the clinic is designed to help the most vulnerable people in Africa – refugee mothers and children who have nowhere to turn for help. Our food program helps to stabilize people’s lives and is a starting point to give people options for their future. Without our food assistance, people have impossible choices. These include watching their families starve or selling their bodies to feed their children.

Our food program gives our clients breathing room as we explore with them what options they have to survive safely. Some of our other services we offer include health care, protection, safe housing, and helping refugee children access school. All these efforts are in the service of helping people to build a path out of a life of fear and uncertainty. As the the New York Times article shares, the task is not always easy and often fraught with difficult moments, but ultimately it is some of the most important work we do.
To read the article, click here.

Esther, A RefugePoint Nurse in Nairobi. Photo by Christophe Calais.

New York Times Magazine 2011: New York Times Magazine follows a RefugePoint social worker on food distribution day, part of our life-saving urban refugee protection program.

A protracted famine in Somalia continues to displace hundreds of thousands of people from their homeland. Hungry and desperate, Somalis appeal for help from humanitarian organizations in refugee camps and urban cities throughout the horn of Africa. At RefugePoint’s urban care clinic in Nairobi, our social workers report seeing an increased number of Somalis among their caseload since the famine began.

Featured in a July 2011 New York Times Magazine article, the clinic is designed to help the most vulnerable people in Africa – refugee mothers and children who have nowhere to turn for help. Our food program helps to stabilize people’s lives and is a starting point to give people options for their future. Without our food assistance, people have impossible choices. These include watching their families starve or selling their bodies to feed their children.

Our food program gives our clients breathing room as we explore with them what options they have to survive safely. Some of our other services we offer include health care, protection, safe housing, and helping refugee children access school. All these efforts are in the service of helping people to build a path out of a life of fear and uncertainty. As the the New York Times article shares, the task is not always easy and often fraught with difficult moments, but ultimately it is some of the most important work we do.
To read the article, click here.

Esther, A RefugePoint Nurse in Nairobi. Photo by Christophe Calais.

RefugePoint helps create UNHCR-NGO Toolkit for Resettlement Cooperation

RefugePoint | June 22, 2011

After one and a half years in the making, the fruits of an important project that RefugePoint has been involved in have now been released on the UN Refugee Agency’s website. RefugePoint was one of the driving forces and authors behind the new UNHCR-NGO Toolkit for Practical Cooperation on Resettlement.

The idea for the Toolkit grew out of a training in 2009, which RefugePoint and HIAS co-facilitated with UNHCR in Nairobi for 18 NGOs from around Africa on the identification and referral for resettlement of at-risk urban refugees. Out of that training arose the initiative to develop a toolkit to help systematize and foster cooperation between UNHCR and NGOs on resettlement.

The toolkit is a collection of resources that provides practical guidance and historical examples for NGOs and UNHCR to build their resettlement partnerships on. It aims to raise awareness about opportunities for collaboration between UNHCR and NGOs at every stage in the resettlement process, for the benefit of refugees. The toolkit is a living repository for exchanging materials and ideas. Its usefulness will increase as new materials are continually added by other agencies operating in this sphere.

The toolkit is just one of the more recent examples of the extensive resettlement partnership that UNHCR and RefugePoint have enjoyed for several years, in a shared effort to increase the capacity for finding durable solutions for more refugees.

After one and a half years in the making, the fruits of an important project that RefugePoint has been involved in have now been released on the UN Refugee Agency’s website. RefugePoint was one of the driving forces and authors behind the new UNHCR-NGO Toolkit for Practical Cooperation on Resettlement.

The idea for the Toolkit grew out of a training in 2009, which RefugePoint and HIAS co-facilitated with UNHCR in Nairobi for 18 NGOs from around Africa on the identification and referral for resettlement of at-risk urban refugees. Out of that training arose the initiative to develop a toolkit to help systematize and foster cooperation between UNHCR and NGOs on resettlement.

The toolkit is a collection of resources that provides practical guidance and historical examples for NGOs and UNHCR to build their resettlement partnerships on. It aims to raise awareness about opportunities for collaboration between UNHCR and NGOs at every stage in the resettlement process, for the benefit of refugees. The toolkit is a living repository for exchanging materials and ideas. Its usefulness will increase as new materials are continually added by other agencies operating in this sphere.

The toolkit is just one of the more recent examples of the extensive resettlement partnership that UNHCR and RefugePoint have enjoyed for several years, in a shared effort to increase the capacity for finding durable solutions for more refugees.

Gender Based Violence

RefugePoint | November 29, 2010

One of the most significant challenges refugees face is insecurity. After fleeing violence in their home countries, refugees often arrive to a country of asylum and continue to deal with issues of safety. They might not have any documentation, they might be alone and often they do not speak the language. These challenges put them at risk of violence, including violence related to gender.

Gender based violence (GBV), defined as “violence that is directed at a person on the basis of sex including acts that inflict mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty,” is a major concern for RefugePoint and other agencies working with refugees. This is such a widespread problem that refugee related agencies in Nairobi have joined together in a network to discuss issues specifically regarding GBV in the community.
Recently, RefugePoint staff met with members of this network to discuss problems regarding GBV among refugees in Nairobi, including the increase in cases of forced marriage, early marriage, women and girls being locked in homes, prostitution and child sexual abuse.

Although GBV affects men, women and children are more often the victims. Within Kenya, from 2001 to 2004, there has been a 46% percent increase in the number of rapes reported at police stations, and a main hospital in Nairobi indicates that 55% of their sexual assault patients are under the age of 15. Many refugees however, do not report their incidents of GBV, therefore we can infer that the percentage is even higher among displaced populations in Nairobi.

With this in mind, each year there is a global campaign called the 16 Days of Activism to raise awareness surrounding GBV. Activities take place between November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and December 10th (International Human Rights Day). While women and children are disproportionately affected by GBV, the attitudes of men are extremely important in preventing GBV. It is with this understanding that the motto for 2010 is “Break the silence, stop the violence.” The focus will be on getting men involved in the fight against violence and helping to change the attitudes men have which can lead to GBV.

As for Nairobi, December 1st will be the major day of activity. I am looking forward to this and will be sure to report back. This is an international campaign so there will be activities around the globe. Be sure to look into what is going on in your area!

For more information regarding the 16 Days visit UNIFEM.

For more information regarding GBV among refugees refer to “If Not Now, When? Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Refugee, Internally Displaced and Post-Conflict Settings” by the Women’s Refugee Commission.

One of the most significant challenges refugees face is insecurity. After fleeing violence in their home countries, refugees often arrive to a country of asylum and continue to deal with issues of safety. They might not have any documentation, they might be alone and often they do not speak the language. These challenges put them at risk of violence, including violence related to gender.

Gender based violence (GBV), defined as “violence that is directed at a person on the basis of sex including acts that inflict mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty,” is a major concern for RefugePoint and other agencies working with refugees. This is such a widespread problem that refugee related agencies in Nairobi have joined together in a network to discuss issues specifically regarding GBV in the community.
Recently, RefugePoint staff met with members of this network to discuss problems regarding GBV among refugees in Nairobi, including the increase in cases of forced marriage, early marriage, women and girls being locked in homes, prostitution and child sexual abuse.

Although GBV affects men, women and children are more often the victims. Within Kenya, from 2001 to 2004, there has been a 46% percent increase in the number of rapes reported at police stations, and a main hospital in Nairobi indicates that 55% of their sexual assault patients are under the age of 15. Many refugees however, do not report their incidents of GBV, therefore we can infer that the percentage is even higher among displaced populations in Nairobi.

With this in mind, each year there is a global campaign called the 16 Days of Activism to raise awareness surrounding GBV. Activities take place between November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and December 10th (International Human Rights Day). While women and children are disproportionately affected by GBV, the attitudes of men are extremely important in preventing GBV. It is with this understanding that the motto for 2010 is “Break the silence, stop the violence.” The focus will be on getting men involved in the fight against violence and helping to change the attitudes men have which can lead to GBV.

As for Nairobi, December 1st will be the major day of activity. I am looking forward to this and will be sure to report back. This is an international campaign so there will be activities around the globe. Be sure to look into what is going on in your area!

For more information regarding the 16 Days visit UNIFEM.

For more information regarding GBV among refugees refer to “If Not Now, When? Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Refugee, Internally Displaced and Post-Conflict Settings” by the Women’s Refugee Commission.

ABC News: From Darfur to Martha’s Vineyard

RefugePoint | November 21, 2010

ABC World News 2010: ABC World News covers the resettlement of one Darfuri refugee family that RefugePoint (then Mapendo International) helped.

Lana and Munawar Kabashi of Darfur remember the killers — Arab militias called the Janjaweed — riding into their village on horseback and shooting, burning, and destroying the homes and massacring the villagers.

In the confusion, they were separated from their five year old daughter Muna, but managed to escape with two other daughters and their first-born son Mustafa…

Click here to hear Bob Woodruff tell the full story how RefugePoint was able to help the Kabashi family.

ABC World News 2010: ABC World News covers the resettlement of one Darfuri refugee family that RefugePoint (then Mapendo International) helped.

Lana and Munawar Kabashi of Darfur remember the killers — Arab militias called the Janjaweed — riding into their village on horseback and shooting, burning, and destroying the homes and massacring the villagers.

In the confusion, they were separated from their five year old daughter Muna, but managed to escape with two other daughters and their first-born son Mustafa…

Click here to hear Bob Woodruff tell the full story how RefugePoint was able to help the Kabashi family.

Becoming a Refugee

RefugePoint | November 11, 2010

Hassan is an educated man, speaks fluent English, has a university degree and is enthusiastic to do any type of work that he can find. Living in Kenya as a refugee, however, he has been unable to support his family and, given the lack of security in his country, he cannot return home to Sudan. What strikes me about Hassan is not just his incredibly optimistic attitude or the fact that he has managed to survive with five children and his wife. What I felt most in meeting Hassan was how similar we are, despite the obvious age, gender, family and nationality differences.

Often I think we separate ourselves from refugees and look at them as some sort of “other.” They might not speak the same language, they might dress differently, they might be from a country we have never been to and they might have lived a life very different from ours in their home country. All of these factors contribute to an automatic separation. What I think we often forget when we refer to people as refugees is the word before the label. They are people. They are people that in one day can become refugees. In Hassan’s case he is not like most of the refugees that RefugePoint works with. He did not flee Sudan immediately after being attacked. He did not flee Sudan at all. He came to Nairobi as a student with a young family and in an instant “became” a refugee (The UN refers to such cases as “sur place” refugees).

I have studied overseas, I have worked abroad and I am now living over seven thousand miles away from where I grew up. In meeting Hassan I put myself in his position and think how I would feel if next week there were a crisis and all of a sudden it was not safe to return to my country. One of the things that helps me to survive in a new country and environment is the knowledge that I can go home; that I can return to my country and family and traditions and familiar environment when I want. That knowledge has a very powerful psychological effect. For Hassan, he does not have that luxury.

Although Hassan always seems to have a smile on his face, his smile was especially big yesterday. After ten years of being away from Sudan and being in a place where he cannot work or become a citizen and where he is constantly threatened with violence, Hassan, his wife and five young children will be traveling to the United States. They will start over yet again, but this time with the promise of a permanent home. Of all the refugees I have seen depart for the US, he is as prepared as any.

The warm clothes have been bought, the bags have been packed, the shoes have been shined, but most importantly, those qualities of resilience, flexibility and optimism shine through Hassan’s smile that he will take with him to his new home. When asked how he feels on his last day in Africa, he says, “I am so excited words do not even describe. What an amazing opportunity I have that I am so grateful for.”

Hassan is an educated man, speaks fluent English, has a university degree and is enthusiastic to do any type of work that he can find. Living in Kenya as a refugee, however, he has been unable to support his family and, given the lack of security in his country, he cannot return home to Sudan. What strikes me about Hassan is not just his incredibly optimistic attitude or the fact that he has managed to survive with five children and his wife. What I felt most in meeting Hassan was how similar we are, despite the obvious age, gender, family and nationality differences.

Often I think we separate ourselves from refugees and look at them as some sort of “other.” They might not speak the same language, they might dress differently, they might be from a country we have never been to and they might have lived a life very different from ours in their home country. All of these factors contribute to an automatic separation. What I think we often forget when we refer to people as refugees is the word before the label. They are people. They are people that in one day can become refugees. In Hassan’s case he is not like most of the refugees that RefugePoint works with. He did not flee Sudan immediately after being attacked. He did not flee Sudan at all. He came to Nairobi as a student with a young family and in an instant “became” a refugee (The UN refers to such cases as “sur place” refugees).

I have studied overseas, I have worked abroad and I am now living over seven thousand miles away from where I grew up. In meeting Hassan I put myself in his position and think how I would feel if next week there were a crisis and all of a sudden it was not safe to return to my country. One of the things that helps me to survive in a new country and environment is the knowledge that I can go home; that I can return to my country and family and traditions and familiar environment when I want. That knowledge has a very powerful psychological effect. For Hassan, he does not have that luxury.

Although Hassan always seems to have a smile on his face, his smile was especially big yesterday. After ten years of being away from Sudan and being in a place where he cannot work or become a citizen and where he is constantly threatened with violence, Hassan, his wife and five young children will be traveling to the United States. They will start over yet again, but this time with the promise of a permanent home. Of all the refugees I have seen depart for the US, he is as prepared as any.

The warm clothes have been bought, the bags have been packed, the shoes have been shined, but most importantly, those qualities of resilience, flexibility and optimism shine through Hassan’s smile that he will take with him to his new home. When asked how he feels on his last day in Africa, he says, “I am so excited words do not even describe. What an amazing opportunity I have that I am so grateful for.”

The Nairobi Landscape

RefugePoint | September 21, 2010

Working with RefugePoint in Nairobi, we are fortunate enough to meet thousands of refugees who are amazing examples of courage, strength, ingenuity and even optimism despite the difficult pasts they have and the demanding circumstances they are currently in. Humanitarian organizations and research institutions have produced multiple reports highlighting the challenges refugees, particularly those in urban areas, face (Hidden and Exposed: Urban Refugees in Nairobi; Hidden in Plain View: Refugees Living Without Protection in Nairobi and Kampala).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there are 46,000 registered refugees living in Nairobi as of 2010. Many refugees however, are not registered and therefore other estimates are closer to 150,000. Often it is these unregistered refugees that are the most vulnerable. Some have been trafficked and are locked in their homes, others are too sick to move in the city, others only speak their native language and are therefore unable to communicate. These are all problems which sometimes prevent refugees from registering with UNHCR, the UN agency created to handle people fleeing their country on account of persecution and physical insecurity.

Whether recognized as refugees or not, people fleeing persecution who make it to Kenya face issues which include but are not limited to lack of legal rights, financial insecurity, health problems and tensions with the host population. Refugees in Nairobi definitely deal with all of these issues on a daily basis and RefugePoint staff work to try to mitigate these problems.

Although we assist as best we can, one thing I have learned more acutely than ever while working at RefugePoint is that refugees are resilient — they have to be. Nairobi is a tangled web of people, traffic, food carts, matatus (public transport vans), police, markets, and everything else that one would expect of the largest city in East Africa. Navigating through that web, especially as a person who has fled violence and is not afforded the same rights as citizens, is impressive. Doing that with a smile on your face, as some of these refugees do, is remarkable.

The neighborhood of Eastleigh where the majority of refugees in Nairobi live

Working with RefugePoint in Nairobi, we are fortunate enough to meet thousands of refugees who are amazing examples of courage, strength, ingenuity and even optimism despite the difficult pasts they have and the demanding circumstances they are currently in. Humanitarian organizations and research institutions have produced multiple reports highlighting the challenges refugees, particularly those in urban areas, face (Hidden and Exposed: Urban Refugees in Nairobi; Hidden in Plain View: Refugees Living Without Protection in Nairobi and Kampala).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there are 46,000 registered refugees living in Nairobi as of 2010. Many refugees however, are not registered and therefore other estimates are closer to 150,000. Often it is these unregistered refugees that are the most vulnerable. Some have been trafficked and are locked in their homes, others are too sick to move in the city, others only speak their native language and are therefore unable to communicate. These are all problems which sometimes prevent refugees from registering with UNHCR, the UN agency created to handle people fleeing their country on account of persecution and physical insecurity.

Whether recognized as refugees or not, people fleeing persecution who make it to Kenya face issues which include but are not limited to lack of legal rights, financial insecurity, health problems and tensions with the host population. Refugees in Nairobi definitely deal with all of these issues on a daily basis and RefugePoint staff work to try to mitigate these problems.

Although we assist as best we can, one thing I have learned more acutely than ever while working at RefugePoint is that refugees are resilient — they have to be. Nairobi is a tangled web of people, traffic, food carts, matatus (public transport vans), police, markets, and everything else that one would expect of the largest city in East Africa. Navigating through that web, especially as a person who has fled violence and is not afforded the same rights as citizens, is impressive. Doing that with a smile on your face, as some of these refugees do, is remarkable.

The neighborhood of Eastleigh where the majority of refugees in Nairobi live

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