Most days, Dieudonne wakes up early to begin shuttling passengers around the streets of Nairobi on his motorcycle. To provide for his family, he works as a “boda boda” driver (a motorcycle taxi). Today, he is able to pay rent, buy groceries, and pay for children’s school fees with his earnings as a boda boda driver. But that wasn’t always the case.
As a refugee living in Kenya with a family of nine, meeting his family’s basic needs was challenging. Dieudonne and his wife were forced to flee their home in Burundi when war broke out. “Many people were dying. That is why I left,” he told us. Once it became too dangerous to stay in their home, they left the lives they knew behind and made the journey to Nairobi, Kenya.
At home in Burundi, Dieudonne worked for a non-profit organization and had no problems supporting his family. “I had a good life in Burundi. I was working in an organization, I had everything. So when I got here in Kenya, life became difficult because when you get here, first, you are a refugee,” he told us. Without citizenship, it was nearly impossible for them to find the type of work they did at home, so the couple tried various jobs to support their family.
For Dieudonne and his family to reach a point of self-reliance, where they could meet their basic needs, RefugePoint first provided services that helped them find safety and stability, such as food and rent. “Lilian (RefugePoint staff) came and we spoke with her. She listened to us. They supported our family with education and counseling. The kids started eating well. We were given lots of food and the kids had enough.”
Next, Dieudonne partnered with RefugePoint’s livelihoods team and decided he could make a good living as a boda boda driver. With additional business training and a small business grant, Dieudonne was able to purchase a motorcycle, as opposed to leasing one. Soon, he began saving his daily earnings, allowing their family to become self-reliant.
“We can pay school fees, we are living well, we can pay rent. For that we are very happy.”
Dieudonne with his family. Photo: Chris Jensen, Nairobi