Ngwu: Building a Path Toward Self-Reliance

By Carolyne Njung'e , Senior Communications Associate

“My home [in Gambella] had a very big river. When we were young, we would go swimming, it was something that made me very happy. We would lay under mango trees; these are the things that made me very happy. We also did fishing there as well,” Ngwu, an Ethiopian refugee living in Nairobi, Kenya, shared with us about his home country.

In 2004, conflict forced Ngwu to flee Ethiopia and seek safety in Kenya. He spent many years in Dadaab Refugee Camp, where he worked, returned to school and later pursued electrical training. When plans were made to close the camp, he relocated to Kalobeyei Settlement, in the Kakuma area, where he continued building his life. However, conflict later erupted, forcing him to flee to Nairobi. He arrived in Nairobi with almost nothing, and starting over in a new city was difficult for Ngwu.

“The biggest challenge was getting a place to stay,” he shared. Ngwu depended on others for somewhere to sleep, and he moved between friends’ homes. Access to food remained uncertain for Ngwu.

It was during this period that Ngwu was identified by a RefugePoint staff member and began receiving support. RefugePoint helped Ngwu to secure his own home and provided him assistance with rent, food and essential household items. For Ngwu, this was a turning point. He finally had a home to call his own.

“The biggest support I got is a house, a place to sleep,” he shared. “I came without anything of my own, but for me to have something of my own now, is because of RefugePoint.”

This support gave Ngwu space to begin thinking beyond his immediate survival. He could now focus on building a future. The change was not only material. Ngwu described the period before receiving support as one marked by stress and uncertainty. With a home and his basic needs more secure, he began to experience something he had been missing; peace of mind.

“I found happiness,” he said. “Before I used to stress a lot. Now I have joy in my heart, I am happy.”

Ngwu also participated in a RefugePoint business training and received a small business grant which he used to establish a general retail shop.

“The reason I chose to do business is because of the training we underwent,” he explained. “We were taught, and through the training, I saw that if I followed what I had learned, I could do business.”

Today, his shop stocks a range of everyday goods, serving customers in his community in Nairobi. The business has become an important source of income and a foundation for his growing self-reliance.

“The money that I get from the business I pay house rent with,” he explained. “Even that shop’s rent I pay from it [the business].”

Looking ahead, Ngwu hopes to expand his shop and introduce more products. His aspirations also extend beyond the business.

“Like right now, at my age, I have not yet married. All that was because I did not have the means, but when I do, I might also get married,” he shared.

For Ngwu, the future holds possibilities that once seemed beyond his reach.

“The things that were unachievable in my life, if I commit myself, they can be achieved,” Ngwu shared. “Everything that I do not have now may become possible.”