23-year-old Abizera Florence, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩, has been part of the RefuSHE community for over five years and learned advanced tailoring skills through our Fashion & Design program. Today, she is a member of the Artisan Collective, where she earns a steady income producing handmade tie-and-dye textiles. 

Through her work as an artisan, Abizera earns a steady income that contributes to her family’s stability, helping cover school fees for her four-year-old son and offset part of her rent. Beyond income, Abizera describes her greatest transformation as a growth in confidence. 

When 20-year-old Asha Abdi joined RefuSHE’s Digital Literacy program, she came in with limited knowledge and an intense curiosity about technology. Since joining the program, Asha has learned practical skills she can use immediately. She now works confidently with Microsoft Office, designs simple graphics using Canva, writes professional emails and communicates better online. Asha hopes to continue building digital platforms for community groups and eventually secure online work in communication and content creation. Her early progress shows how demand-driven digital training can open real opportunities for young women who are motivated to learn and ready to grow. 

Biruri, 30, is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who participated in RefuSHE’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation training, supported by CPS of GIZ. Reflecting on his journey, Biruri shares: “Before the training, I often found myself at a standstill when trying to resolve conflicts. I didn’t understand the stages of conflict or how to do proper mapping. I relied only on my own knowledge and would hit roadblocks again and again. Sometimes I even got involved in criminal cases without realizing these should be handled by the authorities.”

In Nairobi’s Kayole neighborhood, Claire Batamuriza is leading a quiet revolution. The 36-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become a trusted voice in her community, helping women recognize and address gender-based violence (GBV) through educational sessions that challenge long-held beliefs. 

Sheliza, 21, arrived in Nairobi four years ago after fleeing her home country of Burundi. She befriended a neighbor who, knowing Sheliza's love of fashion, referred her to RefuSHE’s Fashion and Design Program. She describes this opportunity as life-changing, marking the beginning of a new chapter and providing her with skills and hope for a better future. 

Earlier this month, RefuSHE celebrated its annual Graduation Ceremony — a vibrant day filled with music, fashion, and inspiration as RefuSHE graduates embark on the next chapter in their young careers. Nearly 60 young women, ages 18-25, graduated from one of three vocational courses: Fashion & Design, Beauty Nail & Art, and Digital Literacy. These nationally-accredited courses take 6-9 months to complete and culminate with internships at local businesses. 

RefuSHE alumna Chantale Zuzi was featured on the cover of The New York Times! In this blog post, we revisit Chantale’s remarkable journey from war-torn DRC to launching her own nonprofit, Refugee Can Be, in the United States.

When Amach Kuol arrived in Kenya in 2016 at just 12 years old, she was joining a family already split across borders—her mother and siblings in Kakuma Refugee Camp, her father still in South Sudan. Having worked previously in a salon doing hairdressing without formal training, she often felt overlooked. “People didn’t really believe in my skills,” she recalls. But when she joined RefuSHE’s beauty program, everything changed. 

Today is World Humanitarian Day, a time to stand with the millions of people whose lives hang in the balance due to armed conflicts and other emergencies. Around the world, over 600 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone. At RefuSHE, we celebrate the remarkable determination of displaced women and girls, many of whom have fled violent conflicts in their home countries, in pursuit of a brighter future in Kenya. Here are three of their stories.

Rebecca Kibasumba was 8 years old when her family arrived in Kenya after fleeing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eleven years later, at 19, she's proving that your starting point doesn't determine your destination—Rebecca is the highest earner in RefuSHE’s digital skills training program of 30 students. 

This World Refugee Day, we celebrate a story of strength, resilience, and triumph. A story that reflects the heart of RefuSHE’s mission. Meet Halima Aden: a Somali-born supermodel, activist, former refugee and now, the voice behind Wimbo Wetu.

At RefuSHE, we work with some of the most vulnerable populations in the world—refugee girls who have experienced displacement, trauma, and, all too often, violence. Among the many complex issues these young women face is the question of adoption, especially in cases where early pregnancy intersects with profound psychological distress and lack of family support. 

Leah was a 16-year-old teenage girl living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with her grandmother. Life took a tragic turn when a family dispute erupted over land inheritance between her grandmother and other relatives. Her father had already passed away years earlier after being fatally shot during a rebel attack on the vehicle he was traveling in. 

Mary Aluel, a 22-year-old South Sudanese refugee, has found new hope and direction through RefuSHE's digital skills program. Her story begins in 2008 when she arrived in Kenya as a refugee.

Gabriella Kisali, a 19-year-old Congolese refugee in Nairobi, Kenya, was introduced to RefuSHE by a friend who shared our digital skills training poster. In February 2024, she eagerly began the training program with minimal computer experience, knowing only how to use Microsoft Word.

RefuSHE is fortunate to have a dedicated and talented team who work hard everyday to protect, educate, and empower the refugee women and girls we serve. Shirley is our Case Management Coordinator and leads all of the processes for our Case Management Program. Read her interview below to learn how working at RefuSHE has changed her perspective on refugee issues!

We are pleased to announce that our 4th cohort of students recently completed their digital skills training, marking an incredible 6-month journey with these talented young women.

RefuSHE is proud to announce that it has received a grant from the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) in partnership with The Philanthropy Lab! The Philanthropy Lab’s mission is to spark and expand students’ interest and participation in philanthropy and to increase the prevalence and priority of philanthropy education in U.S. colleges and universities.  

Alisa, a 19-year-old Congolese refugee, is the eldest of nine siblings. In her homeland, she was a dedicated high school student who loved biology and dreamed of becoming a doctor. However, her aspirations were abruptly interrupted when suitors began approaching her parents, seeking her hand in marriage. 

In 2017, 16-year-old Laureen faced a challenging situation. Pregnant and unable to continue her education due to her father's illness and financial constraints, she felt her future slipping away. "I was on the verge of giving up," Laureen recalls, "things at home were hard with my father being sick, and I was going to be a single mother. I felt as if my life was ending, and all my dreams were cut short."