Meet RefuSHE's Fashion Challenge 2022 Mentees
You’ve met the talented designers competing in Fashion Challenge 2022: Destination Nairobi. Now, let us introduce you to the incredible refugee women who inspired their runway garments!
Since this year’s Fashion Challenge is the first to take place in Kenya, we jumped at the opportunity to create a mentorship component between refugee girls on our campus and participating designers. Many of the young women in RefuSHE’s programs are aspiring designers, creators, and artists themselves. They were eager for the opportunity to share their stories and be paired with professional, Nairobi-based fashion designers.
The designers were invited to RefuSHE’s campus in Nairobi to meet their mentees and begin brainstorming their looks. The mentees graciously shared a bit about themselves and the challenges they’ve faced as refugees, as well as their professional interests and hopes for the future. In exchange, the designers shared valuable first-hand experience with the mentees, drawing them into the creative process and journey to designing a runway-ready piece. The final Fashion Challenge looks are true collaborations between the designers and the refugee women who inspired them!
UMUTONI
Mentor: David Avido
Umutoni Munyakazi, 21, was only 15 years old when she fled her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Umutoni was born and raised by subsistence farmers in North Kivu; the middle child between two brothers. Her fondest memory of her hometown is an annual tradition where her community would come together during the harvest season to share their surplus with less fortunate neighbors, ensuring that nobody lacked food to eat. Another unique thing that she appreciates about her roots is the fact that most people in Congo only wear African-print clothing.
Due to violent clashes in the DRC, Umutoni fled her home and came to Kenya in 2015. She was separated from her family as they fled the violence, but found safety and protection at RefuSHE’s Safe House where staff offer a high level of case management support to residents, including counseling, life skills classes, and medical and legal aid. RefuSHE also provides extensive psycho-social support to aid in the healing and recovery of resident girls like Umutoni.
Before joining RefuSHE, Umutoni felt desperate and anxious; her main preoccupation was the need to survive. Today, she is grateful for the interventions she has received. She’s become more resilient and determined to secure a better future for herself. She is currently a member of the Artisan Collective, RefuSHE’s social enterprise, where she earns income from producing beautiful, hand-dyed textiles. Umutoni loves everything about fashion and she hopes to be both a designer and a model in the future.
NYAJANY
Mentor: Simone Mubare
Nyajany John was born in Juba, South Sudan and is the fourth of six children. Her father was a polygamous military man who provided for his family. She is a Nuer, a community whose culture she describes as loving with strong kinship ties. Nyajany is fluent in English and Kiswahili.
In 2013, Nyajany and her family fled their home country due to violence and arrived in Kenya where they lived in Daadab Refugee Camp. After some time, her family returned to South Sudan and resumed their lives. Unfortunately, in 2016, violence broke out again and Nyajany and her cousin were evacuated from Juba back to Daadab. She stayed with relatives in Daadab before traveling to live in Nairobi.
In Nairobi, she was connected to RefuSHE and joined the Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) in 2018. She quickly moved through all three levels of GEP and is currently in Form 3 of secondary school. Her favorite subject is History, and she hopes to become a journalist or lawyer in the future.
DENISE
Mentor: Iona McCreath
Denise Nyiraneza, 27, fled her home country of the the Democratic Republic of Congo due to war. During flight, she split from her family and stayed near the DRC-Ugandan border for about a week before crossing over to Uganda. There she found her a job as a house maid in Mbarara town before her employer told her that there were people who kept coming around in search of her. The employer introduced Denise to a friend who was a truck driver and transported charcoal to and from Kenya. The employer thought it would be a good idea for Denise to move and avoid anything bad that might happen to her, so she traveled to Kenya in the back of a lorry.
In Kenya, the truck driver offered her a place to stay on the condition that she work at his hotel. On Sundays, she would get the day off and go to a nearby church. She met a Congolese woman who offered to host her. One day, Denise was walking from the market when a car stopped behind her. Three men jumped out, pulled her into the vehicle, and took her to a compound where she was tortured and informed that her family had been killed. After beating her, the men left Denise by the side of the road. She walked home, reported the matter to the police, and didn’t leave her home for nearly five years. When the Congolese woman with whom Denise lived resettled in Australia, Denise moved into the local church where a well-wisher told her to try her luck at RefuSHE.
Denise arrived at RefuSHE in February 2015 when she was 22 years old. Although she was all alone in a new country, she was hopeful about her future. Today, Denise is at ease. RefuSHE followed up on her security concerns, helped her move locations, and checked in on her well-being. RefuSHE also provided her with counseling and helped her enroll in something she is passionate about: the Artisan Collective. Most recently, Denise has been mandated as a refugee in Kenya after waiting for almost nine years.
Denise is happier and more social now. She is very hardworking and passionate about fashion and creating new designs. Although she was set to graduate from the Artisan Collective in 2019, she remained due to her level of skill and discipline. Today, she is a Team Leader who mentors and trains new artisans. Denise is hopeful about her future and has even expressed interest in joining the Artisan Collective as a full-time paid employee. She is currently balancing her college studies in fashion design with the management of her own home-based apparel business.
NADINE
Mentor: Alex Muchena
Nadine Mukesha, 20, fled her home in Nimembwe, DR Congo due to violence. Before the war, she lived with her two parents and seven siblings. When they were attacked in their home, the family fled in separate directions, but Nadine managed to escape with one of her brothers and one of her sisters.
The trio came to Kenya in 2017 through Busia. They traveled to Nairobi via bus and connected with their aunt who had been living in the city for some time. After a few months, the siblings found their own place and began taking up odd jobs to make ends meet. Nadine and her sister became street vendors, selling watermelon and other fruits on the streets of Rongai while their brother found casual employment as a security guard. At their church, community leaders shared information about RefuSHE’s programs and the sisters put down their names for referral.
In 2019, both Nadine and her sister were enrolled in RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) where they now take classes in literacy, mathematics, science, and vocational training. Her favorite subject is Social Studies which she finds easy to grasp. Nadine also receives financial assistance to meet her basic needs.
Nadine is grateful for the skills she has learned in her vocational classes. She enjoys sewing and hopes to improve her skills to build a thriving business in the future.
CHANTAL
Mentor: Sylvia Yegon
Chantal Dusabe, 20, was born in the hilly region of Minembwe, DR Congo to subsistence farmers. She fled her home country in 2016 when violence broke out, separating her from her parents and eight siblings. During her escape, she met with a neighbor who traveled with her to Bunagana, then Busia, and finally to Nairobi by public vehicle.
In Nairobi, Chantal was abandoned and sought refuge in a church. At the church, she met girls from RefuSHE who referred her to the organization. She soon entered RefuSHE’s Safe House. During her escape journey, she had been attacked by militia and had arrived in Kenya pregnant. She delivered her baby while in the Safe House and later left to live in the community.
Today, Chantal is enrolled in RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program (GEP), taking classes in basic literacy, numeracy, and vocational training. She is currently in Grade 2 and growing her skills in tailoring. She hopes to build a thriving sewing business in the future to better support herself and her child.
IMAN
Mentor: Peggy Onyango
Iman Mohammed Abdalla is 20 years old. She grew up in Ethiopia with her parents and younger brother until the 2010 election when her father was accused of political misconduct and fired from his government job. Days later, officers showed up to Iman’s house, arrested her father, and placed him in detention for unknown political reasons. After a few months, new officers came to her family’s home claiming that her father had escaped and demanding answers from her mother. They took Iman’s mother into detention where she was held for six months before being released on the condition that she would present her husband in a week’s time or else they would find and kill her. Iman’s family packed and left Ethiopia within a week.
Iman’s mother hired a car that brought 10-year-old Iman and her brother to Kenya. There they were met by an Ethiopian woman with whom they lived for approximately three years while their mother sought a job. One day in 2016, Iman’s mother left the house as usual but did not return. Iman looked for her and even reported it to the police station to no avail. Eventually, Iman’s relationship with her caregiver changed because she and her brother were not contributing financially. They were kicked out and taken to UNHCR’s offices to report their cases and register as refugees. The officers agreed to find a school or support program for the children on the condition that the caregiver would host them. That is when Iman was introduced to RefuSHE.
Iman says that she is equal parts sad and hopeful. She is sad because she longs to find her mother; it has been many years and she wonders what became of her. On the other hand, she is grateful to RefuSHE where she has studied, learned a skill (tailoring), and is now part of the Artisan Collective program where she earns a monthly stipend. She is hoping to be resettled where she will continue her love for fashion. She would love to become a fashion designer someday and teach others how to sew.
AIMÉ
Mentor: John Kaveke
Aimé Uwasi is 20 years old. She tried to flee her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to war, but was kidnapped by a soldier who forced her to serve as a maid in his home. When his wife went to work, the soldier would take advantage of her. After two years, Aimé asked the man if she could go back home but the soldier refused to grant her permission. After a couple of months, war erupted again, and the soldiers returned to the frontlines. Aimé took advantage of that time and escaped alongside another kidnapped woman.
The two women traveled through the forest at night, looking for a place to hide and rest and eating what wild fruits that could find along the way. When they finally arrived at a main road, they boarded public vehicles to Nakivale Refugee Camp in Uganda where they stayed for about four days. There were other people at the camp that were traveling to Kenya, so the two women asked for a lift and arrived in Nairobi together.
Aimé was coming from a terrifying place and was hoping Kenya would be kind to her. In Nairobi, Aimé was advised by relatives of the woman she escaped with to seek assistance from HIAS, a refugee partner agency operating in Nairobi. After helping Aimé find initial shelter with an elderly woman, HIAS referred her to the child protection project that RefuSHE was implementing on behalf of UNHCR in May 2015. Life was hard for Aimé during this time. She hawked coffee at night to supplement for food because her caregiver was ailing and could not work to provide for them both.
In January 2017, Aimé was enrolled in RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program (GEP). She was 16 years old at the time. Today, Aimé is happy and says she has really grown up at RefuSHE and learned responsibility in a way that does not make her resent life. She has also learned English and converses very well. Aimé loves fashion and is excited to explore design as a full-time career opportunity. She eventually wants to be a fashion designer and has since taken a course in beadwork to incorporate beads into her stitching. She wants to sell ready-made, designer-own clothes in the future.
ELIZABETH
Mentor: Monica Kanari
Elizabeth Yar was born in Cueibet County, South Sudan more than two decades ago to a large, happy family. She does not know her exact age or birthday, but is registered as 26 years old. She is the second child of her father’s second wife. Elizabeth is from the Dinka tribe and proudly stands tall at 5’11. What she admires about her people is their collectivist culture and attachment to kin and community. Raising a child is a communal affair that she says has immeasurable positive value.
Yar fled South Sudan in 2012 to escape a forced marriage. One day when she came home from school, she found that her extended family had visited and were waiting for her. They informed her that they had chosen a man to marry her and had already received her dowry. They had come to accompany her to her new home. Elizabeth was to be married off at a very young age as the third wife to a much older man. When she refused, they locked her in a room and beat her until she gave in. She packed her few belongings and prepared for the long trek to the man’s home. Luckily, one of her cousins who had been part of the delegation did not agree with the family’s decision. He took her aside and helped her escape. The two cousins fled through the forest and eventually found refuge in a pastor’s home who sympathized with Elizabeth and helped both cousins travel to Juba and finally to Nairobi via bus.
The pastor sponsored Yar’s education in Kenya until she cleared her primary education. Sadly, he passed away before she joined high school. Yar succeeded in securing a sponsorship from JRS to continue her secondary school education and completed high school this year. Through JRS, Elizabeth learned about RefuSHE’s computer training course and successfully applied for the program. She joined as a complete beginner and is proud of her growth and improved tech-fluency. Her biggest dream is to become a successful model. She is the only Fashion Challenge mentee to also serve as a model in this year’s competition. In the future, Yar hopes to be a mentor and role model to young girls facing the same challenges that she has faced.
FAUSTINE
Mentor: Sylvia Mwaniki
Faustine Niyonkuru, 19, was born and raised in Kenya to a Rwandese family. She lives with her mother, aunt, and siblings in Nairobi. She is the first born among four children and completed high school last year. She is fluent in English and Kiswahili, but can barely speak her mother tongue, Hutu.
After graduating high school, she joined her mother's jewelry business and now works as an entrepreneur in her own right. She designs and creates beaded bags, necklaces, and bracelets. Seeking to improve her skills, Faustine enrolled in RefuSHE's IT program in May 2021. She has learned a lot since joining the class and is determined to leverage online marketing to build a thriving family business.
As she continues to learn the skills she'll need to succeed, Faustine hopes to become a successful fashion designer and brand like Balmain. Her disappointing experiences shopping for affordable, decent, and beautiful clothes as a curvy girl motivates her to one day create better experiences for other curvy women in search of affordable and stylish clothes.