Nowela is a cheerful 17-year-old refugee from the DRC who joined RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) in 2021. Today, she is a confident student who deeply cherishes her friendships and aspires to become a doctor one day!

Before joining the Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) at RefuSHE, Christine struggled to pay rent, lacked food and clothing, and could not access medical care. Today, she is confident, healthy, and looking forward to the future.

In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” we are sharing a special Q&A series with the staff and students behind RefuSHE’s digital learning programs! Join us for an exclusive look at our work from the women gaining (and teaching) the skills refugees need to thrive in the modern work world.

In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” we are sharing a special Q&A series with the staff and students behind RefuSHE’s digital learning programs! Join us for an exclusive look at our work from the women gaining (and teaching) the skills refugees need to thrive in the modern work world.

In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” we are sharing a special Q&A series with the staff and students behind RefuSHE’s digital learning programs! Join us for an exclusive look at our work from the women gaining (and teaching) the skills refugees need to thrive in the modern work world.

Last year, RefuSHE launched a trauma-informed yoga program on our campus in partnership with Yoga Alliance Foundation. Our goal was to help alleviate psychological distress and provide young refugee women and RefuSHE staff with a set of coping tools. Yoga Alliance Foundation has since helped us gather feedback from participants and assess the impact of the pilot program.

Zahabu was only 15 years old when she fled her home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to war. After struggling to meet ends meet, Zahabu joined RefuSHE and grew to have a better understanding of herself and her dreams. Today, she is a skilled tailor and a budding entrepreneur expanding her fashion business across Nairobi!

RefuSHE is on a mission to train urban refugees to become community para-counselors and make mental health services more accessible and relevant to refugees living across Nairobi’s informal settlements.

RefuSHE is on a mission to ensure that young, urban refugee women are no longer relegated to the margins of society and pushed into economic activities that rob them of their safety, dignity, and power. Our Digital Learning team is helping boost the socio-economic potential of young refugee women by providing gender-responsive digital skills training in our on-campus ICT Lab and access to job opportunities in the growing freelance economy.

SHElearns helps refugee women develop the entrepreneurial and wellness toolkits they need to invest in their talents and create financial stability for themselves and their families.

One of the most essential components of RefuSHE’s holistic model is the legal aid and support we offer to our beneficiaries. Urban refugees often face serious legal and protection issues leaving them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and detention. We ensure that the girls and young women in our care have the information, legal support, and accompaniment they need to secure their futures.

RefuSHE's Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Helen Altshul as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)! Helen comes to RefuSHE with more than 25 years of international development and humanitarian response experience. She is a seasoned manager and mentor who will take the helm in leading RefuSHE’s programmatic growth and continued success.

Every refugee girl who arrives on our campus has a unique origin story and set of needs. It is up to RefuSHE’s Case Management team to assess and implement a care plan tailored to each girl.

We are grateful to work with like-minded organizations like Yoga Alliance Foundation in order to widen the reach of yoga and make it available to individuals who otherwise may not have access. Committing to holistic care means providing refugees (and the community that supports them!) with the highly specialized and tailored tools they need to heal.

Since its formation in 2009, the Artisan Collective has become an integral part of RefuSHE’s holistic model. Through our partnership with 4G Capital, RefuSHE can better economically empower young refugee women by providing them with the necessary skills to run a successful business and build a better future for themselves and their children.

When refugee girls arrive at RefuSHE's Safe House, our top priority is to provide them with shelter, safety, and protection. Once these basic needs have been met, we address the unique mental health needs of each girl in our care. Cottage skills are traditional skills such as knitting, beading, hairdressing, cooking, and baking which are practical but also therapeutic.

Bahelanya was only sixteen years old when she arrived in Kenya in 2009, fleeing conflict in her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Through RefuSHE’s partnership with BuildHER, Bahelanya gained the skills needed to build her own house.

We are so grateful to collaborate with talented designers like Alex Muchena who are helping further our mission to protect, educate, and empower refugee girls and young women in Kenya. By the end of Alex’s three-month workshop, members of the Artisan Collective were able to measure, cut, and sew their own dresses using their own measurements!

As an Incentive Worker, Sarah acts as a liaison between RefuSHE and the broader Kivuli community. As a leader embedded in the community where she works, Sarah is best equipped to identify and help resolve conflicts. She also helps connect refugee girls who might benefit from RefuSHE’s services.

This is the second post in a series of stories on RefuSHE’s Community Outreach program. Our mission in the community is to advance dialogue and create solutions for the protection of unaccompanied urban refugee girls and women. We help women in refugee communities across Nairobi learn about SGBV prevention and access necessary support and protection resources.