Refugees in Nairobi Lack Supportive Resources
More than 80,000 asylum seekers and refugees live in Nairobi, Kenya, mainly from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia. Among the most vulnerable of Nairobi’s refugee population are unaccompanied refugee girls and young women. Many fall victim to gender-based violence and early marriage. With little to no schooling, limited understanding of English or Swahili, and very limited access to shelter, education, and medical care, girls often suffer extreme poverty and exploitation in Nairobi. They also carry physical and emotional scars from the war, the loss of their families, and previous abuse. In addition, education lacks access to vocational training or digital skills for refugee girls.
RefuSHE Improves Access to Skill-Building Opportunities
RefuSHE’s model provides protection, education, and livelihood development to refugee girls and young women whose needs often are not met by traditional aid agencies. In other words, RefuSHE invests in building young refugee women’s capacity for self-reliance through the Girls Empowerment Program. This accelerated primary education program includes math and literacy training that allows girls to obtain their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). RefuSHE offers vocational training in tailoring, IT and digital skills. Furthermore, training extends to construction and robust life-skills, focusing on individual, social, and decision-making skills.
Team4Tech Aids Technological Integration
RefuSHE partnered with Team4Tech to integrate technology into its programming to deepen impact and serve more refugee girls and women. With Team4Tech’s support, RefuSHE plans to develop an e-learning and wellness platform with content tailored to meet the unique needs of urban refugee women. With a digital platform, RefuSHE will be able to reach more learners beyond the brick-and-mortar limitations of the campus. To date, Team4Tech has helped support the following projects:
- 2022: 12 Cadence volunteers supported the development of a fully-functioning eLearning and wellness platform that provides refugee women with vocational training and courses on entrepreneurship. Volunteers also supported with developing a 3-year roadmap for the redesigned GEP program to align with the new government standards in Kenya – a process that saved RefuSHE hundreds of hours and a plan that will increase the percentage of girls who obtain their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
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