Unilever boosts UNHCR’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Dadaab refugee schools
In 2020, as the world was trying to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, so were refugee children like 15-year-old Fatuma Mohamed, an avid lover of science subjects. With strict measures put in place by the Kenyan Ministries of Health and Education, schools in Kenya...
Refugee-led business provides clean energy to camp residents
Vasco Hamisi is hard at work checking on the solar panels at Okapi Green Energy Limited, in northwestern Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. The Congolese refugee is the brains behind this outfit, which provides clean energy to 200 businesses inside and outside the camp, as...
U.S. donates sanitary pads to support education of refugee girls in Dadaab
20-year-old Mano Hamdan remembers very little about life in Kismayo, Somalia. Her father passed away in 2006 and the family struggled financially, as her mother tried to make ends meet. The death of her father, who was the family’s only breadwinner, coupled with...
Edging closer to dreams of becoming a doctor – Fardowsa’s story
Seated in the middle of her class, 17-year-old Fardowsa Gedi tries to catch up with an on-going lesson of her favourite subject mathematics. In 2012, Fardowsa’s family fled drought in Somalia and now live in the Ifo camp, which is the oldest of the three refugee camps...
UNHCR introduces ATMs to supply water in Dadaab refugee markets
The establishment of the water kiosks is part of the Garissa Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan (GISEDP), allowing refugees and host communities to share sustainable development programmes.
Understanding the Socioeconomic Conditions of Refugees in the Kakuma Refugee Camp
The Kakuma Socioeconomic Survey 2019 is jointly produced by UNHCR and the World Bank with support from the Kenya Bureau of Statistics. Focused on the residents of the Kakuma refugee camp and host community members in Turkana County, the survey aims to help fill...
Expectant Refugee Mothers Find Solace in Continued Maternal Health Services During COVID-19
Eliana was four months pregnant when she heard about the first novel coronavirus case in Kakuma refugee camps in northwestern Kenya. “I was scared that, with most services closing down, the hospitals would close, too,” said the Burundian refugee. “Later, I saw that...
Home at last: For refugees in Kenya, moving from temporary shelter to newly built houses makes a world of difference
Kika stands outside her door and waves at her neighbours before opening the blue door that leads to her living room. At the far end is a solar-powered television set neatly surrounded by a group of plastic seats. Since her new house was completed nearly a year ago,...
New evidence emerges from study of socioeconomic impacts of statelessness
Poverty, illiteracy, being turned away at clinics. These are difficulties 44-year-old Angeline knows all too well. She was born stateless in Kenya and for most of her life, faced day-to-day challenges associated with lacking a national identity card. “I did not go...