One Community, One Campus: Halima's Story
Recently, the RefuSHE team invited you to participate in our One Community, One Campus campaign to support the consolidation of our Girls Empowerment Program campus, Early Childhood Development campus, and administration office into one, centralized location. Throughout this campaign, we want to share the courageous and inspiring stories from some of the young refugee girls whose lives were touched by RefuSHE’s programs.
Born in Ethiopia, Halima* was forced to flee her home to escape war and conflict. While her father and siblings came to Kenya for a short time with her, they eventually returned to Ethiopia. Halima later learned that her father had been captured and killed by a rebel group, and that her siblings had disappeared. Despite these extreme hardships, Halima has shown us how powerful and bright a girl can be when given the resources she deserves.
Halima’s leadership is demonstrated through her role in the Junior Ambassadors Group. After graduating from the Girls Empowerment Program, RefuSHE’s specialized education program, Halima participated in a community advocacy training program, where she learned about organizing trainings to inform the community of issues like human rights, sexual and reproductive health, and gender-based violence. She now hosts training sessions for other women at her home in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi.
In her own words, Halima explains:
“I am encouraged by our women’s group and the discussions to come. It wasn’t easy the first time, but I met a lot of really good ladies. I am happy to teach. There are many times we don’t understand each other, but I’m very happy to see that they are learning and opening up.
RefuSHE’s curriculum in leadership training and community development is one of the core ways that we create a stable social fabric for the larger community in Nairobi, and help to impact the lives of thousands of refugees. By strengthening these networks, Nairobi becomes a safer space for unaccompanied and orphaned young women and children, and opportunities for leadership open up for our girls within their communities.
“I am really blessed to be a part of [RefuSHE] and it’s the best thing that has happened to me. I am very proud to become the leader that I am.”
Donate to the One Community, One Campus Campaign today and help us continue to serve young women like Halima!
*Names & photos have been changed to protect the privacy of our beneficiaries