RefuSHE Wins 2021 Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy and Support
RefuSHE is the recipient of the 2021 Sharjah International Award for Refugee Advocacy and Support (SIARA). The award is given annually by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a UAE-based global humanitarian organization dedicated to helping refugees and people in need worldwide, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The prestigious award, which carries a cash prize of $136,000 (USD), honors the efforts of RefuSHE, the only organization in Kenya exclusively designed and dedicated to serve the needs of orphaned, unaccompanied, and separated refugee girls and young women. Since 2008, RefuSHE has supported 3,715 refugee girls with shelter, psychosocial counseling, individualized case management, specialized education, early childhood development, parenting and life-skills classes, vocational training, livelihood opportunities, advocacy and legal support, and community outreach programs. RefuSHE’s interdisciplinary model of care ensures refugee girls, women, and children across East Africa have equal access to safety, education, and economic prosperity.
Receiving the award at the virtually-held World Refugee Day ceremony on June 20, 2021, RefuSHE CEO Geoffrey Thige noted:
“The global displacement crisis has reached dizzying heights with over 82 million people worldwide forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, and persecution. The need to provide durable solutions to address this crisis, the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, and the complex and ever-changing socio-economic needs of refugees inspires organizations like RefuSHE to become solution providers. Partnerships with governments, bilateral donors, private corporations, foundations, and individuals continue to fuel much-needed interventions.”
Established in 2017, SIARA was instituted under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness, TBHF Chairperson and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, who continue to champion philanthropic efforts by individuals and organizations around the world.
Thanking the Ruler of Sharjah, his wife HH Sheikha Jawaher, and TBHF for their remarkable efforts in refugee advocacy, Thige added:
“I am extremely honored to be receiving such an important award and am grateful for the recognition RefuSHE has received for its 13+ years of work supporting orphaned, unaccompanied, and separated young refugee women and their children fleeing conflict in the Great Lakes regions of Africa. This award is dedicated to our founders, Anne Sweeney and Talyn Good, for deciding to become the solution providers. To RefuSHE’s dedicated Board of Directors, committed staff, and ever-growing number of beneficiaries whom we serve, we extend a huge thank you!”
On June 21, 2021, The Big Heart Foundation, in collaboration with UNHCR and The Pearl Initiative, hosted a virtual panel discussion, “Refugee-Support Organisations: Making Crisis Response Agile and Adaptive,” to convene the founders of the top three SIARA finalists, including RefuSHE, INARA, and The Lotus Flower. RefuSHE’s co-founder, Anne Sweeney, participated in the event alongside Arwa Damon of INARA and Taban Shoresh of The Lotus Flower.
In addition to the prestigious Sharjah International Award, RefuSHE is also the recipient of a $100,000 special grant instituted by TBHF in collaboration with the UAE-based women’s empowerment entity, NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA). Chaired by HH Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, NAMA was founded in 2015 by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi to mobilize the means required to create enabling environments to advance gender equity and inclusive economic and social growth.
Awarded to SIARA’s top three finalists, the grant recognizes the organizations’ demonstrable efforts and achievements in innovative approaches for the protection and continued delivery of impactful services to refugees during a time of uncertainty and disruption.
The $100,000 special grant will support RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program (GEP), an alternative education program that allows refugee girls to access education and livelihood opportunities, learn about their human rights, and cultivate important leadership skills.