International Day of the Girl Message from Chantale
Every year on October 11th, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl – a day that recognizes girls' rights and the unique challenges they face and promotes girls' empowerment. You can guess why this day is near and dear to our hearts. When a girl is given the right tools during her adolescent years, she has the potential to become an entrepreneur, innovator, mentor, teacher, and even a political leader, if she chooses. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers to create a world that views them as equal. They are the changemakers of tomorrow.
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RefuSHE Welcomes Three New Members to the US Board of Directors
RefuSHE is thrilled to announce the appointment of three new US Board Members: Rachel Henderson, Nida Januskis, and Hani Masood effective August 24, 2020. Our newest members will bring the US Board to a total of nine directors. This is an exceptionally exciting time to join RefuSHE as we seek innovative ways to further support the refugee girls in our care, while amplifying our local leadership team in Nairobi, Kenya.
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UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Reunites with Alumna Chantale Zuzi
In 2017, RefuSHE girls and staff were treated to a surprise visit from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy Angelina Jolie. One of the girls Angelina met was Chantale Zuzi, with whom she felt an immediate connection. Three years later, the two friends reunited over Zoom. Watch their heartwarming conversation!
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Fashion Challenge 2020: Stories of Inspiration
As the Fashion Challenge: Reimagined draws near, we’re sharing the stories of some of these young women who have also inspired our designers to create their garments. On June 18th, you will see how the girls’ stories were creatively woven into each designer’s runway look and amplified by the hand-dyed fabric crafted by our Artisan Collective. Read on to be inspired!
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Meet the Fashion Challenge Designers: Part II
Over the next few weeks, we're taking you behind the scenes to meet the designers for the Fashion Challenge and learn about the inspiration behind the unique looks they'll share on the virtual runway June 18-20th! Hear from the final three designers in our 2020 cohort…
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What Does Home Mean to You?
For many us, we have been asked to stay home to remain safe and healthy. As I see my social media feed alternate between heartwarming family read-alouds to hilarious disheveled scenes of parents juggling work and homeschooling, I’m reminded that there are ways to find beauty and grace in this moment despite it being disruptive to everyday life. It also makes me think about what home means for everyone during this time. For the girls, young women, and children we serve, RefuSHE is their home.
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RefuSHE's Response to COVID-19 in Kenya
We are deeply concerned about the health and well-being of our girls, young women, children, and staff. Last week, our team quickly rolled out a contingency plan to mitigate the situation as best we can. The Kenyan government is also rolling out protective measures, which we are following, including requiring all institutions of learning to be closed.
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Update on Fashion Challenge 2020
After much deliberation, it is with a heavy heart that we hereby announce that we will be cancelling our signature Fashion Challenge event on April 2, 2020 due to increasing concerns about the COVID-19 virus. We are heartbroken but resolved to try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. It is our hope to bring the heart of this event to life through a Virtual Fashion Challenge experience to honor the creativity of our Artisan Collective and the incredible designers who agreed to participate this year.
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Meet the Fashion Challenge Designers: Part I
Over the next few weeks, we're taking you behind the scenes to meet the designers for the Fashion Challenge and learn about the inspiration behind the unique looks they'll share on the virtual runway June 18-20th! Hear from the first four designers in our 2020 cohort…
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RADIUS x RefuSHE
RADIUS has teamed up with RefuSHE to provide high quality products to the young residents at RefuSHE’s Safe House. This past fall, RADIUS generously donated over 450 toothbrushes and hygiene cases to support the program’s commitment to providing all residents with material support and educating the girls on basic health and hygiene.
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Welcoming RefuSHE's New Executive Director!
On behalf of the Kenya Board of Directors and the U.S. Board, I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Geoffrey Thige as RefuSHE Kenya’s Executive Director. In May of 2019, Geoffrey was appointed by the Kenya Board of Directors as Interim Chief Operations Officer, where he excelled in strengthening and streamlining our programs and operations to ensure efficiency and excellence.
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One Community, One Campus: Jolie's Story
Throughout the One Community, One Campus 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. Here is a story of one young woman, Jolie, from the DRC, who is now an alumna resettled in the United States.
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Women Uplifting Women: Cabi Visits RefuSHE
RefuSHE was honored to receive a donation of over 1,000 pieces of clothing from the Heart of cabi Foundation for the young women in our Girls’ Empowerment Program and Safe House in Nairobi, Kenya. To celebrate this partnership, a few stylists from cabi stopped by RefuSHE’s campus during an East African trip this fall. We were thrilled to host them, and are excited to share the story of their time at RefuSHE, as told by Sandra, one of the gracious cabi women who joined us that day.
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Stories Through Fashion: RefuSHE x Metta
Nairobi’s emerging creative community gathered together on a late Friday evening, as the five designers in Metta’s Fashion Product Lab 3.0 shared the culmination of their two-month journey to grow their skills and brand. Part of this journey was spent with five young women from RefuSHE, who were paired with the designers to create a special look for the runway. Over the past month, the designers worked closely with their muses to learn about their personal stories, goals, and dreams.
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A Royal Visit: HRH The Countess of Wessex Visits RefuSHE
On a sunny September day in Nairobi, the air buzzed with excitement when Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex, Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, stepped onto RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program and Artisan Collective campus.
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One Community, One Campus: Halima's Story
Throughout the One Community, One Campus 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. Here is a story of one young woman, Halima, from Ethiopia.
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One Community, One Campus: Ada's Story
Throughout the One Community, One Campus 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. Here is a story of one young woman, Ada, from Burundi.
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What Motherhood Means at RefuSHE
The term mother and the more endearing “mom” gained a new meaning when I joined RefuSHE early this year. The girls we serve are from diverse backgrounds, but the term is clearly universal. There is the same excitement when they are told “now you have a mom.”
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RefuSHE x OMpowerment Project
Over the course of six days, the training participants learned about the relationship between yoga and traumatic stress, the importance of breath, essential yoga anatomy, the breakdown of postures and modifications, how to hold space for healing, and how to design a trauma informed sequence.
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International Women's Day: Solange's Story
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the voices of the strong women and girls of RefuSHE. Strong, courageous women, like Solange*, who left her home in Ethiopia when she was just 15 years old. Solange embodies the spirit of RefuSHE through her bravery, boldness, and optimism.
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