Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

Amina is a 15-year-old girl from South Sudan. She lived with her parents and five siblings in South Sudan and attended school until 2014. That year, their father was forcibly taken by the Government for his opposition to their leadership. Their mother followed him, hoping that he would be released soon. Within the same year, Amina fled South Sudan due to the political instability and arrived in Kenya with her four cousins. They went to Dadaab Refugee Camp where they met a family friend who took them into her home in Nairobi.

Amina’s family friend provided for their basic needs, but with time, she became financially unstable and was unable to continue providing for them. The family friend wanted them to leave, but a close friend of hers convinced her to let them stay with her. Despite this, her attitude towards Amina and her cousins changed, she frequently asked them to do all the house chores while her own children did none, and she would remind them that she was the reason they were able to seek safety in Nairobi.

After seeing their struggles, a friend of Amina’s told her that her and her cousins should go to RefuSHE. She explained that they would be able to join the programs there and continue their education. In March 2018, four years after they arrived in Kenya, Amina and her cousins went to RefuSHE. They were received warmly and Amina and her cousins felt safe and welcomed. Amina enrolled in the Girls’ Empowerment Project (GEP). She was admitted into the Level 3 education class as well as the tailoring course. Since beginning her coursework, Amina has gained skills in Swahili and English, mathematics, and science, as well as vocational training in tailoring. She is so happy to be back in school where she can study with peace of mind. The teachers are very friendly and understand her needs very well.

Amina now calls RefuSHE home. She has made many friends and has met many girls from different countries. The GEP offers life skills sessions every Friday and they are her favorite classes. Recently some friends of RefuSHE educated the girls on how to share their unique and powerful stories with the world in a way that people across the world can identify with them and hear their voices. She also enjoys participating in fashion shows during international events organized by RefuSHE and UNHCR. Amina is working hard to complete her tailoring training, so that she can join the artisan collective and start producing scarves and her own designs.

Amina believes that RefuSHE will continue to equip her with the skills and support to go to even greater heights to achieve her goals. She hopes to one day become a great journalist and is working hard to realize this dream.