Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

Today, Meena is a 20-year-old girl who is vibrant, ambitious, patient, confident and determined.  She lives in Nairobi in a group living arrangement with her roommate Hawa* who is also a beneficiary at RefuSHE.  Meena came to Nairobi at a young age after she lost her family in the war in Ethiopia.  She knew no one and was sleeping on the streets of Nairobi without any food.  One day she asked a older gentlemen to help her find food and he offered to take her in.  Unfortunately, this man treated her very poorly and she experienced various forms of extreme abuse.  One day, when he was out of the house, Meena was able to escape and make her way to the RefuSHE office.  Once she told them her story, they immediately provided her shelter in the safe house and she enrolled in RefuSHE's Girls Empowerment Program.  She also participated in vocational training where she was taught tailoring.

Meena sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 2019 before joining the Artisan Collective in January 2020.  In the Artisan Collective, she designs, sew, and dyes scarfs which describes different stories about unaccompanied and separated children. She also loves to do make up for girls who are set to model for RefuSHE Artisan Collective outfits during events. Once a week she actively participates in yoga sessions and forums to discuss various issues affecting refugee girls in the community.  And on the weekends, she participates in Junior Ambassador Group where she teaches teenage girls about various life skills topics such as family planning, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDs. 

During this COVID-19 period, Meena practices yoga and exercise in the morning and then she polishes her knitting skills through guidance from her vocational teacher. She also participates in the Artisan Collective program where she makes massive contribution in the production of masks, scarfs, dresses, and trousers. She loves cooking and doing make up and hopes that one day she will become a saloon owner and a makeup artist.  Meena lives by this quote, "before giving up, try harder.”