Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

Patty is 20 years old and fled her home in Nimembwe, DR Congo due to violence. She lived with her two parents and seven siblings. When they were attacked in their home, the family fled in separate directions. However, she managed to escape with her brother and sister. 

The trio came to Kenya in 2017 through Busia. They travelled to Nairobi via bus and connected with their aunt who had been living in the city for some time. After a few months, the siblings found their own place and began doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Patty and her sister became street vendors, selling watermelon and other fruits on the streets of Rongai while their brother found casual employment as a security guard. At their church, community leaders shared about RefuSHE’ s programs and the sisters put down their names for referral. 

In 2019, both Patty and her sister were enrolled into RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment program where they now take classes in literacy, mathematics, science, and vocational training. Patty says that her favorites subjects in her basic education courses include Social Studies which she finds easy to grasp. Nadine also receives financial assistance to meet her basic needs. 

Nadine is grateful for the skills she has learned in her vocational classes. She enjoys sewing and hopes to improve her skills to build a thriving business in future.