Donate to end Dependence for Refugees

We continue to be inspired but how much people can achieve if given the opportunities to manage for themselves.

In June 2024 on a field visit to Nairobi, Kenya we saw once again the amazing determination of refugees to improve their lives and achieve some self-reliance. Refugees in the city live an uncertain existence, worrying about documentation as well as how to provide for themselves and their families.

The beneficiaries in the Nairobi program receive training in business skills as well as assistance with setting up small businesses.

There was no doubt that the training is thorough and that everyone we met appreciates the improved security that comes from having their own income.

We met beneficiaries from an earlier funding cycle as well as recent graduates. Some had been affected by a loss of business during the Covid pandemic. However, with the resilience and determination we see through all the projects REI supports, they have picked up and are rebuilding their business. Some have remodeled, some have had to start again but they all keep positive because the skills they acquired are still with them.

Food, hairdressing and tailoring are the most popular areas of work and, even in these areas, we saw a diversity of skills. From a butcher’s shop to a vegetable stall to a barber shop to designing rental gowns; each one is different.

The business training skills that are taught are impressive and we heard how they help with setting up and running their business. Some comments from the people we met:

“After going to class I got some tips and knowledge about how to run a business, how to get profit and the likes. Now, after one year, I am running this business and it's really a plus."

“When running the first shop I had not learned to concentrate on the business. Sometimes I would be late opening because of talking to friends and not concentrating on the business. Through the training I learnt to be more responsible and manage well.”

“I learnt about record keeping. How much money I have to spend on materials and how much I am supposed to earn from it. I didn't know this before the training.”

“Through knowing the skills and the knowledge I gained, I can look at YouTube and see what people are doing. I can understand and learn and do it myself here.”

Your donations can change someone’s life. Thank you.

In a world that is full of bad news, it is important to keep a focus on the good news. REI sees how hard people work towards a better future. While the world’s media is focused on the latest crisis, we need to keep a balance and remember the millions of people who are forgotten but still displaced.

REI continues to fund activities in forgotten communities, thus providing opportunities that are essential for the communities to develop. As we know, displaced communities do not want to live off hand-outs, they want some control over their lives and their futures. We can see top-down aid is not achieving this. It alleviates immediate problems but does not move on.

As we listen to the voices of refugees, IDPs (internally displaced people) and returnees as well as the local communities in the host country we understand what they want to do and what they can do. We observe the results of our funding to ensure continued sustainability.

The ripple effect ensures our funds reach beyond the project activities to families and the wider community so that people come to realise they can have some control over their lives.
One beneficiary said: “I have seen myself as a valuable person and know how to plan my life for a better future.”

Another said: “I learnt to overcome my challenges and become more confident and can deal with the problems constructively and improve my relationship and good communication and cooperation with many people.”

We want your support as we work towards a world where refugees around the globe are given the tools and means to develop their own future and give back to their communities. The more communities build strength, the more they can resist future incursions.