The Safe House: An Enclave of Peace and Hope

In 2014, when war and fighting broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cecilia was forced to flee her home. After losing her parents and her brother to the conflict, she was captured by the militia and held hostage for over a year. During this time, Cecilia experienced sexual assault, which led her to become pregnant. Then, she met another woman in captivity, who eventually helped Cecilia escape to a nearby village where her aunt and uncle lived. With her aunt’s support, Cecilia successfully gave birth.

Soon after welcoming a beautiful baby boy into her life, Cecilia was forced to flee from the encroaching conflict once more, this time with her aunt. Cecilia and her aunt had a very strained relationship and eventually, her aunt left and took Cecilia’s baby boy with her. Devastated and alone, Cecilia was forced to flee once more as the conflict continued to draw near. She caught a ride from a truck driver and made her way to Nairobi, Kenya where she learned about RefuSHE. Upon arrival at our campus, Cecilia was enrolled in the Girls Empowerment Program and moved into the Safe House. She quickly advanced to Level 3 and later joined our Artisan Collective, where she learned to hand-dye scarves and earned a stipend to support herself. Cecilia was resettled to the U.S. in 2015. 

RefuSHE prepared me for a real life. I learned to speak better Kiswahili and English, but mostly RefuSHE taught me how to use my own hands. I became more independent and learned how to take care of myself.

Today Cecilia lives on the West coast with her foster family. She graduated from high school in just 3 years and has received a full-ride scholarship to Saint Martin’s University, a private liberal arts university in Washington.  With the power of education, RefuSHE’s safe community, and an advocacy team who fought for her case, Cecilia was able to thrive and grow as an individual and community member.