The Safe House: An Enclave of Peace and Hope

Sarah grew up in a family of three under extreme poverty. She was an only child and was very close to her mother. The family struggled to make ends meet. She dropped out of school in the second grade because her parents could not afford to pay her fees. 

In 2019, Sarah had to flee her home country to escape inter-ethnic conflict and violence. The militia killed her father and she got separated from her mother during their escape. She traveled to Uganda on foot in the company of other desperate families seeking safety but were turned away since refugee reception centers were overwhelmed. She then traveled by car to Kenya, straight to the Department of Refugee Affairs offices in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi for registration. Since she met the exemption criteria for not residing in the camp, Sarah was transferred to a Transit Center run by HIAS.  

Sarah stayed at the Transit Center for quite a while waiting for assistance. Eventually, she was placed with a foster family who took her in. However, life became very difficult with her new family and they began to have serious problems. Officials removed her from the home and returned her to the Transit Center, to wait for placement with another family. Sarah was bounced through a few families before she expressed her desire to get out of the Transit Center. HIAS offered financial assistance to help her find alternative shelter and she moved into her own small space.  This did not last long since the cash assistance run out after a while. Sarah decided to go to the UNHCR offices and camp outside to make a final desperate bid for assistance. After several mishaps including a mistaken transfer to Kakuma, the UNHCR finally connected her to RefuSHE’s Safe House where she hoped to find much-needed assistance to go to school.

Sarah felt oppressed and depressed with her lot in life. She had a lot of repressed anger and thoughts about her past and troubles overwhelmed her. She felt misunderstood and like a burden. She desperately wanted to go to school to learn and get more opportunities in life but help on this front was not forthcoming. 

Sarah is very grateful to have joined RefuSHE’s Safe House in 2020. They helped her a lot. She received a lot of support, counseling, and care that she still values to date.  RefuSHE has taught her how to communicate better, be confident and manage conflict with others. She is incredibly thankful for the opportunity they provided for her to learn by helping her enroll in a Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology course at a vocational institute in Nairobi and supporting her financially to meet her immediate needs.

Sarah enjoys learning facial therapy and makeup at the East African Institute of Homecare Management. She does not know how to read and write very well but her performance so far in beauty class is exemplary. Her instructors are patient with her and identified her as a stellar student.

Sarah hopes to build a successful, independent life after RefuSHE’s support. She is interested in starting a thriving business from the skills she will have learnt after completing her course.