#SharetheJourney – Lifting up the Vulnerable
The women and young girls escaping the ongoing turmoil in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo emerge with stories making it painfully clear how vulnerable they are in conflict. Not only is rape a common weapon of war worldwide, but some are further forced to be sex slaves for a group of soldiers while others on the run are forced into marriages. Those who make it out are further at risk wherever they land.
While the journey is different, young women are also at risk in other refugee populations found here in Nairobi, including Somalis and Ethiopians.
Whenever such a girl makes contact with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees here in Kenya, an option for protection is a Safe House run by Heshima Kenya. Heshima is the Swahili word for “respect”. The non-profit exists to protect and build up women under 18 escaping persecution and their children. They also care for boys under the age of 10 who are similarly at risk, as boys victimized by rape has been increasing in the eastern DRC in the past five years. The Safe House, which can also be used for up to 3 weeks by women over 18, is in a location known only to Heshima and key UNHCR staff. Once in safety, an assessment begins to seek a durable solution for the girl, and her child if she has one.
Many of the girls will move from the Safe House to Heshima Kenya’s main facility in Nairobi. Located on a large wooded lot at the end of a quiet street, this house too is not marked at the street. In its sheltering walls, the approach is holistic with not just shelter, but also childcare, education, mental health and medical services, and a chance to earn income.
Heshima’s slogan, embodied throughout their work, is “One girl at a time.” Alice Eschuchi is the Country Director in Kenya whose concern for these young women is evident in her passion for her work. Alice says, “Each girl’s needs are different depending on her past experiences and where she is now.” Alice is pictured here at left.
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Starting where the girl is when she arrives is foundation. Alice says, “We do not judge. We take what we are told by the girls and work with them.”
Common needs are safe care for their children so that the girls can study to graduate from Primary School (which goes through what is 8th grade in the US). The schooling is free for all who are resident in Kenya. Last year all eight of the girls at Heshima who took the examinations passed. 30 girls are preparing for the examination this year. Because secondary education is prohibitively expensive for those who remain in Kenya, Heshima also teaches tailoring and creates items to sell with cloth. This gives ten girls the ability to earn an income.
The focus is is on building up the girls both in terms of self esteem and in life skills. While the goal is not resettlement, as only one percent of refugees are resettled in a third country (with the country they fled and Kenya being the first and second). Heshima works with the UNHCR to conduct a Best Interest Determination based on the specific young woman. This then helps them work with the girl in deciding on the future. Among the many who pass through the program, about 20 are resettled each year in another country.
In describing her work, Alice talks of how the girls arrive extremely shy and showing obvious signs of suffering trauma. Then she proudly shows photos of the girls who have graduated from the program. Some of the young women have been settled in America, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands. They email of their lives there and send photos that give Alice and other staff members deep joy as shown in how they share the stories. “These are our girls,” Alice says, “It is amazing how far they have come.
Peace, Frank
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