Heshima Kenya

With an estimated 350,000 refugees residing in Kenya's refugee camps, growing numbers of refugees are migrating to Nairobi where limited social services have resulted in a lack of safe spaces, effective community outreach, and livelihood opportunities for nearly 100,000 urban refugees. Vulnerable refugee populations such as unaccompanied refugee girls and single young women are exposed to risks such as sexual and gender-based violence in Nairobi, and survivors are often unable to access basic medical care, legal protection, and shelter. Most of the young women Heshima Kenya supports have experienced significant trauma including rape and physical abuse, and many have witnessed the death of family members. They are in need of extensive counseling services, education, social support, and medical care. 

Artisan Voices

18-year-old Grace fled Kenya from DR Congo after her village was attacked and her father was killed. When Grace fled, she separated from her mother and brother and was kidnapped and raped by a group of men. Pregnant, she managed to escape with a truck driver to Kenya. After arriving in Kenya, a woman picked Grace up from town and took her to an area where other Congolese refugees were living. They would not help her because she was pregnant. She was taken to the police station where she spent two nights, and was later referred to Heshima Kenya by UNHCR. Grace says, "Heshima Kenya is more than my parent because my parents would not have accepted me because I was pregnant. Heshima never asked any questions about why I was pregnant." Today, Grace is the proud mother to her one-year-old son.

After showing great progress in the Girl's Empowerment Project and graduating from the tailoring course, Grace was invited to be a founding member of the Maisha Collective. At the beginning she was spinning tassles for the scarves, and now she is dying scarves, creating designs and sewing bags to sell at the market. Grace says that she wants Maisha to grow so she can educate her son. " I like Maisha because it is helping us change our lives for the best. I have very big dreams. I'm dreaming that Maisha will help me rent my own house, survive on my own, and allow Bienvenue to go to the best school." Grace is among the first Heshima girls to transition into independence and she continues to serve as an ambassador to other girls in the program. To them, Grace is a living example of restoring hope. 

Region: Eastern Africa

Capital: Nairobi

Population: 41,070,934

Size: Slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Major religion(s): Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10% 

Literacy: Total 85.1%; Male 90.6%; Female 79.7%

Life Expectancy: 59.48 years

Urban population: 22% of total population 

Unemployment rate: 40% (2008 est.)

Poverty Rate: 50% of the population lives below the national poverty line

Access to Clean Drinking Water: 16.8 million people without access to clean drinking water

Access to Proper Sanitation: 22.6 million people without access to proper sanitation

Did You Know: The English translation of the word “Kenya” is “place with ostriches,” in reference to the ostrich-like, black-and-white-streaked appearance of Mount Kenya when capped with snow.

All statistics from CIA World Factbook 2011

Straddling the equator on Africa’s eastern coast, Kenya is home to more than 40 different ethnic groups. The country’s terrain varies widely, ranging from desert to low plains to snow-covered mountains. The Great Rift Valley, which extends from Syria to Mozambique, runs the entire length of Kenya, separating the eastern and western sections of the country.

Colonized by the Germans in 1885 and handed over to the British five years later, Kenya won independence in 1963. In 2007, a contested election between incumbent Mwai Kibaki under the Party of National Unity and candidate Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement led to violent protests in which more than 1,000 people were killed and over half a million displaced. The dispute was resolved in 2008, with the two leading candidates forming a coalition government. A new constitution was adopted by the electorate two years later, ushering in a promising new era for the country. However, violence and allegations of political corruption continue to plague Kenya. In late 2010, the International Criminal Court announced the possible indictment of leading government officials. Kenya adopted a new constitution that same year  that eliminated the role of prime minister.

Economy

 Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, serves as a commercial hub for the region, and the country has enjoyed a level of development that exceeds that of its neighbors. Despite gains made by a burgeoning telecommunications sector, obstacles to large-scale economic progress in Kenya remain. The country’s economy is still heavily reliant on tourism and agriculture, two cyclical and potentially erratic industries, as shown by the devastating effects of a 2009 drought. The unemployment rate remains high, and corruption is prevalent. Kenya ranked 154 out of 178 on Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions index.

HIV/AIDS and Women

In Kenya, the HIV/AIDS prevalence among women was twice as high as that for men, at 8 percent and 4.3 percent respectively. As of 2009, there were 1.5 million Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS. There are 1.2 million orphans under the age of 17 who have lost one or both parents to the disease. Efforts to educate and reduce the number of new infections have stabilized the spread of the disease.  HIV prevention and AIDS education is now a part of primary and secondary school curriculum. Although awareness is high and Kenya has seen a dramatic reduction in the rate HIV infection, the country still faces the residual challenges of stigma and discrimination towards those living with the disease.