Hi, my name is Rehema. I'm raising funds on behalf or Sophie and other transgender people in Gorom refugee camp. She and her sisters are facing great discrimination as trans people in Sudan. As an ally and a member of the community myself, I want to help the best I can. Here is Sophie's story:
Hello, my name is Sophie. I am a transgender woman who fled my home in Uganda not out of choice, but for survival. I was outed and caught in a deeply homophobic and transphobic society that sees people like me as criminals, not human beings. When the community discovered I am trans, my life turned into a nightmare. I was forced to escape to Kenya, hoping to find safety, freedom, and dignity. But my struggle did not end there. In Kenya, I was met with more rejection and discrimination. Alone, without friends or family, I had to do whatever I could to survive. At one point, I even had to sell my body just to afford food. I was harassed, beaten, and humiliated by those who discovered I was transgender. Eventually, I had no choice but to flee again this time to Gorom Refugee Camp in South Sudan.
Life in Gorom is extremely hard. I live in constant fear of persecution not only from the surrounding community but sometimes even from fellow refugees. I am homeless, vulnerable, and often go without food, clean drinking water, basic healthcare, or even a safe place to sleep. I have faced severe health complications due to the trauma and hardships I have endured. I am not alone in this. I live among a small group of brave transgender individuals here who, like me, are just trying to survive one more day. We are invisible in a system that does not see or protect us. But we believe in hope. We believe in a future where we can live openly, safely, and with dignity.
This GoFundMe is a cry for help. Any donation, no matter how small, can help us buy food, water, clothes, and seek medical care. It can help us find safer shelter and regain the hope we have been stripped of for too long.
If you are moved by my story, please consider helping.
Your compassion could mean survival for me and others like me.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for giving.