Help Refugee Emmah Start a Safe and Beautiful New Life

My name is Sarah and I'd like to introduce you to a very special person who deserves a leg up in life.

Their name is Emmah. They grew up on the streets of Kampala, Uganda, after they and their brother were abandoned by their parents at ages 4 and 2. They survived with the help of an older homeless man who, unfortunately, abused them. After the man was murdered (during an incident in which Emmah lost an eye), the children endured the harsh conditions of Uganda’s state schools and orphanages. Emmah did well in school and managed to graduate high school, despite these challenges.

At age 21, however, Emmah’s life took an even more dangerous turn when her church group discovered they were queer. They were brutally attacked by a mob from the church, and their boyfriend was hospitalized. Emmah was imprisoned in a local jail, but they were able to escape one night, thanks to a sympathetic female prison guard. They fled to Kenya, seeking safety in a refugee camp.

However, by fleeing to Kenya, Emmah leapt from the frying pan and into an inferno. Kakuma Refugee Camp is notoriously one of the most hostile places for LGBTQI+ people in the world. Queer people can't hide their identities in the camp - everyone knows that refugees from Uganda are queer, and the community all lives in the same block making them easy targets for attackers. In the camp they are routinely attacked by homophobic refugees wielding machetes, they are raped, their shelters burned, denied medical care (or charged exorbitant amounts for it), and they have limited access to food and water. Perpetrators often go unpunished by camp police who also jail and beat LGBTQI+ people for no reason except to antagonize them and extract hefty bribes. And meanwhile, the cruel perpetrators of these crimes call LGBTQI+ folks "demons" or "evil".

In recent months, the homophobic climate has escalated in Kakuma along with newly introduced anti-LGBTQI+ laws in Kenya, leading many members of the queer population to flee the camp back to Uganda or other UNHCR camps in Africa. The situation is so much more dire than I can tell you here, but if you're interested in learning more, Rainbow Railroad wrote an article that describes the situation in the camp for LGBTQI+ people, which you can read here. Or Google "LGBT Kakuma".

BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS! For the past year and a half, I've led a team of sponsors to get Emmah out of Kakuma, and our efforts have finally paid off. Emmah arrived on October 1 and is thriving in their new life in Canada! Which is why we need your help.

Why Your Support is Crucial

Emmah has come so far, but the journey to safety and stability is not over. We need help to close the funding gap to help them with essential needs as they begins this new chapter. Your support will help Emmah get the fresh start they deserve, allowing them to live freely and authentically, without fear of violence or persecution.

Your donation will directly support Emmah’s new beginning. Any amount helps! Every contribution will go towards:

Emmah has shown incredible strength in surviving years of persecution in Africa. Please help us show them the support and love they deserve as they begin their new life safely and authentically in Canada! ️‍️‍