Help Support Kakuma Victims of Homophobia
Hello, I'm Gavin from California and I want to help Dennis and other LGBTQ members from an LGBTQ accepting refugee camp called Kakuma Camp in Kenya, with donations.
LGBT refugees used their abilities and skills at Kakuma Camp to become business creators and entrepreneurs in order to live in Kenya, but a large group of unaccepting people from both the camp and nearby places have attacked them, burned down their businesses, surrounded and literally thrashed the refugees with sticks and stones. Many of the victims have been left with terrible wounds from the homo and transphobic attacks giving them no choice but to flee.
I was looking through some LGBTQ posts online and had come across a post of what looked like a call for help. I reached out to the poster and that's when I had first spoken to Dennis. Dennis has asked me, Gavin, to raise money on his behalf since Kenya is currently an unsupported country by Gofundme.
Dennis is 30 years old and was denounced by has family once they found out he is gay. He was always on his own since then, until he met some wonderful people who were like him at Kakuma Camp which has been his home for the past 7 years. He and the rest of the people in his community have been friends because they felt safer staying together.
Dennis has thanked me many times simply for answering his call for help and has expressed how serious their situation is and that they didn't know what else to do other than call out for help.
Dennis is asking for help so that he can rebuild their homes that are burnt down, rebuild their shops that had been looted and destroyed, and buy and distribute food and basic amenities to his only friends. Dennis plans to help his friends who are still in need of medical attention and those who were left behind since some companions and care takers were killed by the attacks
All of these things are what Dennis and his friends from Kakuma Camp have had to endure simply because they are apart of the LGBTQ community.
Dennis told me that they're trying to look past the huge disadvantages they are at and are there in support for each other as friends since few people around them will, or can, give them support. He believes that if they can get even a little help from us, that they will be able to gain some of their livelihood back and, in turn, be able to grow and then be able to help even more of his friends.
I, Gavin in California, will transfer funds raised through this Gofundme page to Dennis in Kenya by a bank to bank transfer from Chase Bank to Diamond Trust Bank.
Here is a link to the article that Dennis included in his post: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.voanews.com/africa/kenyas-lgbtq-refugees-face-threats-attacks-kakuma-camp%3Famp
Thank you for reading. Please give what you can and thank you to all who consider giving.
Gavin and Dennis
That's Dennis in the blue head scarf striking a pose, haha.
That's me, Gavin, in the selfie picture.