Supporting LGBTQ Refugees facing COVID-19

Having fled abuse, harassment, and violence simply for being who they are, LGBTQ refugees living in Nairobi have found no safe haven in Kenya. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the community faced high levels of poverty, violence, and discrimination at the hands of fellow refugees and the wider Kenyan community.

COVID-19 now poses new challenges to the community, who are working flat out to prepare for an outbreak. Poverty has rendered government COVID-19 prevention advice impossible for the vast majority of the community - social isolation is pretty much impossible owing to the cramped living conditions in safe houses(with 5-7 people sleeping in a single room). The majority of the community doesn't have access to soap or water for handwashing.

Alight is partnering with the Refugee Coalition of East Africa, a grass-roots LGBTQ refugee organization, and African Human Rights Coalition (African HRC) to provide life-saving assistance to the community in Nairobi.

Your donations will go towards our $100k fundraiser  for LGBTQ refugees in Kenya (@our_kitchen_table), providing the following support for six months:

- Rental assistance, helping LGBTQ refugees avoid homelessness. 

- Food assistance, providing nutritious food to strengthen immune systems. 

- Medical assistance, ensuring that medications and assistance are accessible. 

- Quarantine materials, helping the community build makeshift quarantine areas within their safe houses to reduce inter-house transmission. 

- Wellness packs for the community, sparking light and joy in these scary times.

Alight is a US-based 501c(3) charity working for and with the displaced in over 15 countries internationally. We have been working with the LGBTQ refugee community in Kenya for just under the last two years.

Learn more about Alight and our work:

https://wearealight.org/our_kitchen_table/ 

https://www.wearealight.org/ourkitchentable 

Learn more about the Refugee Coalition of East Africa:

https://refugeecoalition.com/

Learn more about African Human Rights Coalition (African HRC):

http://www.africanhrc.org/

Follow our fundraiser on IG @our kitchen table