June is a special month for ORAM. In addition to LGBTIQ Pride Month, June 20th is World Refugee Day, a day to celebrate and honor refugees worldwide. To recognize both important events, we celebrate "Refugee Pride" in June.
This year, ORAM is celebrating Refugee Pride by sharing the achievements of the resilient LGBTIQ refugees we are honored to serve. LGBTIQ refugees have a right to feel pride in their personal accomplishments and often positively contribute to their new communities.
This blog is the first in a two-part series that features ORAM clients in Kenya and Germany through our Ukraine Response Program. We are honored to share the stories of the fantastic and diverse LGBTIQ refugee community and how ORAM's program has positively impacted their lives.
*ADAM – HE/HIM
*Adam, a bisexual Ugandan refugee living in Nairobi, leads an LGBTIQ refugee-led community-based organization (CBO) and has lived in Kenya since 2014. Adam started his leadership role at the CBO earlier this year and has been participating in ORAM's capacity strengthening program for LGBTIQ refugee-led CBOs.
"We [the CBOs] need capacity building in leadership, bringing on board leaders and training them on capacity building... [such as] how you are supposed to handle affairs, how you are supposed to handle the institution's management of affairs," Adam told ORAM.
Adam shared that in addition to various skills he's learned that help him take care of himself financially, he also is proud to have learned valuable skills to take care of his mental health.
"ORAM's engagement with [the CBO] makes you feel that you are not just an identity, but a human being...you need to take care of yourself. Take care of your life because you need to have control of your life."
This Pride season, Adam has a powerful message to share with the global LGBTIQ community. "Firstly, we are all supposed to love each other. It's about love. It's about being in a community of respect. You are not all the same color, but you are all human, and you are all beautiful and you can live together."
*Adam's name has been changed to protect his identity.
SASHA - SHE/HER
Sasha, a lesbian from Kyiv, was forced to make the difficult decision to flee her home last year due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A friend recommended that Sasha contact ORAM for support, and we provided her with short-term housing. Earlier this month, Sasha moved into one of our longer-term apartment units in Berlin.
This year, Sasha is proud of doing more things to care for herself. "I want to tell everybody, don't be afraid to change your life. In the beginning, it will look impossible, or you don't have enough power. Inside of us, everybody has enough ability to get what we desire."
Sasha also has a special thanks to the ORAM community she shared with our team. "For me, I'm not a German speaking. The support from ORAM has been so helpful... [ORAM] does more than support me. They create a [system] family and friends."
SULAH - HE/HIM
Sulah, a gay man from Uganda, has resided in Nairobi, Kenya, for the past seven years. In 2019, he contacted ORAM to support a grassroots organization he worked for called Nature Network. ORAM provided emergency financial support and access to income-generating livelihood projects to alleviate community members experiencing homelessness.
Sulah mentioned that ORAM's economic empowerment program in Nairobi has been instrumental in LGBTIQ refugees being able to support themselves sustainably. "Most of the time, grassroots organizations do not get much funding. People are still facing constant challenges daily. But having someone like ORAM come through and support us and help us on our journey to make us self-sufficient is amazing in the real world."
Since stepping into a leadership position at Nature Network, Sulah has grown. "Being in these places of leadership and rethinking community is my progress. Knowing that this is my community, I understand it more than someone else. Also, being able to believe in myself. It takes time. Kenya has given me the time to validate myself."
Thanks to Adam, Sasha, and Sulah for sharing their stories! Please read part two to meet more resilient LGBTIQ refugees ORAM is proud to serve.
Please donate today to ensure ORAM can continue to provide LGBTIQ refugees with the tools to help them rebuild their lives safely.