Finding Family and Freedom

Kyle Kvamme
4 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 12 hours ago

Dali (they/them), a human rights defender, attending an ORAM workshop in Berlin.

For Dali, a nonbinary asylum seeker from Uganda, leaving home wasn’t a choice — it was a matter of survival.

“[I left] because of the situation that is happening in Uganda, and I was working as a human rights activist with one of the leading transgender organizations that is fighting for transgender rights,” they shared. “Police were raiding our offices, arresting people, our members were brutally attacked.”

Dali had a visa to attend a training in Germany but missed it after their organization’s funds were frozen. A fellow human rights defender they met through a wellness collective helped raise funds so Dali could travel. In March 2025, Dali left Uganda and applied for asylum in Germany.

It was through that friend and ally that Dali first learned about ORAM’s programs in Berlin. Since arriving, they have participated in several workshops, including AI training and a drag makeup session.

“With our organization [in Uganda], we used to do similar work,” Dali said. “I choose to attend these programs because I feel like this is where you can find the community you belong to.”

Participating in ORAM’s workshops has helped Dali navigate some of the challenges of life in a new country.

“In Berlin, there is a lot of depression and mental health issues happening,” they explained. “The more you stay indoors, you can never find a solution. But when you attend these programs, you find a solution. You always feel at home.”

Despite this sense of belonging, rebuilding life in Berlin comes with its own obstacles.

“It’s a struggle to find a job. And another challenge is learning German,” Dali shared. “My short-term dream is to learn the German language and to understand the different laws, policies, the bureaucracy, systems — all of that.”

Through it all, Dali remains committed to defending human rights and advocating for the LGBTIQ community.

“I want to understand more of the queer community here in Berlin,” they said. “I don’t want to lose myself, my passion, who I am, or the feeling that I really need to contribute toward the community that I belong to.”

While Dali works hard to rebuild their life, they are also finding chosen family through connections made with ORAM.

“When ORAM holds an activity and invites me… I know that I’ll see familiar faces again. This is my family. Every time we meet, we catch up on how life is, how everything is,” they said.

“In Africa, we [members of the LGBTIQ community] don’t always have families,” Dali added. “And when you go and meet fellow LGBTIQ members, you find belonging. You find a family.”

ORAM’s work bringing together LGBTIQ refugees in Berlin is helping make that chosen family possible.

“To be able to have a life and have space to share our experiences — like the drag makeup workshop. When we were doing it, everyone was happy. For that time, everyone forgot, at least for a moment, the issues we’re going through.”