For nearly four years, ORAM has empowered LGBTIQ refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya by supporting livelihood projects. In the Kakuma Report, published by ORAM and our partner, Rainbow Railroad, livelihood projects and other income-generating activities were identified as one of the greatest needs of LGBTIQ refugees.
ORAM recently hired our first full-time staff member in Kakuma. Fredrick Zalo joined ORAM as the organization's Project Assistant for Kakuma in March and has quickly jumped into his role. In one of his first projects, Fredrick visited LGBTIQ refugee-owned businesses that ORAM has supported in the camp. The business owners Fredrick visited all participated in vocational skills training provided by ORAM and were selected to receive seed funding to establish their businesses.
During his conversations with the business owners, Fredrick learned about the businesses’ progress, including their successes, challenges, and the additional support needed for their businesses to thrive.
Following are highlights of three incredible LGBTIQ refugee-owned businesses ORAM has supported with seed funding and the experiences and feedback of the business owners.
*Beauty store number 1
Beauty store number 1, owned and operated by LGBTIQ refugee entrepreneurs, sells different types of hair and other cosmetic goods. The entrepreneurs shared that skills training and seed funding provided by ORAM enabled them to start the business. Tragically, one of the business owners experienced a homophobic attack, and the business was forced to redirect some of its savings to their recovery. After this, the business had to relocate. Undaunted, the store is now up and running in its new location, and the owners are hoping to grow the business.
The owners ordered new products, including hair bundles, braids, earrings, powders, lotions, and clothes from Uganda. Unfortunately, there has been a slow uptake of the products in the new location. To support the business owners’ goals, ORAM plans to provide longer-term business mentorship to all participants in our livelihood program in Kakuma.
*Beauty business number 2
Beauty business number 2 is run by a group of four LGBTIQ refugees. This beauty shop offers salon services such as hair plaiting and blow drying. Owning this business has helped the LGBTIQ refugee entrepreneurs earn income to buy food and other household needs. Prior to participating in ORAM’s livelihood projects, it was difficult for them to put food on the table.
While their income has grown, the business faces frequent power outages when trying to operate their blow-dry machines. This inconvenience hinders their business, especially during seasons with periodic rain. To address these concerns, the business owners are seeking support to obtain solar power or a generator to keep their business running through different seasons. They are hopeful that with this equipment, the business will not only maintain its clients but attract more.
*Charging business
Our last business to feature is a device charging business located in the same area of Kakuma as the beauty businesses. When ORAM first interacted with the business owner a few years ago, he was encouraged by the efforts and successes of other LGBTIQ refugees who had benefited from ORAM’s livelihood programs. He approached ORAM for support to start a solar-powered device charging business, a market-driven idea, as Kakuma is not connected to the national power grid.
With seed funding provided by ORAM to start the business, the business owner purchased a solar panel, batteries, inverters, a DC controller, installation cables, extension cables, and USB chargers. The charging business already has a good client base, with many clients visiting to charge their cell phones. On a sunny day with clients streaming in constantly, the business owner reported being able to earn 500 Kenyan Shillings (around 4 USD). "When you start making money from a business, you start thinking about how to expand to make more money," the business owner told Fredrick.
While the charging business is progressing well, there are still challenges, including more space for charging devices and a need for capital to purchase more materials. He is hoping to purchase more USB cables so he can charge 50 phones to avoid turning customers away.
Your support is crucial to ORAM providing more significant support to these LGBTIQ refugee-owned businesses and other livelihood projects in Kakuma. Please donate today to allow ORAM to continue to address one of the greatest needs of the queer refugee community in Kakuma.
*The names of the businesses have been removed to protect the safety and security of the business owners.