The Digital Learning Center will be hosted and managed by Team No Sleep, an LGBTIQ-led community-based organization.
William Tumusiime, Director of Team No Sleep, originally from Uganda, fled to Kenya in 2017 after making the difficult journey to leave his home because his safety and life were being threatened because of his sexuality.
“It wasn’t easy; the country was new, the language was new,” said William when asked about his initial resettlement in Nairobi, Kenya, in February of 2017. A few months later, William was introduced to Team No Sleep, a community-based organization (CBO) operated by LGBTIQ refugees providing support to the community and their
members based in Kenya.
In 2019 William was introduced to ORAM when Steve Roth, ORAM’s Executive Director, visited Nairobi. Members from Team No Sleep attended skills training and applied for seed funding for their poultry farm livelihoods project that same year.
As part of its efforts to provide workforce skills and opportunities for queer refugees, ORAM is proud to announce Team No Sleep will host and manage ORAM’s new Digital Learning Center for LGBTIQ refugees in Nairobi! The Digital Learning Center, made possible by donations from Steven Walker, a generous ORAM supporter, and Microsoft, will provide access to computers and digital skills trainings for LGBTIQ refugees.
With the resources from ORAM, the Center is acquiring critical tools such as laptops, laptop accessories, WiFi access, and will cover transport for the trainees. The six-month pilot project kicked off at the end of October, with 18 LGBTIQ refugees qualifying for the training. At least ten more will be enrolled this November for a Trainer of Trainees (ToT) on Digital Marketing, focused on supporting LGBTIQ refugee entrepreneurs to use social media tools to grow their businesses.
“I feel so excited for our members...Now they can access jobs from the Center, their laptops, their phones,” William shared about the opportunities open to queer refugees in the community thanks to the Digital Learning Center.
Team No Sleep focuses on improving the lives of LGBTIQ refugees, and they hope the center will allow members of the queer refugee community to utilize the tools and resources to the best of their abilities in a day and age where digital literacy is not just a luxury but a necessity to get by in the world.
ORAM’s goal is for the Digital Learning Center to support at least 100 LGBTIQ refugees in Nairobi over the next two years. With the center’s current resources, ORAM will be able to support around 30 queer refugees for the next six months. ORAM is seeking additional support to acquire more laptops and tools for the Digital Learning Center to be able to serve more members of the community throughout the life of the program.
We are proud to partner with Team No Sleep, as LGBTIQ refugee-led CBOs understand the unique needs of the community. William hopes to see the Center continue to grow and empower queer refugees to support one another. “We have to fight for our rights, and we have to be strong,” he shared.
Please donate here if you want to help support the growth of the Digital Learning Center in Nairobi. Thank you for your support!