Standing with Our Community: Reflections from ORAM’s January Field Visits in Kakuma

In January 2026, ORAM’s East Africa Program Manager, Winfred Wangari, traveled to Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya for a week-long field visit – an opportunity to connect directly with staff, partners, and, most importantly, the LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers whose resilience continues to shape our work. 

Picture: Winfred Wangari, ORAM's East Africa Program Manager, visiting an ORAM client business in Kakuma.

Field visits are a critical part of ORAM’s approach. They allow us to move beyond reports and metrics, grounding our strategy in lived realities while strengthening collaboration across our teams. This visit focused on program performance, partnership-building, and planning for the months ahead. 

Witnessing Resilience in Action 

A central priority of the visit was reviewing overall program implementation and observing client businesses. 

We visited entrepreneurs engaged in restaurant management, cosmetics, tailoring, and poultry-related enterprises. Two restaurant owners who recently received support demonstrated clear operational growth. Their businesses had improved in both stability and output, and they expressed strong satisfaction with the project’s impact. 

We also met two cosmetics entrepreneurs, including one salon owner whose story exemplifies resilience. After experiencing a robbery that disrupted her operations, she rebuilt her business and re-established her client base. Her determination underscores the complex challenges faced by LGBTIQ refugees and their extraordinary capacity to recover and adapt. 

We also visited a tailoring entrepreneur whose skills and professionalism have earned her recognition from peers and employers alike. Her work reflects sustainability and social integration. 

Beyond individual businesses, we met with a Community-Based Organization (CBO) that participated in ORAM’s kitchen gardening program and has already implemented Azolla (a type of fern) farming. The group is already planning to expand into black soldier fly farming – an innovative, cost-effective ingredient for poultry feed. These forward-looking initiatives demonstrate growing technical confidence and local ownership. 

Advancing Coordination and Strategic Partnerships 

During the field visit, ORAM hosted a workshop that brought together partners from the poultry and cosmetics sectors. The workshop was well received and strengthened coordination among partners supporting refugee livelihoods. 

Pictured: Reuben Okwach, ORAM's Project Officer - Kakuma, speaking during the ORAM workshop with partners from the poultry and cosmetic sectors.

That same day, ORAM participated in the Gender-Based Violence Technical Working Group (GBV-TWG), where we presented updates on our recent projects and identified referral pathways to improve coordinated client support. Support across refugee-serving organizations remains essential for holistic protection and economic inclusion of LGBTIQ refugees in Kakuma. 

The visit also included a meeting with Nemlon Training Institute. The institute offers courses in tailoring, hairdressing, beauty therapy, electrical engineering, and other vocational fields.  

ORAM and Nemlon discussed future collaboration opportunities to connect our clients with certified training. Partnerships like this could significantly enhance long-term livelihood sustainability. 

Strengthening Team Cohesion and Operational Support 

The visit also provided space for direct engagement with field staff. One-on-one discussions allowed team members to share operational challenges and receive targeted guidance. These conversations are essential to ensuring program quality and safeguarding staff wellbeing in a demanding operating environment. 

During the visit, staff had a joint team lunch and concluded with a dinner to debrief and strengthen professional relationships. These touchpoints matter, reinforce shared purpose, and sustain morale. 

A dedicated debrief session on the final day allowed the team to align on priorities for the coming months and reaffirm ORAM’s long-term commitment to Kakuma projects. 

Looking Ahead 

The January visit reaffirmed the tangible impact of ORAM’s programming in Kakuma. It also highlighted the importance of consistent field presence. The visit was important to ensure continued alignment between strategy and lived realities. 

Above all, the week underscored the resilience and adaptability of LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers. Despite systemic barriers, insecurity, and economic volatility, entrepreneurs continue to rebuild, innovate, and grow.

ORAM remains committed to supporting this resilience not only through funding and technical support, but through partnership, advocacy, and presence. 

The work continues. And so does the hope. 

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Reuben is ORAM's Project Officer based in Kakuma Refugee Camp.