The Power of Partnership: How ORAM and the Danish Refugee Council Are Supporting LGBTIQ Refugees in Kakuma and Kalobeyei Settlement

Pictured: Danielle* attending a Danish Refugee Council (DRC) training in food production.

Across the humanitarian sector, organizations supporting displaced communities are facing a difficult moment. For LGBTIQ-serving organizations, this challenge is especially urgent. LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers routinely face overlapping barriers to safety, stability, mental health support, livelihoods, and community connection. When resources are limited, organizations must adapt without losing sight of the people at the center of the work.

At ORAM, being collaborative and adaptive are two of our core values. It means responding to changing conditions with clarity, creativity, and purpose. It also means recognizing that no single organization can meet every need alone.

In Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Settlement, ORAM is putting that value into action through its collaboration with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Through this partnership, LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers who have received skills training through DRC are being referred to ORAM for seed funding and business support to help them start or grow income-generating activities.

“ORAM’s livelihood support complements DRC’s protection and gender-based violence (GBV) programming by strengthening economic resilience, self-reliance, and dignity among LGBTIQ+ persons,” said Everlyne Khabala, Protection Team Leader – GBV at DRC.

For Danielle*, a queer refugee from Uganda, this coordination helped create a pathway from skills training to establishing her own business.

When Danielle first arrived in Kakuma, she was uncertain where to turn. Discrimination also made it difficult to know whom to trust.

“It’s not easy to open up to people,” Danielle shared.

Through another LGBTIQ refugee, Danielle learned about DRC and connected with its team in Kakuma. There, Danielle received case management support, counseling, and guidance on navigating life in the camp.

When DRC staff asked about existing interests and skills, Danielle shared a love of cooking. DRC then connected Danielle to a three-month training in food production.

After Danielle completed the training, ORAM followed up, reviewed her business plan, and provided seed funding to strengthen the food business.

“Whenever I think of that support, it puts a smile on my face,” Danielle said. “Before, I used to cry.”

With ORAM’s support, Danielle says the business has become more stable. Income from food sales now helps cover basic needs while also allowing Danielle to save and reinvest in the business.

Picture: Danielle at her restaurant.

“It boosted me,” Danielle said. “I can now stand on my own.”

For Danielle, the business provides greater independence, dignity, and a path to move forward in a difficult environment. Danielle has also employed two other LGBTIQ refugees to help at her restaurant.

“ORAM offers an allyship that gives DRC confidence that when cases are referred to ORAM colleagues, our clients will be ‘seen’ and will not be ‘invisible,’” Maria, Protection Officer – LGBTIQ+ at DRC, shared.

Together, this approach connects different forms of support — including case management, psychosocial care, vocational training, and seed funding — so clients can access complementary resources as they work toward greater stability and self-reliance.

The challenges remain significant. Danielle still deals with the daily realities of running a business in Kakuma, including food insecurity, water shortages, and the rising cost of basic supplies.

But progress is happening. 

For ORAM and DRC, partnership is not an abstract concept. It is a practical way to connect LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers with different forms of expertise and support while making the most of limited resources.

“This eliminates the feeling or experiences of clients being ‘ping-ponged’ from one organization to another with limited support,” Maria emphasized.

Danielle hopes that collaboration continues.

“That’s my prayer — that they [ORAM and DRC] continue working together, partnering together,” Danielle shared. “It would be very helpful to LGBTIQ people in Kakuma.”

*Danielle is a pseudonym. Identifying details have been withheld to protect the client’s safety.