COVID-19 EMERGENCY SUPPORT FOR LGBTIQ+ REFUGEES IN KENYA

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected LGBTIQ+ refugees and asylum seekers living in Nairobi-Kenya, limiting their access to food and other essential necessities. Each day more and more LGBTIQ+ refugees call me for help- they need food, shelter, mandatory face masks while others have already been thrown out of their houses . Two days ago, 13^Th April 2020, a member of LGBTI refugee Community in Nairobi Aneste Mweru committed suicide by hanging himself just meters away from UNHCR gate in Nairobi-Kenya. The deceased who had gone to UNHCR to seek help had called me a night before the horrific incident and told me about his situation. I other LGBTIQ refugee defenders have already been summoned by the police on charges on incitement in regard to Mweru's holliffic death. Such is the situation LGBTIQ+ refugees are in here in Nairobi- Kenya under COVID-19+ crisis.

We are seeking your support to respond to these extreme cases of vulnerabilities amongst our already depressed LGBTI refugee community.

The financial support we are seeking will be used to

• Purchase 150 food vouchers at $30 each for the most vulnerable members of our community
• Purchase and distribute alcohol-based hand sanitizers
• Purchase and distribute face masks to all our community members
• Help LGBTIQ refuges who have been evicted from their houses for lack of rent, to find temporary emergency shelter
• And many more urgent needs