HELP SURVIVAL LGBTIQ+ FROM UGANDA.

Am a transgender living in Kakuma refugee camp Kenya. Am originally from Uganda where I escaped for my life after I was discovered that am gay something that is not acceptable to the culture, if your caught you can be killed or taken to prison for the rest of your life. I managed to escape to the next country, Kenya, where lam Seeking Asylum now, I registered with UNHCR Kenya. I thought it will be safe for me being in Kenya under the protection of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, but this was not true, life just continued to be tough for me, UNHCR took me to a Refugee Camp called Kakuma Refugee Camp where I met over 300 Lgbtiq + + people also seeking asylum. Meeting my colleagues put a smile on my face, but the life I found in the camp was unbearable.

As a queer community, we’ve been facing violent homophobic and trans phobic attacks from fellow refugees and from locals of the land. The worst attack so far took place on June 19, 2020. At least 31 lgbtiq refugees were wounded badly in this massive attack, requiring hospitalization. Many of us sustained injuries that include: deep cuts on their bodies, broken limbs, heavy blood loss, head injuries and more. Many Queer refugees are nursing wounds and trauma as a result of the constant attacks. We have lost 3 Queer lives due to homophobia in a period of one year.

The lgbtiq + refugees in Kakuma Kenya are currently living in extremely hostile, violent and homophobic conditions. we are being persecuted, beaten, stabbed and cut with machetes, gang raped, and burned alive by homophobic groups of men. We have fled our countries of origin from homophobic persecution, murder, and imprisonment. We’ve literally ran for our lives into the refugee camp seeking asylum. In the camp we’ve found the violent homophobic living conditions more dangerous than the countries we’ve fled from. we are living in substandard inhumane living conditions. we are forced to pay high medical costs from private hospitals to manage diseases and injuries from horrific violent attacks. We are forced to take turns staying up all night standing guard against violent attacks in which we are stoned with rocks, fire bombed, burned alive, beaten, slashed and raped. These are not isolated incidents, this is the reality of our daily life. We receive no counseling services for the trauma we are suffering.

The lgbtiq + community in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya are in grave danger. Our lives are at risk every second of every day in the refugee camp. We are being tortured and suffering malnutrition. We are lacking medical treatment and are living in extreme poverty. We need immediate evacuation from the camp, we continue to ask for relocation to safe countries. Please contact the UNHCR Kenya and demand immediate evacuation for Queer refugees. Please donate money if you can to help us we are suffering in these inhumane conditions.

While we continue to advocate for our safety, we still need your financial support for our daily needs for as long as we are in this vulnerable situation at the camp. I encourage you to continue giving to us and to implore UNHCR to take the refugees facing these violent homophobic attacks to safety.

I humbly request you to donate to us please, your help can helps us cater for our medical bills, food, first aid materials, and special nutrition for those living with HIV/AIDS, etc. We need this fund to buy enough food because the food given to us by UNHCR every month is not enough to take us through. It's so little that it can only provide for a week at most. Other funds can be used to pay hospital bills in private clinics because the Government free hospitals discriminate against us and we can’t get help there. We have many people at hospital at the moment, however, many more need to see a doctor and some of those on treatment have review appointments coming soon. The need for food and other basic materials for sanitation still stands.

There are also children who desperately need special attention. Children needs toys and reading materials. A candy treat every now and then goes a long way to cheer the children and bring a smile to their face. We need blankets. We sleep outside in the cold and having a blanket helps a lot. Our main meal is usually rice/maize meal and beans but we deserve a change every now and then.

Other items this fund will help purchase: firewood, charcoal, stove, condiments, mosquito nets firewood and matches, toothpaste, toiletries, transportation, solar panels for light, doctors appointments, emergency hospital visits, feminine hygiene products and underwear for the women, panels to build fences for safety, mental health services, soap, books and school supplies for the children to create a school, scissors for hair trimming, eye glasses, wound care items, prenatal items, baby food and items to care for the children, special food items for diabetics, medicine for HIV+community members, shavers, cooking pans.

Thanks.