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IDEAS, DESIGNS, CREATIONS, CONCEPTS, VIEWPOINTS
...AND A BIT OF NEWS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE UP TO |
Wow! For a first fundraising attempt, we are surprised and very grateful for all your efforts to pull in supporters from all parts of your life. For all involved, this was a "pipe dream" project - they did not believe anybody could assist them the way that you have. Your simple act of giving has had marvelous repercussions across the lives of these young refugee mothers and their families. Please do not under-estimate the far reaching effects that a small act of charity brings and how many facets of someone's life that you have touched - health, schooling, self-esteem, vision etc. We have a lot of awesome opportunities to bring about sustainable change to the young lives here. So stay tuned. In the meantime, we will start setting up the New Start Cafe. Our plan is-:
Thanks for being part of the change in our lives.
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The following is a story from one of the young ladies who will benefit from the creation of Newstart Cafe.
Hello. I am 28 years old, Burundian. I am married with one daughter. Both my parents were killed during the violence between 1995-2003. My elder sister was killed in 2012 by people from Mtabila Camp in Tanzania when our land was taken by force. Soon after I went to work as a maid for a family in Bujumbura. After a market fire in February 2013 my boss moved to Uganda taking me with them. Shortly after moving, my boss tried to rape me, his wife chased me away. I was afraid to go back to Burundi where all my family had been killed, so I made my way to Kakuma Camp in Kenya where I was cared for by a Ugandan woman. I married in June 2013. A month later we were falsely accused of working secretly with the Burundian government and were victimized by others in the camp. Our food assistance provided by World Vision was regularly stolen - leaving us helpless. In September 2014, war broke out in the camp. Fortunately we were able to escape unharmed. We now live in Kayole, Nairobi. It is very hard for us here. Both my husband and I are unemployed and we struggle to be able to provide enough food for regular meals. My daughter often goes hungry. It is my desire to start a small restaurant in partnership with other ladies from similar circumstances to my own. We have a vision of being self-supporting by means of this business. Any assistance you can give to help make our vision a reality will be greatly appreciated. At the end of 2016, UNHCR reported that 494,900 refugees were living in Kenya with 14% living in urban areas - particularly Nairobi. Kayole, Nairobi is home to a huge populations of refugees in Nairobi with South Sudanese and Congolese making up most of the majority groups. Many of the women refugees are families who have lost their fathers / husbands in the political & tribal turmoil of their countries. Moreover, waiting for resettlement as a refugee sometimes takes up to 10 years - leaving unrest and uncertainty a daily demoralizing factor in an already difficult circumstance. With no living security, many have struggled just for daily bread and life just spirals downhill as the children become malnourished and can't commit to regular schooling due to lack of school funds. 10 Refugee Women Looking for a NEW START Ten young refugee mothers from Burundi, Rwanda and Congo have decided not to prolong their misery - sitting around in poverty, struggling to feed their families on 'who knows what', waiting on a resettlement that might take years, raising their children in fearful, unsafe and very precarious conditions. Their aim is to utilise the skills that they have and turn it into a small joint-venture business - a restaurant For these refugee women, the 'NEW START' CAFE project represents more than just a job. It represents a new life. A new beginning.NEW START cafe - Burundi style'NEW START' cafe will be situated in a main area of Kayole where there are many refugee families. This will be ideal for the Burundi Cuisine they intend to serve up. Catering for the simple local diet will also be an easy addition to the menu. The women will roster themselves to work a couple days per week, sharing the workload as per the demand. As the project gains stability, other similar projects will stem from this such as event catering. Kayole Mtaa Safi will be raising funds for this venture through the Global Giving platform and we expect Newstart Cafe to be up and running by the end of the year. |
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Post in this blog are contributed by the various members of Kayole Mtaa Safi Initiative. Archives
February 2019
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