Small businesses for Rainbow Refugees – Can you help?

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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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This appeal highlights a new direction for the work of Humanity in Need – Rainbow Refugees. Having put many thousands into Kenya and Uganda to provide support for LGBTIQ people victimised and targeted by culture, family and government, we now want to focus on building small businesses to help our friends become self sufficient.

To understand why families suddenly turn from love to hatred for a beloved son or daughter when they are discovered as same sex attracted the video explains in clear detail.

Onics Bukenya Yusuf was the founder of a safe house in Kenya for LGBTIQ refugees. He features in a recent interview on the Podcast “No Sex Please – I’m religious!” through which we hope to raise awareness of the needs of queer refugees.

In the YouTube interview with Onics here, he talks about how culture forces families to hate their queer children even to the point of seeking ways to “eliminate” them and he gives the reasons why. It’s really worth watching and if you are interested to know more please visit the podcast on all major podcast outlets.

Just imagine living in a world where you aren’t safe or welcome in your own family or country, and where because you are LGBTIQ, living in a Kenyan “Refugee Camp” is so dangerous that you have to flee again. Imagine then trying to live in Nairobi where you are not officially permitted to work to support yourself, and where there is no ongoing support from the UNHCR to provide food or accommodation. How do you survive?

We have been working to support LGBTIQ+ Refugees in Kenya for over two years. In that time we have come to understand just how cruel homophobic societies can be, and often in the name of culture inspired by religion. Through the help of our generous and wonderful we have been able to pay for rent, food, clothing and medical care totalling many thousands of dollars. We know we have saved lives and there are people free now, safely in welcoming countries, because of the support given. Looking to the future and increased needs due to climate change and the hatred of homophobic leaders in various countries, we know we need to be smart about how we continue our work into the future.

Helping refugees start their own businesses to support themselves is the answer.

Many industrious and entrepreneurial refugees like Onics have proven to us that they have what it takes to make a difference for themselves and others. They have started safe houses in Nairobi where some refugees reduced to doing sex work to survive have found a real place of refuge so that they can stop doing what they hate.

So throughout 2023 we are planning to assist those houses and individuals to start businesses to help them become self-sufficient. We will do the same thing in Kakuma Camp helping refugees commence simple businesses like washing and ironing, chicken farms, small shops, and the making of clothes and other saleable items.

Can you please help us start a fund to be able to help our friends launch businesses so that the refugees can be actively involved in supporting each other. They hate begging for money. Wouldn’t you? They long to be able to provide for themselves, pay their own rents, buy their own food and even pay for medical assistance when needed.

Please join with us to save lives, and provide respect for those who have a right-to-be despite homophobic and hate-filled campaigns by those who would prefer they were dead.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS WORTHY CAUSE!

Cath Connelly