Our Work
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to caring for vulnerable refugee women and their children. That’s why our holistic model is as unique as the population we serve. Our work is:
RIGHTS-BASED
Refugees are particularly vulnerable to human rights violations and abuse by local officials. We ensure that refugee girls feel confident in upholding their civil liberties and protected by the allies in their host communities.
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
Many of the participants in our care have experienced complex trauma and prolonged instability. We provide specialized, individualized, and trauma-informed support designed to promote healing, restore a sense of safety and stability, and empower them to move forward with resilience and hope.
GIRL-CENTERED
Our lens is shaped by the experiences, development, and needs of the girls and women we serve. Their voices and leadership guide our day-to-day program activities and inform our strategic growth.
Our Holistic Model
Protection
Provide protection and well-being support through mental health care, mental health justice, menstrual justice, social support, and safe shelter.
Self-Reliance
Promote self-reliance through vocational skills training; skilling, reskilling and upskilling certification; functional literacy and numeracy; entrepreneurship development; and support for business start-ups.
Legal & Advocacy
Advance advocacy and community engagement through peacebuilding, legal aid support, GBV awareness and response, and community strengthening.
Refugee women and children carry overlapping needs — legal, medical, psychosocial — that no single service can meet alone. That is where our Case Management comes in, the first point of contact, building a personalized plan for every girl. 3,088+ items of material assistance distributed last year.
20,000+ refugee children in Kenya are unaccompanied or separated. Our transitional Safe House gives girls and their children a secure place to heal. 100% report feeling safer after arrival.
Kenya has just 150 psychiatrists for 50 million people. This is the gap RefuSHE’s Mental Health Department exists to close. We offer trauma-informed talk therapy and somatic healing to fill that gap for refugee girls. 83% show a decrease in psychological distress after talk therapy.
Only 37% of refugee adolescents reach secondary school worldwide. RefuSHE exists to close that gap. Our Girls Empowerment Programme gets refugee girls into school and equips them with skills for the future. 98% of GEP students earn their certificate.
60% of refugees in Kenya are unemployed, leaving many women economically dependent and at risk. RefuSHE’s Artisan Collective empowers refugee women with business skills to build sustainable livelihoods. 100% of proceeds fund RefuSHE’s mission.
Just 7% of women-owned businesses in Kenya have access to formal finance. We provide the training and capital that refugee women need to build lasting livelihoods. 700+ women have received a loan to grow their own business.
Nearly 2 in 3 refugee women in Kenya have experienced gender-based violence. We train communities how to prevent and respond to it when it happens. 70% leave feeling empowered to act.