Source: APO – Report:
For thousands of refugee and host community women living in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, resilience is more than a response to adversity, it is a daily reality.
Faced with economic hardship, displacement, limited livelihood opportunities, and heightened protection risks, many women and girls continue to confront significant barriers to realizing their full potential.
Through the Government of Japan-funded Project “Enhancing Women’s Resilience in Refugee Camps and Host Communities”, UN Women Kenya, working alongside county government of Turkana, international and national non-governmental organizations, has helped create pathways to safety, economic empowerment, and self-reliance.
Years after implementation, the project’s impact continues to be felt across refugee and host communities, with women and young people building sustainable livelihoods, accessing essential services, and shaping a more hopeful future.
Kenya hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the Horn of Africa, with more than 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers residing in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. While the Government of Kenya’s Shirika Plan seeks to advance refugee inclusion and self-reliance, women and girls continue to face complex challenges, including poverty, limited access to financial services, restricted economic opportunities, gender-based violence, and unequal access to digital technologies.
Recognizing these barriers, the Enhancing Women’s Resilience in Refugee Camps and Host Communities Project was designed to strengthen the resilience of women and girls through economic empowerment, skills development, protection services, and community engagement. Implemented through a network of partners including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), Don Bosco Kakuma, Peace Winds Japan, and Rural Women Peace Link (RWPL), the initiative sought to equip women and girls with the skills, resources, and support needed to thrive.
A recent UN Women Kenya mission led by Country Representative Antonia Sodonon provided an opportunity to revisit project sites and assess the sustainability of results achieved under the initiative. Across the settlements, one message emerged consistently: investments in women and girls continue to generate transformative change long after project activities have ended.
Among those whose lives have been transformed is Neema, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2023, Neema enrolled in vocational training through the project, pursuing a course in tailoring and dressmaking. The training provided more than technical skills; it offered a pathway toward economic independence and renewed confidence.
Today, Neema operates her own tailoring business in Kakuma, earning an income that supports her family and contributes to household stability. Her growing enterprise has enabled her to build a reputation within the community while opening new possibilities for the future.
“I joined the programme because I wanted a skill that could help me support myself and my family,” Neema says. “Now I have my own business, and I am able to earn an income. My dream is to expand the business and mentor other women so that they can also become self-reliant.”
Neema’s story reflects the wider impact of vocational training interventions implemented through partners such as Don Bosco Kakuma, where refugees and host community members received training in trades including tailoring, mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, and salon services. Through these skills, participants have been able to secure employment, establish businesses, and strengthen their economic resilience.
For Nawar, a refugee from South Sudan, the project provided support at a critical stage in her life. Having arrived in Kenya in 2014, she participated in the project’s girls’ empowerment initiative before later pursuing hairdressing as a livelihood opportunity. The training equipped her with practical skills that she would eventually transform into a sustainable business.
Today, Nawar operates a hairdressing business from the Women’s Empowerment Centre, earning an income that allows her to support herself and contribute to her family’s well-being.
“The project helped me believe in my abilities and gave me the skills I needed to start something of my own,” she explains. “Through my salon business, I can support my family and plan for a better future.”
Her journey highlights the importance of investing in adolescent girls and young women, particularly in displacement settings where opportunities are often limited. Beyond livelihoods, project interventions also provided girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, life skills training, sports programmes, and awareness initiatives aimed at reducing vulnerability to child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and school dropout.
The project’s impact is equally evident in the story of Alex, a refugee from South Sudan whose determination and entrepreneurial spirit have transformed skills into opportunity. Through project-supported mechanical training, Alex acquired technical expertise that enabled him to establish a spare parts shop and a mini garage in Kakuma.
What began as vocational training has since evolved into a thriving business that supports not only his livelihood but also those of other young people in the settlement.
“The training gave me practical skills that I could immediately use to earn a living,” Alex says. “Today, I train other young people in mechanical work so that they can also gain skills, find opportunities, and become self-reliant.”
His story demonstrates how investments in technical and vocational education can create ripple effects that extend far beyond individual beneficiaries, generating employment opportunities and strengthening community resilience.
Beyond livelihoods, the project also strengthened protection systems for women and girls. Through collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), survivor-centred services were expanded through the Gender Violence Recovery Centre, providing medical care, psychosocial support, counselling, and referral services for survivors of violence. Partnerships with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) enhanced access to justice through legal aid services, while collaboration with community actors strengthened prevention and response efforts. Additionally, engagement with Peace Winds Japan and refugee-led organizations helped advance youth skills development, water access, and community resilience initiatives that continue to benefit refugee and host populations.
The success of the Enhancing Women’s Resilience in Refugee Camps and Host Communities Project demonstrates the value of long-term investments in women and girls. By combining economic empowerment, protection, skills development, and community partnerships, the initiative has helped create lasting pathways toward self-reliance and inclusion. Most importantly, it has empowered women and young people to become active contributors to their communities, proving that resilience flourishes when individuals are provided with opportunities, support, and the tools to shape their own futures.
As Kenya advances its vision of refugee inclusion and shared prosperity under the Shirika Plan, the experiences of Neema, Nawar, and Alex serve as powerful reminders that meaningful change is possible when governments, donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and communities work together. From tailoring workshops and hair salons to mechanical garages and strengthened protection services, the legacy of this Government of Japan-supported initiative lives on through the countless individuals whose lives have been transformed and whose aspirations continue to inspire hope for a more resilient future.
– on behalf of UN Women – Africa.
