Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

Benigne comes from a large family, the second born in a family of eight. Her father was a schoolteacher, and her mother was a subsistence farmer. At three years old, Benigne was taken to live with her paternal grandparents who lived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Growing up, Benigne had no interaction with her mother or siblings. Her father occasionally visited them, bringing news of the family but she never laid eyes on the rest of her family for the next 13 years.

In 2018 violent wars erupted in their town, and Benigne and her grandparents were forced to flee their home. Unfortunately, the hostility and attacks intensified in their new residence accompanied with land seizures, cattle theft, and destruction of houses. Fearing for her safety and lacking the strength to accompany her, her grandparents handed Benigne over to distant relatives who were fleeing to Burundi.The family reached Burundi after walking for hours and safely crossing the lake in a small boat. Though they found shelter in a refugee camp and received assistance from well-wishers and the UNHCR, they faced many problems and Benigne had a hard time adjusting to life with her new family. 

Through sheer luck, Benigne connected with her older sister on Facebook one day after several years apart. Her name popped up as friend suggestion on Benigne’s list of ‘People You May Know’ and she sent her a Facebook friend request. They exchanged messages and pictures and experienced a joyful online reunion. Benigne’s sister had arrived in Kenya a few years earlier and was a participant of RefuSHE at the time. She motivated Benigne to leave the camp and travel to Kenya to reconnect with her and find better opportunities. Her sister’s journey to Kenya had been traumatic and she provided Benigne with helpful guidance to allow her a safer transit. Benigne decided to go to Nairobi in the company of other refugees. They traveled via Uganda to Nairobi, walking parts of the journey and catching a bus in other parts of the journey. When she arrived in Nairobi, her sister picked her up at the bus station and took her home. She helped her follow up on her documentation from UNHCR and Refugee Affairs Secretariat (RAS) and also helped her together first job as a cook in a local hotel. Benigne did several odd jobs while living with her sister. 

In 2019, she was able to join RefuSHE’ s Girls Empowerment Program to continue her education.She joined Level One for basic education where she learned literacy, numeracy, and other different subjects. She also attended Grade III tailoring class for basic dressmaking skills. Each year, she advanced to the next class and successfully passed the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) accredited Grade III tailoring exams. 

Before arriving at RefuSHE, Benigne faced many problems. She was fortunate to live with her sister, but it was difficult to survive without any support. The only jobs available to her were dirty and difficult jobs which exposed her to exploitation and abuse. Sometimes her bosses would not pay her or deny her food. Her life before joining the Girls Empowerment Program was hard and stressful. Her conversational skills in English and Kiswahili were poor and she felt helpless and insecure daily as she struggled to meet the demands placed upon her. Joining RefuSHE’s Girls Empowerment Program gave Benigne a new lease of life. Being able to continue her education helped her regain confidence and social skills and the campus provides her with a protective space following the struggles she had experienced.

Today, Benigne serves as Student Council President on RefuSHE's campus. As the student council president, Benigne has learnt to face student issues head on and get things done. This has given her amazing confidence and has helped her overcome the fear of public speaking. She also feels capable of holding other leadership positions in the future when she transitions out of RefuSHE.