Team No Sleep — A CBO’s Relentless Pursuit Towards Protection & Progress of LGBTQIA+ Refugees in Kenya
William Tumusiime, Executive Director of Team No Sleep shares his journey of setting up a community based organisation to work towards improving the wellbeing of LGBTQI refugees in Kenya
By Tanya Kathuria
A sense of community and belongingness plays a crucial role in supporting refugees — particularly those with diverse SOGEISC (sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics) as they face additional challenges to integrate back into society.
Samuel Hall’s study with the IOM on ‘Mapping and Research to Strengthen Protection and Assistance Measures for Migrants with Diverse SOGIESC’ finds those with precarious legal status tend to experience limited access to local or national justice mechanisms in transit and destination countries.
IOM has highlighted that “LGBT[IQ+] individuals who fall victim to hate crimes’’ are often unable to “report these offences or they refrain from doing so because of mistrust in the authorities and the justice system.”
Moreover, medical staff lack knowledge on the specific medical needs including mental health needs of those with diverse SOGIESC, especially trans people who might be on hormone therapy.
In this regard, community-led and refugee-led organisations can offer a safe and inclusive space where individuals can find acceptance, support, and solidarity. These organisations often have expertise in addressing the specific needs and experiences of queer individuals
To better understand how CBOs help queer refugees cope, Samuel Hall’s Digital Communications Assistant, Samuel Hall’s Tanya Kathuria interviewed William Tumusiime, Executive Director of Team No Sleep, a community-based, refugee-led organisation working tirelessly to improve the welfare of LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi. William is an Ugandan refugee and is also a part of the queer community.
Team No Sleep is a team of diverse and dedicated individuals, both queer Kenyan nationals and LGBTQI refugees who are passionate about serving the queer refugee community. Their mission lies in improving the capacity of refugee communities to implement self-determined, high impact & sustainable initiatives for better health & development. Team No Sleep strives to create a vibrant, healthy and self-sustaining refugee community
- TK: How did TNS start, what was the eureka moment for you?
WT: Team No Sleep, a community based organisation (CBO) started in 2015 as a craft workshop to improve the economic livelihoods of refugees fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. It began through the efforts of a group of queer refugees in 2015 who were making patchwork bags and items from kitenge fabrics to pay for their rent and basic needs. The eureka moment was when the group finally started making sales. During this time, they were invited to showcase the bags they had already made at an event.
At the event, the founder of TNS interacted with members of Kenyan-based organisations like HOYMAS, KEWSA and other counterparts who encouraged him to register the organisation and apply for available funding. This led to the registration of Team No Sleep as a Community Based Organisation (CBO) and the achievement of our first official grant from HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) to support a safe house, which Team No Sleep still runs today, eight years later. The safe house acts as a space where refugees can seek shelter, safety and stay protected from any onsets of conflict or harm.
2. TK: What are the most common challenges LGBTQI+ refugees face? How can other CBOs help them?
WT: Unemployment is still a big challenge for our community. CBOs can help by providing skills training to enable refugees obtain a meaningful job, provide seed funding and advocacy for provision of proper documents like working permits etc.
Additionally access to health and mental health services is another common challenge. Team No Sleep has fundraised emergency medical assistance and partnered with different organisations to provide health services. To efficiently provide health services to our members, we have worked with Health Options for Young Men on HIV/AIDs and STIs (HOYMAS), a Kenyan organisation which helps key populations access HIV testing, treating and Care and Kenya Sex Workers Association which supports sex workers in Kenya.
Given both organisations provide health facilities, we refer our members for services like HIV testing, screening and treatment, protective gears. Additionally our members receive medical assistance from NCCK which is the organisation madented by UNHCR to provide health services to refugees in Kenya.
But our members still can’t access health services due to insufficient funds, discrimination and homophobia. This can be addressed through sensitisations to reduce stigma and discrimination and the provision of emergency medical funds. This sensitisation needs to extend to law enforcement to include the police, chiefs, and others, to minimise unlawful arrests and human right violations..
They face other barriers too — administrative and legal ones as the lack of proper documentation prohibits refugees from sustaining livelihoods. There is a need to advocate for registration of new arrivals and provision of updated documents for refugees and asylum seekers.
3. TK: What kind of programs and initiatives do you currently run?
WT: We are holding sessions to sensitise and create awareness on HIV/ AIDS, STIs and STIDs and safe sex practices, sensitisation on safety and security, skill development programs, livelihood initiatives, mental health programs, and dialogues with different stakeholders link UNHCR and HIAS.
4. TK: Can you tell us a little bit more about how these opportunities have helped empower refugees?
WT: Team No Sleep has implemented a wide range of activities and our impact has been positive. For instance, we have trained a number of LGBTQI refugees in different courses like online freelancing, digital marketing, makeup and beauty therapy, barbering, nail technology, tailoring etc.
I am happy to mention that 99% of those trained are working and earn a certain income. Among them include a gender non conforming individual who trained and excelled in nail technology, and now is working in one of the nail parlours in Rongai, a suburb in Nairobi.
Moreover, our referrals for health services and psychosocial support have helped refugees a lot. Team No Sleep has engaged other locals’ organisations like HOYMAS, KEWSA which provide health services to enable LGBTIQ refugees access services like HIV testing and counselling, preventive gears eg. condoms, lubricants, PrEP and PEP. Furthermore, through our mental health program our beneficiaries get a chance to discuss their mental challenges with qualified psychotherapy counsellor and also link them to other organisations like HIAS, GALCK and JINSIAGU for more counselling.
Another way we seek to empower refugees is through safety and security sessions. Refugees have been able to learn more about their rights and security measures to avoid insecurities and unlawful arrests.
5. TK: What challenges have you faced so far in your operations especially as a refugee-led organisation?
WT: Some of the challenges we faced are insufficient funds to carry out our operations. Homophobia and xenophobia from the host community have also affected the way we work as a refugee-led organisation.
Additionally, policies like the encampment policy put in place by the government and national agencies who are mandated to serve refugees are not implemented in the favour of organisations like ours. Reason being, beneficiaries of our members are designated to be in camps which have high levels of violation of human rights of LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.
6. TK: In your opinion, what better policies and programs can be employed by the government for the protection of LGBTQI Refugees? Additionally, what kind of protection, if any does the new refugee bill offer for LGBTQI+ refugees in Kenya?
WT: The government should come up with better policies which are aimed to benefit queer refugees and sensitise them on the same. Refugees should be included especially when it comes to education programs and other development programs.
They should also consider sensitising host communities on the rights of refugees, through dialogues with local authorities and engaging the media. Additionally, the government should consider providing documents like working permits and KRA pins and assisting our community members to access them easily.
The new refugee bill protects all refugees without discrimination. That is why Kenya through the department of refugee services still welcomes and register new arrivals in our community .
