Ugandan LGBT Refugee Fund
Donation protected
Thank you to all who are taking the time to read this. The following is a correspondence shared with me by a friend who shall remain unnamed to protect his identity:
"I would like to take you through how I left Uganda and why how am fairing on in Kenya.
I left Uganda on three major reasons.:
1. I was being persecuted due to my sexual orientation.Where I stayed in Makindye, I almost got stoned to death by residents in my village when they learned that one of their own sons in the village who was my secret bottom lover had reported me to the police with Charges of aggravated homosexuality.
Police camped at my residence for days in that I got arrested and tortured by police and released on bond. Due to fear of losing my life, I had no option but to flee the country with my partner who also was Wanted by the police.
2. Being Gay, my family denounced me as they saw me as a disgrace, my close friends too were no longer my friends. I felt discriminated by my own and unwanted in the public.
3. At the same time, I lost my job due to my sexual orientation. My boss told me face to face he could not risk his company being shut down for my behaviour as the new bill here clearly stipulates punishment to anyone who does not report a gay person to authorities.
I happened to have reported my problems to an LGBT Organisation called Sexual Minorities Uganda.
The above reasons forced me to flee my country.
We went early February 2014. Been sleeping in lodges costing 1000 Kenya shillings per day which is $12 per day when you convert it to USD. Food for a whole day have been taking one meal in a day which is 300 Kenya shillings per day thats $3.60. When you add 300+1000=1300 kenya shillings per day which is $15.60 per day is what I spend personally. It's really expensive. It would be cheaper if I rented a house but then it is safer when you sleep in a lodge to avoid arrests.
On a monthly basis, I could survive on $500 if I eat one meal a day just to have life. I don't eat to get satisfied but to be able to live for the next day.
Currently we ran out of finances and got thrown out of the lodge.We had a bill we had not cleared. We had to wash bed sheets and scrub the whole toilets, bathrooms and corridors of the lodge as way of paying back and they let us go.
A day time security guard felt sorry for us and gave us accommodation in his one room apartment away from town for two days and then threw us out. We slept on the veranda of his apartment where he found us when he woke up at 3am and let us in. He gave us two extra days to sort ourselves. We couldn't go to the camp. As life is hell in the camp.
As I write to you this email, we are in camp in North of Kenya called Kakuma Camp. Its a three days journey away from Nairobi capital.
We plan to rent around to get out of the camp here where we are discriminated by many nationalities in the camp.
We pray God to Help us out as this life we have never seen.
Thats what we are going through at the moment.
Life is so hard in the camp here. Its easier if you have some money you can buy food and cook for your self."
Please donate and share with friends, family, and allies.
All and any assistance is appreciated.
Please refer to this link to view the most current anti homosexuality laws in Uganda.
"I would like to take you through how I left Uganda and why how am fairing on in Kenya.
I left Uganda on three major reasons.:
1. I was being persecuted due to my sexual orientation.Where I stayed in Makindye, I almost got stoned to death by residents in my village when they learned that one of their own sons in the village who was my secret bottom lover had reported me to the police with Charges of aggravated homosexuality.
Police camped at my residence for days in that I got arrested and tortured by police and released on bond. Due to fear of losing my life, I had no option but to flee the country with my partner who also was Wanted by the police.
2. Being Gay, my family denounced me as they saw me as a disgrace, my close friends too were no longer my friends. I felt discriminated by my own and unwanted in the public.
3. At the same time, I lost my job due to my sexual orientation. My boss told me face to face he could not risk his company being shut down for my behaviour as the new bill here clearly stipulates punishment to anyone who does not report a gay person to authorities.
I happened to have reported my problems to an LGBT Organisation called Sexual Minorities Uganda.
The above reasons forced me to flee my country.
We went early February 2014. Been sleeping in lodges costing 1000 Kenya shillings per day which is $12 per day when you convert it to USD. Food for a whole day have been taking one meal in a day which is 300 Kenya shillings per day thats $3.60. When you add 300+1000=1300 kenya shillings per day which is $15.60 per day is what I spend personally. It's really expensive. It would be cheaper if I rented a house but then it is safer when you sleep in a lodge to avoid arrests.
On a monthly basis, I could survive on $500 if I eat one meal a day just to have life. I don't eat to get satisfied but to be able to live for the next day.
Currently we ran out of finances and got thrown out of the lodge.We had a bill we had not cleared. We had to wash bed sheets and scrub the whole toilets, bathrooms and corridors of the lodge as way of paying back and they let us go.
A day time security guard felt sorry for us and gave us accommodation in his one room apartment away from town for two days and then threw us out. We slept on the veranda of his apartment where he found us when he woke up at 3am and let us in. He gave us two extra days to sort ourselves. We couldn't go to the camp. As life is hell in the camp.
As I write to you this email, we are in camp in North of Kenya called Kakuma Camp. Its a three days journey away from Nairobi capital.
We plan to rent around to get out of the camp here where we are discriminated by many nationalities in the camp.
We pray God to Help us out as this life we have never seen.
Thats what we are going through at the moment.
Life is so hard in the camp here. Its easier if you have some money you can buy food and cook for your self."
Please donate and share with friends, family, and allies.
All and any assistance is appreciated.
Please refer to this link to view the most current anti homosexuality laws in Uganda.
Organizer
Melissa Justine
Organizer
Burtonsville, MD
