My name is Hukun and I grew up in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya: one of the largest refugee camps in the world. In 2013, I received a scholarship to immigrate to Canada and complete my Bachelor of Commerce degree at University of Guelph, through World University Service of Canada – WUSC’s - Student Refugee Program. While this has been an amazing opportunity for me, I left behind my mother and 5 siblings who are still living in Dadaab Refugee Camp.  I am currently in the process of trying to sponsor my family to immigrate to Canada, and this Go Fund Me campaign is an effort to raise some of the money required for the sponsorship. 

In Dadaab Refugee Camp, my family live in unbearable poverty and circumstances.  In 2017, the World Food Programme had to cut the food rations it provides for Dadaab refugees by 30%. There is also a lack of adequate shelter and hygiene. On top of these day-to-day struggles, there are also a wide range of security threats in the camp, such as being attacked by gangs or robberies at night. My mother has been a target for such violence twice. Kenya does not allow the refugees to move out of the camp and work, and this has caused the refugees to become hopeless and live in dismay.  All of my siblings go to school in Dadaab but the quality of education in the refugee camp is not very good and there are extremely few opportunities for post-secondary education. In Guelph, my brothers and sisters will be able to go to a good high school and then pursue careers through college or university education.

Since graduating from U of Guelph in 2017, I continue to live in Guelph with my husband and our 13 month old daughter.  My goal is to become a Chartered Accountant and raise my family in Guelph.  However, I am overwhelmingly stressed and depressed about the horrible insecurity and conditions that my mother and siblings live in the refugee camp. I therefore greatly appreciate any donations to help me raise the financial commitment that is required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to sponsor my family to immigrate to Canada. 

No donation is too small.  Thank you for helping to bring my family to safety by uniting us in Canada!

Hukun
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For information about life in Dadaab Refugee Camp, see:

Video: My life in the world's largest refugee camp - BBC News 

Kenya: Half of the assessed households report insufficient access to food at Dadaab refugee complex 

No Direction Home: A Generation Shaped by Life in Dadaab 

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Hukun's mother and four of her siblings in 2019



Hukun and her daughter in Guelph.