Emmanuel Wetnhiak Ambrose is a South Sudanese refugee living in Nairobi, Kenya. The son of a human rights defender, Emmanuel was forced to flee his country in 2015 and seek safety in Kenya. He arrived in Nairobi at the end of December, caring for his two nieces and nephew, displaced by the conflict in Sudan. He eked out a living by washing cars – paid around 14 cents per car. - to survive. Coming from a rural pastoral community, the transition to urban life in Nairobi has been challenging. Despite this, Emmanuel, one of the few refugees permitted to live outside of Kenya’s “designated areas” (refugee camps Kakuma and Dadaab in northern Kenya), has engaged in tireless advocacy for his community.

In 2018, Emmanuel was a Co-founder of KADANA- UPR (Kakuma Dadaab Nairobi Refugees Association for Universal Periodic Review) – a refugee-led advocacy organization for refugees in Kakuma, Dadaab, and Nairobi to participate in the UN –UPR Mechanism. He later went on to Co-found the RELON-Kenya (Refugee Led-Organizations of Network of Kenya) and serve as an Executive Secretary and Communication Officer with the same organization – another refugee led advocacy organization that unites all refugees Led- Initiatives or Community Based- Organizations to advocate for refugees’ inclusion in decision making spaces and to speak with one voice on the matters affecting refugees. He works as a refugee incentive worker with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, visiting the police stations throughout Nairobi to monitor the human rights treatment and situation of detained refugees. He also participated in different local advocacy opportunities and the African Union summits on behalf of refugee youth.

Emmanuel was accepted to study law at the University of Nairobi in 2022 but was unable to complete his first year because he could not pay the tuition. While he engages in advocacy work by day, he still washes cars at night to support himself. Tuition is around $1900 a year for four years. Please contribute to help us support Emmanuel in his legal education. Emmanuel is already a fierce advocate for refugee rights. "If I acquire legal knowledge, I will be able to help others with free legal services,” says Emmanuel.

A few years ago, another South Sudanese refugee fought for admission to the Kenyan bar after she was admitted. Kenya is on the precipice of positive change in guaranteeing and implementing refugee rights enshrined in the Refugee Act of 2021 and implementing their commitments under the Global Compact for Refugees and their Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework through the Shirika Plan.

Emmanuel was recently instrumental in assisting the University of San Francisco School of Law’s International Human Rights Clinic with the Kenyan Department of Refugee Services’ process for outsiders to visit Kakuma refugee camp. Equipped with a law degree, he will be unstoppable in terms of making change for the refugee community.

Please contribute what you can to help him make that dream a reality!

Please note that Professor Lindsay M. Harris will be collecting the funds and distributing them to Emmanuel throughout his four years of study using the Sendwave money transfer app. She's happy to provide receipts to any interested parties. Please note that if we collect more than needed for the first year we plan to hold funds in an interest bearing account and distribute all interest to Emmanuel to help support his living expenses and the cost of books in addition to his tuition costs.