<div><em>Greetings, I'm Beth Raps, a friend of the queer community at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. T</em><strong><em>he beautiful thing about this project is that it responds to pain and difficulty with a simple, ecological solution.</em></strong><em> It's community-sustaining, community-powered, and community-run.</em><strong><em> Your gift to this project is multiplied many times over. </em></strong>
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<div><strong>Need for the Solar Installation: Light = Safety</strong>
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<div>A proper solar installation will dramatically change lives here—not just for the queer community living here now, but for those who will come after us.<strong> Professionally installed, it will leave a real legacy and stand the test of time.</strong>
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<div><strong>Right now, darkness brings fear.</strong> Our community faces constant bullying and threats. Many of us live in hiding just to stay safe. Security lights at night would greatly reduce insecurity. <strong>In a place like this, light doesn’t just help us see—it means safety.</strong>
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<div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bdBaPlrQz-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em>Watch this video and you will see what I mean.</em></strong></a><strong><em> </em></strong>
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<div><strong>Here's an image from the video:</strong>
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<div>Having our own solar installation also means we can charge our phones without walking long distances or standing in long queues just to stay connected. I am writing this after walking almost half a kilometer to collect my phone from the only solar charging spot we have.<strong> I had to leave it there overnight just to get it charged.</strong>
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<div>Violence isn't the only threat we face. Sometimes, the threat is in the water itself. <strong>Solar power will help us boil safe drinking water,</strong> reducing diseases like cholera and bilharzia. It means we won’t have to rely on unsafe water sources, and our community can live healthier lives.
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<div class="youtube-replace"><a href="https://youtu.be/2YhFVT-JTxg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em>This video will show you how we now get drinking water.</em></strong></a><strong><em> Here's an image from the video:</em></strong>
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<div><strong>Many More Benefits: Light = Hope</strong>
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<div><strong>With solar power, we can start building sustainable livelihoods. </strong>A strong, reliable solar system will serve many people for years. The benefits are bountiful. <strong>Light also means hope.</strong>
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<div><strong>The solar installation will open the door to future projects,</strong> like small poultry farming, which needs heat for chicks to grow.
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<div>We can even create a small but steady income by allowing others in the camp to use the charging station.<strong> This will not only support our survival but may also help reduce bullying—because people who rely on our services will start to see us as human beings, not targets.</strong>
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<div><a href="https://youtu.be/QGmmTveCr2s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em>Here is a video about the company who will do the installation.</em></strong></a> We will provide unskilled labor, they will provide the skilled labor.
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<div><strong>Here is the quotation from the company detailing the cost of the project:</strong>
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<div>Having our own solar system will truly feel like a miracle. It will bring safety, health, connection, and opportunity to a community that has been living in fear for too long.
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<div><strong>All it takes is $5,250 to make this life-changing project a reality.</strong> Your support will bring light, safety, and hope to our community.
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Light, Safety, Hope: Solar Installation for Queer Refugees

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