Support Kenyan Migrant Domestic Workers in need
Donation protected
Our goal is to provide holistic support to affected Kenyan migrant domestic workers returning from Lebanon & the Gulf countries through cash transfers to cover basic needs, referrals to psychologists and doctors for free counselling and medical consultations, and helping them self-organise and identify long-term solutions to their reintegration challenges.
Who we are
SEND US HOME KENYA is a network of volunteers with the experience of working with migrant workers who simply wanted to do something to help our fellow Kenyans who were stranded in Beirut, Lebanon.
The network was born in August 18, 2020 out of deep concern over media reports about Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, who have recently found themselves unemployed and displaced following the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 4th explosions in Beirut.
We have also recently received requests to support Kenyan migrant domestic workers who are facing similar challenges in other Middle Eastern countries like Bahrain. We intend to extend this support to those in Bahrain and elsewhere.
We have been using our own funds and help from our families and friends to provide these services. But we now need your help to be able to continue supporting more women.
The situation
The August 4th explosion in Beirut coupled with COVID-19 left many migrant workers jobless and homeless. Many were abandoned outside their consulates by employers with no wages and no means of going home.
In August, a group of Kenyan migrant domestic workers organised a protest outside the Beirut consulate asking their government to send them home with not much success.
Throughout the month of August and for most of September 2020, they remained on the streets outside the consulate, surviving on food and other donations from local NGOs. Through the help of Lebanese volunteers and donations from well-wishers, over 122 Kenyan migrant domestic workers have managed to return back home. But hundreds still remain in uncertainty.
The experiences and situation of Kenyan migrant domestic workers upon return to Kenya vary: many are traumatised, many are at risk of destitution, some have returned pregnant or with children and some have no support from their families due to stigma. In essence, majority are in need of support.
Background context
There are as many as 3,000 Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, according to sources in Beirut. Many of them moved to Beirut to work as domestic workers and were contracted under Kafala, a system of employment that ties a migrant domestic worker’s immigration status to his or her employer. Kafala is the biggest enabling factor for the abuse and exploitation of migrant domestic workers at the hands of their employers and recruitment agencies in Lebanon. Over the last decade, many have shared accounts of:
-> Working 17 - 20 hours/day
-> Withholding of wages
-> Passport confiscation
-> Physical & sexual abuse
-> Racist treatment
The current situation has left them even more vulnerable than ever.
What is Send Us Home Kenya doing?
How
We have two volunteer community organisers in Beirut and Nairobi (both migrant domestic workers) facilitating our engagement with Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Beirut and returnees in Kenya through referrals.
We have a helpline number through which migrant domestic workers can reach out to us: +254 715 441 661.
We are also working in partnership with Migrant Rights organisations who are referring Kenyan migrant domestic workers in need to us.
Once we get a referral we complete a profile screening and assessment and decide on next steps as relevant.
What
--> Providing one off cash transfers (through m-pesa or western union) to Kenyan women in Beirut in need of financial assistance and repatriation support.
-->Providing one-off stipends to returnees (through m-pesa) at risk of destitution for emergencies and basic needs such as food and transport.
-->Facilitating free counselling sessions for returnees with our volunteer psychologists.
-->Facilitating referrals/signposting to other organisations for shelter and other long term needs for returnees such as building sustainable livelihoods.
How your donations will be used?
By donating you can make a big difference in the lives of migrant domestic workers who are at risk of destitution.
- $10 can purchase one week's airtime to facilitate access to free telecounselling sessions with our volunteer psychologists.
-$20 can pay for transport from the airport to their accomodation for returnees.
- $25 can cover the costs of essential food items such as maize flour, rice & beans.
- $60 can provide a one of stipend to cover all these needs & other emergencies such as medical care.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to us through our website sendushomekenya.org
Also on socials: @sendushomekenya (twitter/instagram/facebook/youtube)
Who we are
SEND US HOME KENYA is a network of volunteers with the experience of working with migrant workers who simply wanted to do something to help our fellow Kenyans who were stranded in Beirut, Lebanon.
The network was born in August 18, 2020 out of deep concern over media reports about Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, who have recently found themselves unemployed and displaced following the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 4th explosions in Beirut.
We have also recently received requests to support Kenyan migrant domestic workers who are facing similar challenges in other Middle Eastern countries like Bahrain. We intend to extend this support to those in Bahrain and elsewhere.
We have been using our own funds and help from our families and friends to provide these services. But we now need your help to be able to continue supporting more women.
The situation
The August 4th explosion in Beirut coupled with COVID-19 left many migrant workers jobless and homeless. Many were abandoned outside their consulates by employers with no wages and no means of going home.
In August, a group of Kenyan migrant domestic workers organised a protest outside the Beirut consulate asking their government to send them home with not much success.
Throughout the month of August and for most of September 2020, they remained on the streets outside the consulate, surviving on food and other donations from local NGOs. Through the help of Lebanese volunteers and donations from well-wishers, over 122 Kenyan migrant domestic workers have managed to return back home. But hundreds still remain in uncertainty.
The experiences and situation of Kenyan migrant domestic workers upon return to Kenya vary: many are traumatised, many are at risk of destitution, some have returned pregnant or with children and some have no support from their families due to stigma. In essence, majority are in need of support.
Background context
There are as many as 3,000 Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, according to sources in Beirut. Many of them moved to Beirut to work as domestic workers and were contracted under Kafala, a system of employment that ties a migrant domestic worker’s immigration status to his or her employer. Kafala is the biggest enabling factor for the abuse and exploitation of migrant domestic workers at the hands of their employers and recruitment agencies in Lebanon. Over the last decade, many have shared accounts of:
-> Working 17 - 20 hours/day
-> Withholding of wages
-> Passport confiscation
-> Physical & sexual abuse
-> Racist treatment
The current situation has left them even more vulnerable than ever.
What is Send Us Home Kenya doing?
How
We have two volunteer community organisers in Beirut and Nairobi (both migrant domestic workers) facilitating our engagement with Kenyan migrant domestic workers in Beirut and returnees in Kenya through referrals.
We have a helpline number through which migrant domestic workers can reach out to us: +254 715 441 661.
We are also working in partnership with Migrant Rights organisations who are referring Kenyan migrant domestic workers in need to us.
Once we get a referral we complete a profile screening and assessment and decide on next steps as relevant.
What
--> Providing one off cash transfers (through m-pesa or western union) to Kenyan women in Beirut in need of financial assistance and repatriation support.
-->Providing one-off stipends to returnees (through m-pesa) at risk of destitution for emergencies and basic needs such as food and transport.
-->Facilitating free counselling sessions for returnees with our volunteer psychologists.
-->Facilitating referrals/signposting to other organisations for shelter and other long term needs for returnees such as building sustainable livelihoods.
How your donations will be used?
By donating you can make a big difference in the lives of migrant domestic workers who are at risk of destitution.
- $10 can purchase one week's airtime to facilitate access to free telecounselling sessions with our volunteer psychologists.
-$20 can pay for transport from the airport to their accomodation for returnees.
- $25 can cover the costs of essential food items such as maize flour, rice & beans.
- $60 can provide a one of stipend to cover all these needs & other emergencies such as medical care.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to us through our website sendushomekenya.org
Also on socials: @sendushomekenya (twitter/instagram/facebook/youtube)
Fundraising team: Send Us Home Kenya (2)
Send Us Home Kenya
Organizer
Raised £35 from 2 donations
SUHK Coordinator
Team member
