Quotes of the Month: January 2009
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
“When others control the voice [of refugees], is it any wonder that the appeal is almost always for more aid and not for more rights?”
-Merrill Smith, of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants/ “Speaking Out on Warehousing: 3 Questions for Merrill Smith”
“One way to begin to address the evils of [refugee] camps is to create feedback mechanisms…If a free press spreads among the hundreds of camps in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and appears on the World Wide Web, indeed a feedback mechanism will have been established.”
-Dr. Barbara Harrell-Bond, refugee rights advocate and founder of the Oxford Refugee Studies Centre / “Speaking for Refugees or Refugees Speaking for Themselves”
“Refugees are human beings. Human rights are the things that belong to us and no one can take them away.”
-A refugee incentive worker on wage inequalities / “Are Refugees Entitled to Equal Pay for Equal Work?”
“[Refugees] have a right to information and transparency from UNHCR and partner staff… A rights-based approach requires organizations to support people to demand what they are entitled to.”
-UNHCR, in A Community-Based Approach in UNHCR Operations / “KANERE Celebrates One Year of UNHCR’s Rights- and Community-Based Approach”
Letter From the Editor
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
To all KANERE readers, here and abroad;
The second issue of the Kakuma News Reflector highlights the defining experiences of our growth so far.
We are consolidating our approach to human rights reporting, reflected most clearly in our feature report on the right to equal pay. We have also invited contributions from international experts on refugee affairs, enriching our coverage with views from Dr. Barbara Harrell-Bond, a leading refugee advocate, and Merrill Smith of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Other advocates and scholars have expressed their willingness to contribute to future issues of KANERE.
We have received widespread support from the national and international community. The Kenyan Government has welcomed our initiative and we enjoy collaboration with local officials. We are delighted to welcome the support of international organizations and advocacy groups including Fahamu, the Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network, and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, among others. Our story has been covered by media outlets as diverse as Pambazuka News and the Forced Migration Current Awareness blog, reaching thousands of readers across the globe.
We hope this issue edifies and enlightens, but also begins to spark change. As you read, please keep in mind our struggles and affirm our cause. Pass our story to media outlets; cross-list our blog with websites and online groups; and share your many comments! A free press means a freer refugee camp.
Signed,
KANERE
Are Refugees Entitled to Equal Pay for Equal Work?
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
In Kakuma Refugee Camp parlance, a distinction is made between “incentive” and “salary” payments. Refugees with proper qualifications and competence in their fields employed by international organizations are paid “incentives” and not salary. The incentives are far below what their non-refugee counterparts earn in the form of salaries. Are refugees entitled to equal pay for equal work? (more…)
Speaking for Refugees or Refugees Speaking for Themselves
The Voice of Refugees Newspaper in Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
Dr. Barbara Harrell-Bond
Dr. Harrell-Bond is a leading advocate for refugee rights. She founded the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University and the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program at the American University in Cairo. She has written many articles and books on refugee situations, including Rights in Exile: Janus-Faced Humanitarianism with G. Verdirame. KANERE invited Dr. Harrell-Bond to contribute an editorial on a refugee free press. (more…)
Speaking Out on Warehousing: 3 Questions for Merrill Smith
A Kakuma Camp neighborhood
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
To highlight the global campaign to end warehousing, KANERE interviewed Merrill Smith, the Director of Government Relations and International Advocacy for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and the Editor of the World Refugee Survey. KANERE posed three questions relating to the UNHCR, greatest successes, and a refugee free press. (more…)
KANERE Celebrates One Year of UNHCR’s Rights- and Community-Based Approach
KANERE will be refugees' "eye glasses" to see the reality of their situation
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
Do we refugees have a right to participate in decision-making that affects our lives? Yes, we do! The rights- and community-based approach of UNHCR guarantees us the right to participate in decision-making and demand our entitlements. This January, KANERE celebrates the one-year anniversary of UNHCR’s publication of a manual intended to support UNHCR staff in implementing the new approach.
Budget Cuts Impact Humanitarian Services
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
Major budget cuts in January 2009 affected all sectors of humanitarian services in Kakuma Camp. KANERE reporters surveyed the practical consequences of budget cuts and examined their impact in human terms. Can minimum rights protections still be guaranteed under the slimmer system? (more…)
50,000 Somali Refugees to Arrive in Kakuma
Temporary shelters for recently relocated Somali refugees
Volume 1, Issue 2 /January 2009
50,000 Somali refugees are to be relocated from Dadaab Refugee Camp in eastern Kenya to Kakuma Camp this year. UNHCR is coordinating the project and plans to relocate 10,000 Somali refugees per month. Current targets are set to transport about 3,000 Somali refugees to Kakuma on a weekly basis. (more…)
Refugee Boy Sustains Injuries in Police Beating
Refugees queueing to receive food rations
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
A 16-year old refugee boy sustained injuries after he was beaten by a Kenyan police officer on 15 December, 2008, at Food Distribution Centre Three in Kakuma Refugee Camp. The incident occurred while the boy was collecting his food rations. (more…)
Reception of New Refugees in 2008
The Reception Centre greets new arrivals to Kakuma
Volume 1, Issue 2 /January 2009
During 2008, Kakuma Camp saw 3,014 new refugees arrive and 8,058 refugees repatriate voluntarily to their home country. Reception centre serves as a transition point for all refugees entering the camp as asylum-seekers and exiting the camp as returnees to home. KANERE visited the centre for updates on refugee reception and repatriation. (more…)
64% of Students Fail Primary Education Certificate Exam
Students gather for assembly at a camp primary school
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
Only 36% of students in Kakuma Refugee Camp passed the 2008 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam. Of the 1,215 students who sat for exams in Kakuma Camp primary schools, 440 are academically qualified to continue on to secondary education. Of those who passed, 50 students were girls. (more…)
Secondary Education a Slim Hope for Refugee Youth
Volume 1, Issue 2 / January 2009
Of the 1,215 candidates who sat for the 2008 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in Kakuma Refugee Camp, only 40 (3%) will be eligible to continue their education at the camp secondary school. With the classrooms of Kakuma Refugee Secondary School barely filled, the future of hundreds of youth is uncertain. (more…)
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