Categories
Quotes of the Month

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”

 

Categories
Letter from the Editor

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

Categories
Human Rights

Are Refugees Entitled to Equal Pay for Equal Work?

conventionnew 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?

Categories
Contributors

Speaking for Refugees or Refugees Speaking for Themselves


The Voice of Refugees Newspaper in Osire Refugee Camp, Namibia
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.

Categories
Contributors

Speaking Out on Warehousing: 3 Questions for Merrill Smith

A Kakuma Camp neighborhood
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.

Categories
Humanitarian Services

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
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.

Categories
Humanitarian Services

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?

Categories
News Updates

50,000 Somali Refugees to Arrive in Kakuma

Temporary shelters for recently relocated Somali refugees
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.

Categories
News Updates

Refugee Boy Sustains Injuries in Police Beating

Refugees queueing to receive food rations
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.

Categories
News Updates

Reception of New Refugees in 2008

The Reception Centre greets new arrivals to Kakuma
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.