Humanitarian Initiative Just Relief Aid (HIJRA)
Nairobi, Kenya
+254 (0) 20 527 0261
Kenya has continued to enjoy relative peace in a region plagued by armed conflict and civil strife; this has attracted large numbers of persons from neighbouring countries seeking refuge from armed conflict and natural disasters in their home lands. Recent estimates by UNHCR indicate that close to 500,000 refugees reside within Kenya’s borders.
The biggest proportion of the refugees reside in the designated camps (Dadaab and Kakuma) from where they receive attention from humanitarian actors. However, in spite of the encampment policy, the number of refugees settling in urban areas has been on the increase with Nairobi being home to more than 60,000. Urban refugees are an ‘invisible’ highly mobile population, reluctant to seek for support despite their needs. In the city, the refugees hope to find opportunities for improved livelihoods and alternative educational settings where their children can benefit from improved access to quality education.
HIJRA has been operating in Kenya since 2009, in 2010 Nairobi, Kenya became the international headquarters of the organization.
Since 2010, HIJRA has been providing direct material assistnce to refugee children in the form of school uniforms, writing materials, tuition fees and feeding programme contributions. Indirect assistance has also been provided in the form of desk donations to select schools. HIJRA has also integrated a psychosocial component into its current programming in order to address identified gaps in psychosocial support opportunities for urban refugee children.
Work to improve the levels of access to quality primary education for urban refugee children residing in Nairobi, Kenya.