COSIR kenya

LGBTIQ refugees peacefully protesting the deduction of Financial Assistance in front of UNHCR offices in Nairobi Dear World, fellow LGBTIQs and friends of the Rainbow, Greetings from LGBTIQ refugees from Kenya (Nairobi and Kakuma). Hope this message finds you well. We appreciate God for all the blessings of 2017. Although it has been a very difficult year for most of our LGBTI colleagues, there are definitely things to thank God for. We condole with those who have lost loved ones and wish those who are unwell a quick recovery. In the year 2017, our LGBTIQ community has faced enormous difficulties. We witnessed some of the worst forms of crime and insecurity. Gruesome murders of prominent personalities in different parts of the world and of course so many other LGBTI whose sickness went unreported! We also lost formidable refugee colleagues like John Paul and Roger also known as Nana, We pray that their souls rest in peace. Also read: UNHCHR to cut-off Financial

UNHCR TO CUT-OFF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM LGBT REFUGEESS IN NAIROBI LGBTI refugees are yet to find a hard time as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees – UNHCR in Kenya’s capital Nairobi is set to end financial assistance to LGBTI refugees. The UN refugee agency announced a possible move to cut off the financial assistance that it has been for all along offering to LGBTI refugees living in Nairobi. The agency announced the sad news through the focal person for LGBTI refugees Ms. Beth Waruiru in a series of meetings held between 4 th to 6 th December in different localities where LGBTI refugees reside. The UN Refugee Agency has come to the decision majorly citing the limitedness of funds to continue with financially supporting LGBTI refugees living in urban settings. The agency further maintained that its high time LGBTI refugee involved in livelihood and income generating activities. The move however, means the minority population will have to face the hosti

WE ARE REGISTERED!!! Dear members, allies and partners, It’s with excitement and pleasure that we announce the successful registration of our organization as a Community Based Organization in the country. This means that our operations shall be guided by the CBO act in Kenya and shall therefore be recognized as legal under the Ministry of East Africa Community, Labour and Social Protection. We are very proud and thankful for this great achievement, a big thank you to all who supported us to get this far, we are very grateful. Something to note, COSIR is the first LGBTIQ Refugees’ CBO to successfully register. Despite the hardships in the process including but not limited to holding our certificate citing a need to review of what the intension of a Refugee centered organization was and the commissioner’s dictation to us to make the entire Executive board members to be Kenyan nationals and change the Group’s name to something else & should not include the word “refugee” anywhere.

Police raided and forcibly closed the Queer Kampala International Film Festival on December 9, 2017, Human Rights Watch, an international human rights body, reported yesterday. The festival featured films and documentaries portraying the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people. Police offered no formal legal basis for forcibly shutting down the festival. The festival, held for the second year in Kampala, began on December 8. The festival organizer, Kamoga Hassan, told Human Rights Watch that the opening night was successful. A large audience responded positively to the films, he said, which included stories of LGBTIQ people coming to terms with their identities, fighting discrimination, engaging in activism, and falling in love. Organisers had hoped the stories shown during the festival would help to educate Ugandans about communities that face discrimination and marginalisation in their country. “The raid on the Queer Kampala Internation

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROCESS IS SET TO DELAY FURTHER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS.  In a statement issued by the US Government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees – UNHCR in Kenya indicated a further delay yet to happen in the resettlement process as of the beginning of next year 2018.    The statement read “The US Government has resumed resettlement processing activities. However, the process of the refugee applications may take longer than in previous years due to reduced world-wide admission targets as well as additional screening requirements. These changes to the application process are likely to result in a delay of the final decision for all resettlement cases. As the previous Executive Orders pausing resettlement have expired, there is no further need to provide evidence of a bona-fide relationship in the United States. However, pursuant to a new Executive Order, issued October 24, 2017, the United States Government is currently undertaking a furt