Shelby Quackenbush

RefuSHE

RefuSHE, a nonprofit organization operating in Nairobi, Kenya, is the first organization in Kenya devoted to protecting unaccompanied and separated refugee children and youth, with a special focus in supporting women and girls ages 13 to 23 years old from Somalia, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi. We provide shelter, education, vocational training, case management support, and advocacy to participants and their children who have experienced the detrimental effects of war, the loss of their families, and, in many cases, kidnapping, rape, trafficking, unlawful detainment, and torture. We also mobilize members of the refugee community through educational outreach. At the core of RefuSHE's model is the creation of a social network that empowers girls and young women to strive for economic self-sufficiency and become community leaders in their own right.