UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims raised over Ksh. 15 Million in two hours for refugee education in Kenya at their fundraising Iftar dinner attended by dignitaries and business leaders in Nairobi this past Saturday.
The fundraising drive was called due to the fact that Kenya currently more than 450,000 refugees, 77 percent of whom are women and children. The majority of refugee children living in Kenya’s Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps only have access to primary education. Less than one third of refugee school-age children are able to attend secondary school and only 13 per cent of refugee youth have access to tertiary education. A funding shortfall for UNHCR’s education programmes has also resulted in the lack of basic infrastructure and a shortage of qualified teaching personnel essential to provide quality education to refugee children and youth in Kenya.
Fathiaa Abdalla, UNHCR Representative in Kenya had this to say, “The Iftar dinner was attended by government representatives, members of the diplomatic corps, inter-faith community leaders, and private sector business and community leaders. I was inspired by the refugee youth speakers at the dinner and was incredibly encouraged to see a diverse group of change-makers gather together for one evening to support the plight of people forced to flee by investing in their education.”
Dr. Yusuf A. Nzibo, SUPKEM Chairman, had this to say, “The holy month of Ramadan has brought our community together to support this worthy cause. What we have seen from the UNHCR & SUPKEM Iftar dinner is that we can provide much more than just a meal to needy people, we can invest in their future.”
You can get more information about the campaign here, donations be made via MPesa: Paybill No. 329378, Account: Ramadan. All funds raised go towards refugee education in Kenya.