Heshima Kenya specializes in identifying and protecting unaccompanied and separated refugee children and youth, especially girls, young women and their children, living in Nairobi, Kenya. Our shelter, education and community outreach services, coupled with local resources and the refugee community, empower this population to live healthy lives. By providing resources for long-term support, these girls and young women become catalysts for strengthening networks creating sustainable change within the local and global communities.
The Maisha Collective, launched in 2010 as an extension of Heshima Kenya’s education program, is a peer-driven initiative that serves to grow leadership, business skills, and self-sufficiency of program graduates through the creation of hand-dyed scarves and textiles. Members also receive transitional support that complements their savings, enabling them to live independently and as confident leaders within their communities.
Today, those scarves are sold on our Etsy store and managed through our Chicago headquarters. One-hundred percent of the proceeds are reinvested into Heshima Kenya’s programs and the savings of Maisha Collective members.
