Light, Safety, and Hope: Solar Installation for Queer Refugees in Kakuma, Kenya
Beth Raps here, RAISING CLARITY as a friend of the queer community at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.
The beautiful thing about this project is that it responds to pain and difficulty with a simple, ecological solution.
It’s community-sustaining, community-powered, and community-run.
Your gift to this project is multiplied many times over.
Note: The words below were written (and in the case of the topmost video, spoken) by Rashid Wabwire, the project organizer living in Kakuma Camp.
Need for the Solar Installation:
Light = Safety
A proper solar installation will dramatically change lives here—not just for the queer community living here now, but for those who will come after us. Professionally installed, it will leave a real legacy and stand the test of time.
Right now, darkness brings fear. Our community faces constant bullying and threats. Many of us live in hiding just to stay safe. Security lights at night would greatly reduce insecurity. In a place like this, light doesn’t just help us see—it means safety.
Watch this video and you will see what I mean.
Having our own solar installation also means we can charge our phones without walking long distances or standing in long queues just to stay connected. I am writing this after walking almost half a kilometer to collect my phone from the only solar charging spot we currently have. I had to leave it there overnight just to get it charged.
Violence isn’t the only threat we face. Sometimes, the threat is in the water itself. Solar power will help us boil safe drinking water, reducing diseases like cholera and bilharzia. It means we won’t have to rely on unsafe water sources, and our community can live healthier lives.
This video will show you how we now get drinking water.
Many More Benefits:
Light = Hope
With solar power, we can start building sustainable livelihoods. A strong, reliable solar system will serve many people for years. The benefits are bountiful. Light also means hope.
The solar installation will open the door to future projects, like small poultry farming, which needs heat for chicks to grow.
We can even create a small but steady income by allowing others in the camp to use the charging station. This will not only support our survival but may also help reduce bullying—because people who rely on our services will start to see us as human beings, not targets.
Here is a video made by and about the company who will do the installation.
Here is the quotation from the company detailing the cost of the project:
To cut costs and make the most efficient use of your support, we will provide the unskilled labor needed for the installation, guided by the company’s professionals, who will provide the skilled labor on-site.
Having our own solar system will truly feel like a miracle. It will bring safety, health, connection, and opportunity to a community that has been living in fear for too long.
All it takes is $5,250 to make this life-changing project a reality. Your support brings light, safety, and hope to our community.
Beth Raps again, RAISING CLARITY about how to make your gift.
My hope is for you to invest directly in the project by sending funds to the community’s account in Kenya.
That way, there’s complete transparency and directness in the use of the funds.
Whatever your preference for giving, please contact me to make it happen:
bethraps@raisingclarity.com
as well as for answers to any questions you may have.