Hey comrades :) !!!… I hope things have been treating you gently lately

I wanted to come back with an update about the eight queer refugees in Gorom, because I finally have a little bit of good news to share.

First, I want to thank everyone who has been reading their story, bumping the posts, sharing them and helping keep their situation visible. I’ve seen your comments and the way some of you keep coming back to boost their story and I genuinely appreciate it. Even when you don’t have money to donate, taking the time to help their story reach more people matters.

For anyone who is new here, I connected with these eight people through the queer refugee community after they arrived in Gorom from Kakuma, Kenya. As we started talking, they shared what they had been going through and the difficulties they were facing. I’ve stayed in contact with them since then and they reach out to me when things happen, which is how I’ve been able to share their situation with you.

As I’ve shared in my previous posts, they’ve been struggling with food and shelter and they’ve also faced frightening attacks. One of the trans women who was seriously injured in an earlier attack has continued experiencing pain and needs proper medical attention. Their situation is still very worrying.

But today, I finally have a small piece of good news.

About a week ago, a kind comrade donated money to help these eight refugees. Because our fundraiser organizer had been offline, there was a delay before the support reached us. Yesterday evening, the money finally came through.

As soon as I confirmed that it had arrived, I sent it to the group so they could buy food and cooking gas. They have since shared these pictures with me and I’m happy to show you what your kindness has helped make possible. 🫂❤️

It’s not enough to solve everything they’re facing but it means they can get some food and cook for now. When people are struggling just to meet their most basic needs, even this kind of support matters.

I wish I could keep providing for them myself, but I also have my own household to look after. That’s why I’m continuing to share their story here. They need more support than I can provide alone and I don’t want them to be forgotten simply because their situation isn’t changing overnight.

We’re still trying to raise $2,890 for these eight refugees.

The goal is to help them access safer shelter, food, clean water, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, clothing, medication and cooking essentials. We also hope to help David, who previously worked in a bakery in Kakuma, get the basic equipment and workspace he needs to start earning again.

I’m also hoping we can connect with organizations or people who may be able to help with emergency accommodation, protection, medical care or other urgent needs.

If you’re able to donate, the support link is in my profile. If you’d like to help privately or know an organization that might be able to assist, please reach out to me directly.

And if you can’t donate, please keep bumping and sharing their story. You never know who might see it and be in a position to help.

One small note for anyone new: our fundraiser page is still being updated, so some older information may appear for now. I didn’t want to stop sharing the situation while we work on getting the page updated.

Thank you for continuing to listen, care and stand with these eight people. I know this community has already done so much and I don’t take your kindness for granted.

This is a small step but I’m grateful that we can finally show that some support has reached them. I hope we can keep going and help them get somewhere safer.