I’m not just a refugee, I have much to offer

Students participate in a debate on the role of youth in peace building during an Amani Clubs Students Forum in Kwale County at Kwale High School on May 19, 2018. PHOTO | ANTHONY NJAGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • As a young woman, I have faced various challenges because of my gender and refugee status.
  • My parents fled South Sudan in 1991 because of the war and I grew up in Kenya with my four siblings.
  • I’ve been told how that “women are too soft” and shouldn’t be included in the peace building in South Sudan.

I am not just a refugee. I am a human being with dreams, goals and aspirations.

Behind every refugee there’s a name, a story and a person. We may have changed countries, or are unable to go back to our countries for fear of persecution or war and crises, but we still are people. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, doctors, teachers — we all have names and identities that go far beyond “refugee” but, too often, we are just seen as a faceless influx.

My name is Foni. People assume it’s a nickname but I was named after my grandmother. People mistake the spelling a lot too, calling me “phony” or “phone”. There’s a song by Jadakiss feat. Swizz Beatz and Oj Da that goes “He's phony, she's fake….” that people tease me about.

That always cracks me up! I laugh because the people teasing me know who I really am.

My parents fled South Sudan in 1991 because of the war and I grew up in Kenya with my four siblings. As well as facing discrimination, we struggled to get documentation and access basic rights such as education. I was always determined not to be defined by my past.

BURDEN

My family and I have much to offer and I refused to feel like a burden.

I graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and now run a small organisation with a friend, called Youth Empowerment and Mentorship Initiative. We help young people to fulfil their potential and pass on their knowledge and skills to others.

It’s been amazing to see young people we’ve mentored step up to mentor others, or to see people identify a need in their community and feel confident enough to come up with a solution.

As a young woman, I have faced various challenges because of my gender and refugee status. I’ve been told how that “women are too soft” and shouldn’t be included in the peace building in South Sudan. But the war didn’t just affect men; it affected everyone.

POSITIVE SHIFT

Over the recent years, I’ve seen a positive shift and the voices of women are being heard more. I work with the UNHCR Global Youth Advisory Council, consulting on issues relating to the protection and development of young people, including the internally displaced and stateless ones.

Moving to Kenya allowed me and my family to fulfil our potentials, and I want to help others to do this. Nowadays, I see Kenya as my second home and I have made friends with people who feel like family.

But I’ve never lost my identity and I am determined to use my skills to help to rebuild my country.

CHALLENGES

Campaigns such as Amnesty International’s I Welcome are important. It helps us move from challenges to solutions. Most of all, it helps us to see beyond the refugee status and encourages people to ask questions and hear stories.

Everyone deserves a dignified life in an equal society, defined not by their status but skills, stories and successes.

Everyday, I tell my family and friends that the term “refugee” doesn’t define them; it shouldn’t hold them back.

I am not just a refugee.

Ms Foni, 5, and her family fled South Sudan to Kenya in 1991. Twitter: @vuni07