RLO Network of Kenya & Heinrich Böll Foundation - Gender Responsive Advocacy Workshop

31.01.23-01.02.23: Samuel Hall collaborated with Refugee-Led Organisations Network, Kenya & Heinrich Böll Foundation - African Migration Hub in Kenya and Uganda to deliver workshops on Gender Responsive Advocacy led by Nassim Majidi, Devyani Nighoskar & Jared Ouwor. The workshop focused on three key thematic areas- the gendered and social equity dimensions of the climate-migration nexus: anticipating social transformations and risks associated with climate change, using digital media for advocacy and storytelling & contextualizing advocacy for localisation, inclusion and durable solutions.

The aim of the workshop was to reflect and share contextual knowledge about how gender plays a role in the broader social equity context and brainstorm on how Refugee Led Organisations can create more inclusive solutions and mitigate risks of gendered inequalities like climate change.

Our research shows that climate change acts as a “threat multiplier” for many women & young girls in conflict areas thus accentuating the risks of migration. Our co-founder Nassim Majidi led a session on the gendered nexus of climate change & how RLOs can help mitigate these risks. Some key recommendations include integrated partnerships, understanding of specific needs during the migration cycle, community led engagement, women led advocacy initiatives while also documenting traditional knowledge systems.

Stories being integral to Samuel Hall’s work, Devyani Nighoskar and Jared Owuor also led a session on enabling digital advocacy through storytelling for refugees hence emphasising the power of their own voice. Some key takeaways include creating safe spaces for digital storytelling, advocating for policy change, providing access to technology and also providing digital safety resources among others.

Understanding the importance of structured humanitarian-development funding flows and mechanisms, Nassim led a session on contextualizing advocacy for localisation, inclusion and durable solutions. Some key recommendations include creating a localised reponse and building local partner capacities.