Maja Okholm, Refuges United’s Communication Assistant, reports from Nairobi, Kenya.

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending an entire day with with Refugees United‘s outreach volunteer, Farhiya. Together we went on a work assignment to Eastleigh, an area in Nairobi with a large Somali population, sometimes referred to as ‘Little Mogadishu.’ Here, you really experience Somali hospitality first hand. Through this experience I also learned more about Refugees United‘s outreach programmes aimed at reconnecting families separated by conflict, war and disaster.  The recipe is actually surprisingly simple, with only three ingredients, namely: one outreach volunteer (Farhiya), one community with a large refugee population (Eastleigh) and a cell phone (not specified). The steps are also very straightforward as you simply identify a building, knock on the first door you see and ask if there are any refugees in need of assistance. Are you searching for family and friends? Afterwards, Farhiya elaborates on the Refugees United platform with her great charisma and incredible sense of empathy.

They were all very welcoming and immediately invited us in and served drinks, while sharing their stories. Everyone we met had been separated from parts of or all of their family – it seems to be the rule rather than the exception in this community. Despite the devastating stories all these homes shared, they were incredible welcoming and warm. As a complete stranger, I felt at home right away. Farhiya then explained that what I had experienced was Somali hospitality, and that any guest in a Somali home will be met this way.

I was also able to see the impact of this outreach programme and the tangible outcome: all of the people we met registered on Refugees United’s online platform and started searching for their missing family and friends.