ABOUT US

Filling the Gap in LGBTQI Refugee Support

Community Support Initiative for Refugees (CoSIR) is a registered nonprofit supporting LGBTQI refugees living in Nairobi.

CoSIR was founded in April 2017 to provide healthcare, sex education, and economic empowerment to LGBTQI refugees, following the UNHCR’s discontinuation of financial assistance to LGBTQI refugees in Nairobi,

Our Vision

CoSIR envisions a safe and stigma-free community for all refugees to thrive.

Our Mission

To serve and enhance the quality of life for all LGBTQI refugees through sex education, health care awareness, economic empowerment, and positive social change.

Our Values

- Transparency and Accountability
- Honesty and Integrity
- Non-Discrimination

We advocate for LGBTQIA+ refugees' Health,
Safety, & access to opportunity

Protection

To secure emergency shelter and communal safe housing facilities to accommodate and provide basic support for vulnerable LGBTQI refugees/asylum seekers who are victims or at risk of gender-based violence.

Livelihood

To facilitate LGBTQI refugees’ economic empowerment, we provide financial literacy training, hands-on skills, job placements, table banking, loaning schemes, and other safe income-generating activities. These activities help refugees achieve self-sufficiency.

Health

To provide health and general peer education to refugees on how to live healthy lives. We share accurate, reliable information about HIV/AIDs, STIs, general sexual health, gender-based violence, and mental health. We also provide counselling and treatment as specific situations arise.

Human Rights

To advocate for LGBTQI refugees and asylum-seekers. We ensure that their voices are included, and their human rights respected, in communities where their struggles intersect. We also offer paralegal and prison support for all affected by discrimination.