#kanere

//bits of art i have laying around that i dont want to post individually

// 1. friedo sketchy... 

2. daverie pride icon thing

3. galusi ref 

4. work uniform and rpg character clothes thingy for kanere

jgsdfslg

A crowdsourcing effort is underway to support KANERE, a one-of-a-kind independent refugee-run media in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. The KANERE Refugee Free Press is published online as a blog (email here).

I, Dr. Barbara E. Harrell-Bond, have been involved with the KANERE journalists and this initiative in Kakuma since its beginnings, when the local staff of the Kakuma office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) first warned the journalists that they would never have a chance to be resettled or have their refugee status adjudicated if they did not stop producing their newspaper.

Then Bethany Ojalehto, a US Fulbright Fellow, came to Kakuma and collaborated with the team to publish their newsletter online. When she completed her fellowship in 2009, KANERE editorial duties and leadership transferred to a group of dedicated Kakuma-based journalists and KANERE became fully refugee-run.

That was not the end of KANERE's problems, however, which then included a struggle to secure resources and the support of local humanitarian actors, and to gain recognition as an NGO. With the intervention of Ekuru Aukot, a Kenyan lawyer, it has finally been recognised that refugee journalists have a right to be active. To improve the quality of KANERE, the long-time former editor of the Journal of Refugee Studies Margaret Okole agreed to edit KANERE, as she continues to do.

Donations of any size will enable KANERE to continue giving a vital voice to Kakuma refugees. Support KANERE – a refugee free press by donating today.

Sincerely,

Qaabata Boru, Editor of KANERE

Dear All,

We are pleased to announce that the newest issue of Kakuma News Reflector or (KANERE) is available online.

KANERE is a refugee free press devoted to independent reporting on human rights and encampment from Kakuma. The paper is seeking support to strengthen publications from both the UN Agencies and other organisations. Check us out online!

Sincerely,

Qaabata Boru & Ibrahim Gindicha

KANERE Editorial Team

Twitter: @KanereNews

Website

The following open letter was submitted by Kakuma News Reflector (KANERE), and is printed here with light editing. KANERE is an independent refugee free press operating from Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. According to KANERE, ‘In exercising a refugee free press, we speak in respect of human rights and the rule of law in order to create a more open society in refugee camps and to develop a platform for fair public debate on refugee affairs’.

  18 April 2014

KANERE Refugee Free Press

  Dear UNHCR,

KANERE is concerned about the mode in which refugees are harassed, intimidated, arrested and deported to Somalia in security sweeps from Kenya.

We suppose you are already on the case, but we would like to inform you that we have received many calls and complaints from refugees who were arrested by police in Nairobi. We have not been able to do a lot but we commit to reporting their stories for Kanere's publication!

Many refugee families of Somali and Ethiopian origin have been illegally detained even while they possess the government issued Alien ID cards. The home-to-home searches have led to bribes, extortion, exploitation and other abuses of their well-being. There are cases of refugee families who are being arrested and transferred to different police stations within the city since the security operation began. There are hundreds of such cases which have ensued and still happen on a daily basis, targeting residents of Eastleigh.

The essence is that Kenya is signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention and the 1969 Charter of OAU. It has domesticated the Kenya Refugee Act of 2006; however the sweep-ups and scapegoating of refugees will only violate the true spirit of the sovereign state to persons of concern!

KANERE is asking the High Commissioner for Refugees if this theme should be addressed in a more human and dignified manner and whether refugees should not be given a time frame to prepare if they must be forced into already overcrowded refugee camps.

We take the liberty to ask your office to proactively approach the Kenyan government to stop the arbitrary arrest of refugees, illegal detention and deportations.

With sincere regards,

  KANERE Editorial Board

Qaabata Boru & Ibrahim Gindicha

KANERE Editors

M: +254 724 720 233

T: @KanereNews

W: KANERE