Hello friends,

My name is Jules Faraja Shengo, and I am the founder of Strong Unity for Refugee Empowerment (SURE), a refugee-led organization serving both refugee and host communities in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya.

Today I work alongside women, youth, and vulnerable families to strengthen livelihoods, improve food security, restore the environment, and create opportunities through sustainable agriculture and community development. What began as a small volunteer initiative has grown into a community effort reaching approximately 1,500 beneficiaries each year.

I believe that refugees are not defined by displacement. Given opportunity, training, and support, we can become leaders, innovators, and changemakers who help transform our communities.

But my journey to this work began many years ago in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

I was born in 1992 in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. After completing my education, I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Rural Development in 2016 and hoped to use what I had learned to help communities thrive.Instead, conflict and insecurity forced me to flee my home in 2018.

Traveling through Tanzania before eventually reaching Kenya, I left behind my home, my career, and many of the people I loved. During the conflict, I lost contact with my parents and many of my relatives. To this day, I do not know where my parents are or whether they are still alive.

Although that uncertainty has never left me, it also strengthened my determination to help others facing similar hardships.After arriving in Kakuma Refugee Camp, I experienced many of the same struggles faced by thousands of other refugees. Life was uncertain, resources were limited, and rebuilding from nothing was not easy.

As I spent more time in the community, I realized that refugees have incredible skills, knowledge, and determination. What many of us lack is opportunity.

That realization inspired me to establish Strong Unity for Refugee Empowerment (SURE) in 2018.

My vision was simple: refugees should not only receive assistance. We should also have the opportunity to become leaders, solve problems, and help build stronger communities.Today, SURE focuses on women's empowerment, youth development, environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, and community resilience.

Together with our volunteers, we provide practical training that helps families grow food, improve livelihoods, care for the environment, and become more self-reliant.

Every time I see someone gain confidence through new skills, I am reminded that lasting change begins by empowering people.One of the first projects we introduced was permaculture.

Our demonstration gardens have become living classrooms where participants learn practical techniques they can use to feed their families, improve their incomes, and share knowledge with others.These gardens are about much more than growing food. They are about growing hope.Looking ahead, my greatest dream is to establish a Climate-Resilient Regenerative Agriculture and Learning Hub.

The Earth Restorer Hub will provide hands-on training in permaculture, agroforestry, composting, mushroom production, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable food systems.

My hope is to create a place where refugees and host-community members can learn together, restore degraded land, strengthen food security, and build resilient livelihoods for future generations.Environmental restoration is one of the most important parts of our work because healthy land creates healthier communities.

For me, planting a tree is also about planting hope.

When children learn to care for the environment today, they become the leaders who will care for their communities tomorrow.Education is another foundation of everything we do.

Whether learning takes place inside a classroom, beneath the shade of a tree, or in one of our demonstration gardens, I believe knowledge gives people the confidence to create a better future for themselves and their families.These children remind me why I continue this work every day.

They deserve opportunities to learn, grow, and dream about a future filled with hope instead of hardship.

With the right support, I believe they can become the next generation of environmental stewards, community leaders, and changemakers.

Why I Need Your Support

Like many refugee-led organizations, we have big dreams but limited resources.

Your support will help us expand training programs, purchase agricultural tools and materials, strengthen our work with women and youth, continue restoring the environment, and take the next steps toward building our Earth Restorer Hub.

Every donation is an investment in people who are working hard to build a stronger, more self-reliant future for both refugee and host communities.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about my journey and the work of SURE.

I warmly invite you to stand with us as we grow hope, restore the land, and create lasting change together.

With gratitude,

Jules Faraja Shengo

Founder, Strong Unity for Refugee Empowerment (SURE)

🌱 Jules Faraja Shengo: Empowering Refugees Through Sustainable Solutions

Refugee-led solutions creating opportunities, restoring hope, and building resilient communities in Kakuma Refugee Camp