Between the Lines

I do a fair amount of reading for my job-- reports, budgets, budget narratives, log frames, concept notes, and proposals. Though I find myself sitting at my desk in Nairobi Monday through Friday, I spend 90% of my time mentally 680 miles away in Turkana County. The IRC runs two offices in Turkana, the largest and most northeastern of Kenya's counties, in Kakuma and Lodwar. In recent months, these two operations have absorbed thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in South Sudan. I had the privilege of teaching a unit on South Sudan at the leadership conference I worked at this summer. I think back to the misshapen map I would draw on the dry-erase board and the passionate discussions my high school students would have about the humanitarian crisis in the country. To be here, literally on the other side of it, is humbling and eye-opening. In many ways, the IRC's work is the frontline response these refugees meet when they cross into Kenya. Through my work, I get a factual and numbers-based understanding of what this looks like and the targeted ways the IRC's programs respond to the challenges. I haven't yet had the chance to visit Kakuma or Lodwar, but I work with the field staff daily to support their programs and ensure clear communication between them and the donors. One of my colleagues has written two pieces on the work of the IRC in response to the influx of refugees. You can read 'Twice a Refugee' and 'Silenced Minds: unshackling people with mental illness at Kakuma' on the IRC website.