This summer, our Livelihoods team traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to meet with refugees who are struggling to piece together a living in one of Nairobi’s largest slums, Eastleigh.
More than half of the world’s refugees now live in urban areas, and many are forced to look for work in the informal economy to provide for their families.
The international community has thus far done little to address the needs of refugees living in urban areas. UNHCR’s revised policy on urban refugees recognizes the need to expand services that will better protect the growing number of refugees living in urban centers like Eastleigh.
View our slideshow to learn more and to meet a few of the refugees who shared their stories with us.
Our work with urban refugees:
Our new research initiative, Urban Displacement: Developing an Understanding of Economic Needs, Protection Concerns, and Livelihood Strategies, focuses on identifying how urban refugees are making a living in cities like Nairobi and the kinds of protection risks they face.
We are developing guidance and recommendations on how to more effectively enhance the self-reliance and dignity of refugees living in urban areas.