Dadaab Response Association

artemax2007@gmail.com

About

Dadaab Response Association (DRA) is a non-profit Community Based Organization founded by four graduates from York University in 2018. DRA is an inclusive CBO that has ten (10) members from diverse background with refugees from different countries and the Dadaab local community. The organization is dedicated to help refugees and locals reach their full potentials in all their undertakings through delivering its services and promoting community participation in encampment and host community within Dadaab, Kenya.

DRA as a legal member of African Higher Education in Emergency Network (AHEEN) is currently implementing higher education for refugees within the Dadaab camps and is closely working with the AHEEN network universities of Nairobi, Kenyatta, Juba, City University Mogadishu, Hope Africa University Bujumbura and Stellenbosch under the AHEEN RDP Pathways Program, Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) and Youth Education and Sports (YES) to implement higher education in displacement context.

Vision

To create a peaceful and vibrant community that lives in diversity. For cultural and socio-economic inclusion, empowerment and independence for their mutual benefits and development.

Mission

To lead the refugees and locals to amicably co-exist by educating them to participate in localising solutions to their problems, researching and advocacy.

Core Values

Responsive, inclusivity, transparency and equality.

Goals

To lead the displaced and marginalized communities into self-reliance

Objectives

1. Advocate for the rights, dignity and higher education for Dadaab refugees and neighbouring local host communities.
2. Conduct research in the Dadaab encampment and their neighbourhood through collaboration.
3. Influence policy makers to amend the laws which can include refugees in the development of the host nation.

Location

Dadaab, Kenya

AHEEN Involvement

1. Support to Secondary School students (mentoring, coaching, learning circles).
2. Kids Athletics & Athletics & Education secondary, Learning through Play.
3. Community engagement sports and arts – focus on secondary.
4. Subject tuition (math, science, languages) through matching with tertiary AHEEN students.
5. BHER 2.0 redesign, also for gender & disability, co-creation workshops with BHER partners.
6. Equitable student outreach for all tertiary programs.
7. Functional Learning Hubs (IT infrastructure, child friendly and gender appropriate).
8. Skills-gap, socio-economic, vocational pathways analyses for course selection and student orientation & counselling.
9. Athetics+Education program for tertiary students.
10. Integrative SEL program (sports, applied arts, engineering).
11. RLO support of tertiary students, management of Learning Hubs.
12. Community engagement, focus on tertiary (knowledge & innovation).
13. RLO support for students in HP Life courses and other relevant microlearning courses (digital/hybrid).
14. Internship advocacy inside refugee camps and in the private sector.
15. Refugee youth graduate engagement in policy change at local, national, regional and international level (coordination & synergies with relevant organisations and events, such as GRF).