Sweden based NGO Starts Campaign to Benefit LGBTI Immigrants as well as Address the Question of Asylum

By Editor

Find Hope, a Sweden based NGO fighting discrimination against LGBT immigrants and bullying based on gender orientation and sexuality among youth has launched a campaign to educate the community on the process of asylum.

The same campaign is trying to raise funds to support LGBT immigrants and those seeking asylum. The funds raised will go to hiring lawyers that are well versed with the process of asylum to defend people whose requests for resettlement have been denied and those whose lives are at risk if they are deported. The programme seeks to also educate asylum seekers on the procedure used to grant refuge in third party countries through seminars on immigration laws.

Besides handling asylum cases, Find Hope will channel funds to construction of shelters for immigrants and provision of instant communications to be used during emergencies.

Find Hope also provides psycho social support and monthly gatherings where members share their challenges and progresses.

In the recent past, there have been many cases of western nations turning down LGBTI asylum seekers. Programmes like these could open doors for mediation between third party countries and asylum seekers as well as help the latter fully understand how the process of being granted asylum works.

Currently there are hundreds of Uganda asylum seekers based in Kakuma camp in Nairobi and just last month, Spain had rejected a Cameroonian lesbian’s request for asylum and only agreed after a court verdict reversed that decision last week.

Vocal Ugandan activist Naome Runzidana is one of the people actively involved in this project.