My name is Jerry Donahue. I am a rising 2nd year student at New England Law Boston. Through the assistance of the administration and faculty, I was able to obtain an internship in Nairobi working for a refugee assistance program. I would especially like to thank Ms. Adonia Simpson, the Center for Law and Social Responsibility’s Fellow, and the Director of New England’s Immigration Project, Associate Professor of Law Ms. Dina Haynes.
In early fall, the Center for Law and Social Responsibility offered the opportunity to interview for an internship working with refugees in Kenya. I came to New England Law after living for a year in Phoenix, Arizona where I worked with newly arrived refugees from countries spanning the globe. The Center’s position was possibly the only internship the school could have offered that I was uniquely qualified. After first interviewing with Ms. Simpson and Professor Haynes, I moved on to an application with Mapendo International.
Sasha Chanoff started Mapendo International about five years ago. The organization’s mission is to provide assistance to refugees who have fallen through the cracks of humanitarian assistance, most notably in urban populations. In those five years, the program has acquired a crystal reputation in the humanitarian assistance world for its medical assistance, community service, and protection programs for at-risk refugees. Through the help of Ms. Simpson and Ms. Haynes, I was able to survive the interviewing process and obtain the Kenyan internship with Mapendo. On June 4th, I said goodbye to my family and friends and headed off for an African adventure.
I arrived in Nairobi after over a day of travel (for the record, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines rock). Mapendo had a driver waiting for me at the airport and he promptly dropped me off at the organization’s apartment. Mapendo staff were there to greet me upon my arrival. I started work on Monday. To be sure, my experience in Phoenix provided me with more requisite knowledge on refugees than the average bear. However, I spent the better part of the first week knee deep in reading materials regarding the situations of refugees across the continent – from reasons forcing refugees flight from their home countries to the effect the refugee populations are having on host countries like Kenya. On Tuesday and Thursday, I went with Mapendo’s outreach team to refugee havens in Nairobi. We met with families in their homes, usually little more than a 12 x 8 room with 2 to 8 people living inside. We heard stories of harassment, hunger, serious medical ailments, assault, rape, and murder.
On Monday (the 14th of June), I will begin my day-to-day duties of interviewing and assessing at risk refugees to ascertain whether they are suitable for possible protection through Mapendo. I have no doubt that the stories will be the likes of which New England Law Boston students can little imagine, let alone cope with. Yet, as of now, I am ready for the challenge.
In the coming weeks I will detail my experiences throughout my African adventure. Please check in periodically and if you have any questions or comments, please send me a shout.
Best,
Jerry Donahue