What is the name of your organization?
Nivishe Foundation
What is the name of your solution?
Nivishe Wellness Pathways
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Healing-centered learning for urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Nairobi Kenya
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Kenya
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Here's a draft for your 200-word response, aligned with the tagline **"Healing-centered learning for urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi"**:
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What is your solution?
Urban refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi face extreme mental health challenges due to displacement, trauma, poverty, and systemic exclusion. Many have fled war, political violence, or persecution, only to face new barriers to stability — including lack of access to quality mental health support, education, and safe spaces for healing.
In Kenya, over 78,000 refugees live in urban settings, with the majority residing in Nairobi. These populations face unique vulnerabilities: limited access to healthcare, legal protection, livelihoods, and formal education. Mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety are widespread, but deeply stigmatized and often go unaddressed. According to UNHCR, globally over 40% of refugees are youth and children, yet structured psychosocial support and learning opportunities remain scarce.
The lack of trauma-informed, culturally relevant mental health services worsens these conditions, impacting not only emotional wellbeing but also the ability to learn, thrive, and rebuild life. Our solution addresses this by integrating mental health care with community-based learning — creating safe, healing-centered environments that build resilience and restore hope. By empowering refugee youth and families with psychosocial support, life skills, and education, we aim to break cycles of trauma and exclusion — one safe space at a time.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution serves urban refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo — with a focus on youth, children, and women living in vulnerable communities across Nairobi. These individuals face compounding challenges: trauma from conflict and displacement, economic instability, social exclusion, and limited access to education or mental health support. Adolescent girls are especially at risk, facing early pregnancies, sexual violence, and stigma, which often lead to school dropout and lifelong cycles of poverty and trauma.
These communities are underserved due to language barriers, cultural stigmas around mental health, lack of legal recognition, and exclusion from national systems. Our healing-centered learning spaces address this by integrating trauma-informed mental health support, life skills training, and community-building in safe, accessible environments.
Through Nivishe Wellness Pathways, we offer localised tools such as the Nivishe Fellowship, which equips young refugee leaders with counseling and advocacy skills; comic books in local languages for mental health education; and peer-led sessions that restore dignity and agency. By centring healing in learning, we not only improve emotional wellbeing but also empower youth and women to reclaim their futures, build resilience, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
