CONSORTIUM HEROES III NUBIAN RIGHTS FORUM – PARALEGAL SUPPORT FOR KENYA’S STATELESS The Nubian Rights Forum (NRF) is dedicated to promoting the rights of the Nubian community by assisting stateless people with their applications for identity and citizenship documents. NRF advocates for law reform and also trains and supports communitybased paralegals to help those at risk of statelessness navigate the Kenyan legal system. Scoping and Action Awards (EUR 25,000) The project aimed to monitor and respond to human rights violations and READ MORE ON COVID-19 documentation challenges faced by the Nubian community during the IMPACTS IN KENYA HERE COVID-19 pandemic. Through evidence-based advocacy, NRF challenged arbitrary and discriminatory vetting processes that hinder Nubians’ acquisition of identity documentation. The project also raised awareness about statelessness and the impact of COVID-19 through community and media outreach utilising local TV and radio stations and social media. In collaboration with Kibera Food Drive, the project provided food relief assistance to those denied access to COVID-19 state relief measures. The project also helped affected Nubians who were forcefully evicted from their houses and land due to development of a railway station in Kisumu County Finally, the project provided legal support and mental health support to those who suffered human rights abuses during the pandemic. This included one on one interactions between the affected community members and NRF’s mental health officers. The aim of these sessions were to try and ease the pressure individuals felt and the difficulties they went through as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact • Through a weekly radio show, NRF spread awareness about statelessness and disseminated information about COVID-19. Through dedicated social media work, NRF grew their supporter base and reached thousands of people on platforms including Facebook and Twitter. This platform strengthened public education on Kenya’s digital ID system which was deemed ‘illegal’ by the Kenyan High Court due to issues related to data privacy and protection of minority communities at risk of statelessness. • NRF gathered information on how the pandemic affected Nubians to strengthen its advocacy messaging and strategy going forward. Reflecting on the project’s humanitarian work. NRF said that “ Stateless communities experienced challenges in accessing government services such as free vaccination due to lack of identification cards, access to food reliefs as identity cards for verification is required. Through the CESF, we managed to support the Nubian community in Kibos who were forcefully evicted from their houses in the middle of the night by the Kenya Railway Cooperation. Most families lost their properties, and the emergency fund came at very good time allowing us to support over 100 families in Kibos.” Future Plans After general elections in August 2022, NRF aims to work with the new Government and other relevant partners and stakeholders to push for full recognition of the Nubian, Somali, and Pemba communities. In particular, NRF will collaborate with the National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), to ensure inclusion of Nubians is implemented as per the recommendation of parliamentary report of 2021. NRF further aims to engage regionally with partners in Uganda, Tanzania and the East African Nationality Network, focusing on exclusions as a result of the digital ID rollout, sharing their experiences of litigation. 30