© UNHCR/Charity Nzomo BARKE HAMISI FORMERLY STATELESS, KENYA Our mothers had to give birth at home, because their lack of identity cards denied them access to medical centers. We couldn’t go to school because we lacked the birth certificates that were mandatory for admission. Youth were excluded from training and job opportunities because we were stateless. We couldn’t even officially marry, and therefore missed the benefits of a legally recognized marriage. From the time we were born into Kenya’s stateless Pemba community, our existence was invisible. Collectively, we struggled with statelessness for generations - that was the main reason I decided to become a paralegal and pledge my career to bringing about change. Through my work with HAKI Centre, a human rights organization in coastal Kenya, I got the opportunity to learn and explore more on citizenship rights. We helped empower communities – including the Pemba – through door-to-door outreach, mobile birth registration and participation in radio shows. We attended community forums alongside local and regional leaders. 10 #IBELONG The information we gathered helped bridge gaps for stateless individuals. We were working hard to empower people through understanding their rights. Our efforts – alongside UNHCR and others – came to fruition in December 2022 when the Government of Kenya announced that it would begin recognizing the Pemba as citizens. This was a milestone for the community! Children could now study as far as university, since they have birth certificates and identity cards. We can now access health facilities, start businesses and open bank accounts to keep our savings. We highly appreciate the great work that the #IBelong campaign has done. Dreams that were long forgotten will now be achieved. I would like to encourage the global community to extend their continued support to assist those who are stateless, so that they can also be recognized by their nations. As a formerly stateless community, we are looking forward to moving mountains together.