Dr. Salome Mbugua:

We work with the LGBT community now. We are starting a group in AkiDwa to support lesbians because they are experiencing many issues and challenges when trying to seek support and services. Again it goes back to stigma, which I spoke about earlier, from their own community when they go to seek those supports and services. The supports that are needed need to be set by the community itself, the community of migrant women supporting migrant women of diverse sexual orientation which has not been there before. Our organisation is starting this but we also refer them to other groups such as LGBTQ communities. We had several meetings this year with the different groups that support LGBTQ communities. I have heard from some of them in terms of these discussions that even at European level there is a lack of services and support that are tailor made for transgender women or transgender in general. From our work I know how it can be difficult and challenging for lesbian women to get that meaningful support. Even when they are living in direct provision centres sometimes their needs are not met. The managers and people working in these accommodation centres are not aware of them or of how better to help and support them, so it can be challenging and traumatising. Some of them have experienced hardship before coming here so there is a need for service providers to understand that. There is also a need for support for this specific group to be able to come out, to speak out and stand up when they go for services but also when they go out there.