African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) would like to clarify harmful messaging that is being put out to refugees: 1. No one is required to sign a waiver to AHRC in order to receive food. Anyone who tells you that is misinformed and is not telling the truth! NOTE THE ONLY time we ask for waivers is when we represent a refugee in advocacy matters or make inquiries on their behalf at their request with back up e-mails to prove this, and this is a requirement on the part of agencies we deal with, such as UNHCR, who will not discuss a case unless there is a waiver of confidentiality. It is explained to the refugee before they sign and they are at liberty to decide whether or not they want to sign off on confidentiality so that we can discuss their cases with UNHCR and other resettling organizations. This has nothing to do with food.
2. There is NO document at ALL ever put out by AHRC for our involvement in any partnerships involving food distribution. To say AHRC asks anyone to sign a document to receive food is a untruthful! The actual refugees themselves who are at the helm of the distribution process in the ALLOUT and AHRC partnership is RefCEA, the Kenya based refugee led Secretariat, - and when the food is distributed people are asked to sign up and receipt of the food so that an accounting is given to funding departments, who can then ensure the food has been properly distributed. This is standard for all and any food distribution process.
3. AHRC involvement in distributing food to refugees in Kakuma is in an advisory and organizational capacity. The food program is refugee led. The monies were raised in partnership with AHRC and ALLOUT. RefCEA, the Kenyan based refugee led organizations is in control of the the funding as sent directly to them by ALLOUT. The funding is then sent to a purchaser who buys the bulk food which is then distributed by refugees in Kakuma camp. AHRC has never handled the monies or the food. 4. When there is a shortfall of monies as has been the case for certain supplies, AHRC has been able to supplement from the personal funds of one of our directors, a generous philanthropist. 5. AHRC directors are all volunteers who never receive salaries.
We ask that all participating in misrepresentation refrain from doing so as it is apparently contributing to some people refusing food and this is harmful.
