Our movement turns survival into self-determination. We are a refugee-led organization operating across Dadaab and Garissa, dedicated to equipping LGBTQ asylum seekers, migrants, and displaced youth with entrepreneurship skills, legal protection, safe housing, and human rights advocacy.
For years, LGBTQ asylum seekers, intersex youth, and displaced migrants fleeing violence in East Africa found themselves caught in a secondary crisis upon arriving at border refugee complexes like Dadaab and Garissa. Persecuted at home, they faced severe stigma, corruption, and systemic exclusion in host communities.
In response, displaced queer youth and local allies formed **Mayhem Threads** as a refugee-led movement. Rather than viewing refugees as passive recipients of emergency aid, we established a peer-led operational model centered on self-reliance, legal empowerment, non-judgmental safe housing, and trade skills.
Four interconnected programs engineered by and for displaced communities in Dadaab & Garissa.
Equipping beneficiaries with sewing machines, tailoring techniques, appliance repair starter kits, sack gardening supplies, and financial literacy curriculum to generate independent weekly income.
Accompanying asylum seekers to registration offices, explaining RSD rights, advocating against extortion, and securing official recognition documents for intersex and transgender refugees.
Operating non-judgmental temporary safe houses equipped with clean shelter, shared kitchen facilities, trauma counseling, and emergency healthcare for fleeing youth.
Training displaced advocates to document human rights violations, write press releases, lead public panels, and push for direct funding to refugee-led organizations.
Empirical outcomes documented in our Annual Testimonial Report (Jan–Dec 2025):
“Mayhem Threads didn't give me a voice. I always had a voice. They gave me a microphone, an audience, and the skills to use them effectively. That is the difference between charity and empowerment.”
— Layla, 26, Recognized Refugee & Advocacy Leader in Dadaab