Alice Ni (NYU Gallatin) | Nubian Rights Forum | Nairobi, Kenya
My time in Nairobi with the Nubian Rights Forum this summer has been an invaluable and unforgettable experience for me. It was through this fellowship that I had the opportunity to come to not only Kenya but also the African continent for the first time, and my time with NRF and the relationships I was able to build with my colleagues at the office have given my interest in politics and development in Africa a more concrete and personal dimension. I’m pleased with my decision to work with a community-based organization that is located within the same area as its clients, such as NRF, instead of an international NGO located in a remote office building, as many of my peers in my fellowship program have done, as I was able to observe how affected populations experience human rights advocacy on a daily basis, the logistics behind community organization, and the coordination involved in building solidarity with other communities affected by similar situations and working towards a common solution.
One of the first programs I participated in was community outreach, where I visited the homes of NRF clients with my colleagues to follow up on various identification document applications. During these encounters, I witnessed the irrationally arduous process of obtaining identification for Nubians, where applicants had to fill out both physical forms and digital applications on E-citizen, the latter of which required multi-factor authentication. Such a process would require applicants to print out a physical form and travel to an office to submit the form, while also necessitating an internet connection, stable electricity, and a phone connection in an area that does not have running water, stable electricity, or a functioning sewage system. I was also granted the opportunity during later weeks to discuss with multiple Nubian elders their lived experience under successive Kenyan administrations, their perspective on the effect the vetting process had on the Nubian community, and plans for the future development of Kibera. We had deep, broad, and reciprocal conversations, where the elders showed significant interest in my personal and academic experience living in both China and the US, and we also went on to have interesting discussions about current global affairs and international dynamics.
Outside of Kibera, I also participated in various meetings, both virtual and in person, with other stakeholders such as government officials, journalists, other affected communities, and partner and donor organizations. Many such meetings I attended in the Namati office when I went there during power outages at the NRF office in Kibera. The Namati’s strategic and coalition meetings with parties such as Haki Na Sheria, Open Society Foundations, Katiba Institute, and others to plan potential activist, lobbying, legislative, or legal action. Participating in these meetings has helped me understand the various actors and their respective roles in public collective action.
Other notable meetings that helped me gain a better understanding of the role of NGOs in civil society in Kenya include the Tech Companies’ Inroads Into Critical Public Services meeting where NRF discussed with other NGOs the lack of regulation regarding private companies that provide digital public infrastructure, the Media Workshop on Citizenship and Digital Identity hosted by Namati to alert journalists to the issue of statelessness and potential digital exclusion amongst minority communities in Nairobi, and the Nubian Rights Forum Community Skills Building Workshop in Kisii where NRF selected a group of Community Ambassadors locally to educate and empower so that they would be able to pass down their knowledge once they return to their respective communities.
I am grateful for all of my colleagues at the office who were eager to teach me about the Nubian Rights Forum, introduce me to places to visit in Nairobi, and create wonderful memories at the office, during Biryani Fridays, at the Nubian wedding, and at the final farewell dinner. This summer has been a priceless experience for me, both personally and professionally.