Who We Help

Rainbow Haven helps LGBTQI+ individuals while they are in hiding and going through the refugee process after fleeing persecution.

 

Many individuals who come to Rainbow Haven are fleeing persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. We offer a safe haven, providing food and shelter to help them during their asylum process.

Rainbow Haven rents apartments in cities where LGBTQI+ asylum seekers flee to avoid danger in their home counties. Rainbow Haven provides an apartment and groceries while they wait to get to a safe country.

Stories

Ali

Ali came from the Gambia. We know he was thrown out by his family and probably interrogated by police. He does not talk much. He has scars on the souls of his feet and across his stomach that were typical of the type of torture used by the Gambian special police. He is now safe in Canada.

Ayo Yoruba

Ayo is from the Gambia. They are gender non-conforming. In the 1980s, they would have been called Góor-jigéen, and treated with respect. Now, people like Ayo have to leave their homes to find safety. Ayo lived in a Rainbow Haven safe house and avoided going out. Ayo is now safe in the USA.

For privacy and security,
the names above are pseudonyms, and the
stories are amalgams of the stories of real people. 

Items that Rainbow Haven Purchased

Some groceries purchased for the safe house including onions, casava, vegetable oil, etc.
Rice
Mayonnaise
Matress cover
Light bulbs
Electric floor fan
Covered mattress on the floor
Broom, bucket, and dustpan
Window sheers for privacy