What is Julisha.Info? A look at our services

Julisha.Info is part of the global Signpost project, an interagency project that uses social media channels and websites to deliver information products and enable two-way communication with people in crisis, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and people who have experienced violence. We meet communities on the digital platforms they already use and deliver information that is contextualized to their specific needs. 

Launched in 2021, Julisha.Info is an initiative that is fully dedicated to providing information on services and assistance available to refugees, asylum seekers and the host communities in Kenya. The word Julisha is a Swahili word that means ‘to inform’ or the act of ‘passing information’. The second part of the name is drawn from the word ‘information’ and hence the combination Julisha.Info. 

Julisha.Info targets these communities in Kakuma, Dadaab, Nairobi, and its surrounding urban settlement areas so that they are empowered to know their options and to make informed decisions on their safety, their rights and duties, and how to access services. Like other Signpost instances, Julisha.Info is a responsive information services platform. This means that the content we share is developed to respond to information needs that are expressed by the communities we serve. 

Julisha.Info does not offer individual legal advice or book appointments with UNHCR, DRS, agencies or public institutions, but we can direct you to services that may be of help. 

At the heart of Julisha.info is a team of highly qualified staff working to source for information and make it available to the community in English, Somali, and Swahili through the Julisha.Info Facebook page, WhatsApp Channel and the website. This information is shared through Facebook posters and videos, Facebook live sessions, articles and one-on-one chats on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS messaging. The messages shared on Julisha.Info are based on the information needs of our users, analysis of most sought-after information, emerging trends, interventions by partner organizations, calendar events and themes and current events.

Julisha also has an interactive services map that provides detailed contact information about service providers such as hospitals, lawyers, and language centers, which makes them one click away from being reached.

What kind of assistance does Julisha.Info provide?

There are many stakeholders, including the government of Kenya through the Department of Refugee Services (DRS), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies that provide services, material support, opportunities such as jobs, scholarships and legal aid to refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya. While most of these services are largely accessible free of charge, it is challenging to access information on where and how the services and assistance is provided.

Julisha.Info addresses this challenge by providing responsive, timely and accurate information on how to access services, opportunities, and assistance available to refugees, asylum seekers and their hosts in Kenya including service maps within the camps. We work closely with these stakeholders to get information about their organizations, the services they offer, when, how, and costs where applicable. We then package this information in a simplified manner and upload it on the website for online access by everyone, including other organizations that provide services to refugees, asylum seekers and the host community.