AMBER-RIELLA

I was born just like any other human being.

I was born just like any other human being. I mostly grew up with my mom, attended school like any other normal child, I was always referred to be like girls the behaviours and deeds. I remember I could put on my mom's clothes during her absence and our neighbor reported to my her. Once a time my mom asked me whether I wanted to be a girl so as a punishment, she bought blouses and dresses for me not knowing this made me comfortable and happy. 


During August 2010 my mom died and I was taken to live with my Father in areas of Kawaala and my life because miserable. He never knew about me ,he was always so mean to me. I later joined high School during 2014 March  where I found a lot of difficulties as per my sexuality and gender identity. My fellow students could tease and bully me, asking why I behaved like girls. They mocked everything I did  when it came to gender. I used to play female sports games, walking like girls. I onetime got out of angry and fought with a boy, where the consequences were not favourable for me. I had to be expelled from school. That forced me to change to another school were I secretly felt in love with a certain boy but I couldn't approach him. This was in June 2016. 

 

As I grew up, the desire, the spirit ,nature, and more recognition that I am a  female, was also growing, though I never loved some of my body parts. I didn't know that there were other people of my same gender identity, transgenders till 2018 continuously. one time at school  some guys called me and asked  me if I was gay.  I definitely denied and they told me it was okay. To a more disclosure, they informed me there are people who are like me. I was eager and felt thirsty for meeting them. I was taken to a certain night Club called Epic in Kampala City where I met people of my very own. I felt home, comfortable for the very first time in my life and this was around Sunday evening 2018. 


With time, I bonded with more LGBT communities in Uganda and I even got into serious dating with James as I also engaged in sex work to meet my needs July 2019. My close friends sometimes used to ask me whether it was true what they were hearing that I was gay, and rumours were spreading to a larger extent that my Dad got to know about them. He once told me that, “let me hope what I'm hearing is not true”. I kept on denying, saying it's lies. 


During some time in 7:00 pm, my friend Anna had connected me with a guy whom we met when i was well dressed in a tight dress. Unfortunately, it was disclosed to the local defence that I am a boy. All this happened on my way back from meeting my client and I was with my friend. I and my friend Anna were detained at a police post and this local defence contacted my father at that very moment. It was a red letter day, my blood pressure raised. My dad rushed to the local police immediately and this was 2020 /Feb/13th, i can't forget that day. 


He paid an amount of 60,000 UGX as a bribe and I was released, taken back home. He punished me by beating me so badly and I was locked in a certain room. He called for a family emergency meeting "saying on the phone call how I was a total loss that I deserved Death". I sharply listened him calling my aunt. My aunt said I should be hanged up on a rope as the only way to stop the homosexual spirits and actions from spreading into the family. She added that i was a bad example to my whole family. When I heard about death, my heart blew. 


Leaving Uganda

I'm the morning when my stepmom had brought breakfast for me, i pushed her away by force and I escaped running. I felt into an angry crowd of villagers who had got the news and I was beaten by mob justice. Fortunately, I managed to escape again. I ran to makindye to my friend to hide. sheebah told me to immediately disappear from his place cause I had problems and I was being hunted, he was afraid of dragging him into my mess. 

I run to my boyfriend's James's home were I stayed for some weeks and this was still happening in February 2020. Later, he also told me he wasn't in love with me anymore since his neighbors asked him why I behaved like a women. He told me it would be safe if he gets me transport and I travel to a distant place. He informed me that had a friend who stayed at malaba Kenya. I was welcomed there for few days and later I was chased out. I decided to start a new life.

#freeblock13kakuma

Arriving in Kenya

 I entered Kenya through Malaba boarder on 03/03/2020 and later traveled to Nairobi were it wasn't easy at all. I was homeless on streets and from there a kind lady led me to a security guard at Shauri moyo on 05/03/2020. Later they took me to UNHCR Nairobi where I was helped and given a safe place at kangemi rehabilitation centre during 9th March 2020. I was brought to kakuma refugee camp in on 15thto 16th where I found the condition very harsh still. 

I spent 2 to 3 Weeks. I was moved out on April 2020 and I taken out to the rest of the community. I was given a house with with Allan Paul, a fellow LGBTI in block 9 of Kakuma 3. We had to shift our shelter materials from block 9 to block 2 as we thought it would be safer for us to stay there with the rest of the LGBTI community. Block 2 wasn't quite easy but I always managed to escape the attacks and torment of hostile Sudanese . Till now, the situation is just devastating day by day.

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