Kenya is currently home to some of the largest refugee camps in the world - Dadaab alone houses a population of around 238,000. But Kenya's cities have also seen their numbers swelled as refugee men, women and children seek safety there. Sadly, as the IRC has found in Nairobi, life in exile is not always easy and female refugees in particular can find themselves vulnerable to abuse or exploitation.

As one Ethiopian woman recounts: "Here in Eastleigh, Nairobi, there's always the threat of rape, attack or police harassment. The government says we should go to Kakuma refugee camp, but we stay in Nairobi because there are more opportunities here. Kakuma is just too close to Ethiopia. We wouldn't feel safe there."

A short drive across town, and a Somali lady tells a similar tale: "The police harass us every day, even though most of us have the official 'alien' cards. Sometimes the police even rip up our documents. It's hard." Another lady nods her head before adding: "Police harassment is a problem facing all refugees on a day to day basis. We get arrested; it's common for refugees in Kenya. You have to pay the police something and they let you go."

In fact one lawyer told the IRC that refugees are jokingly know as 'ATMs' - a quick and easy route to cash! People know that it's easy to scare refugees and take advantage of their ignorance about their rights. Refugees will just pay up and not speak out because they fear they might be sent back home where they fear persecution or violence.

The IRC has been working with female urban refugees in Nairobi since 2006, helping around 200 women to form small self-help groups. The groups are multi-purpose, but at their most simple level, they allow women to find friends and share experiences in a big city where it's easy to feel isolated if you don't speak the local language.

"Being a part of this group has made a big difference to me," says Ngatu, chairwoman of a group of Oromo women from Ethiopia. "Before, all the women here were living very separate lives. We didn't have a chance to meet and we couldn't get information about what was happening in our community. We all used to keep our problems at home, but now we can share them with each other."

The groups also allow women to access services such as healthcare, education, small business grants and human rights training. The IRC works closely with three local partners - Kituo Cha Sheria, Refugee Consortium of Kenya and Women's Rights Awareness Program - to match the services to the women's needs.

"Before the trainings, we didn't have information like what are our rights," explains Ngatu. "Now we know that if someone is taken to the police station, they have legal rights. If there's a domestic abuse problem, we can help women solve it themselves or through our elders. But if we find they need legal assistance with an issue, then we know how to refer them for advice and medical help too."

One of the biggest problem facing the refugees is lack of income, so the IRC has given the women small grants to help them start up small businesses such as bread making or embroidery. These activities are relatively small scale, but do give the women some independent income for things like food, clothing or paying their children's school fees.

"We make biscuits and bedspreads to order," says Sadia, vice-chair of a Somali women's group. "One bedspread takes four days of work. It costs us about 2,000 Kenyan Shillings to make and we sell it for 2,500 KSh, so that's just 500 KSh for four days work.

"The biscuits are the most profitable thing we make and sell," Sadia adds. "They help us pay for a watchman to keep our premises safe, and for the education classes we run. Our men are refugees too, so they can't work. They appreciate that we can bring in a little money for the family."

As Sadia mentions, some of the groups have organized education classes for themselves and others in their neighborhood. They offer classes in English, Somali and maths and charge a small entry fee, which goes towards paying the teacher. The classes allow older refugee children who have missed out on school due to their displacement to catch up with their peers. It's a great example of how IRC's work is not only helping these women but also their wider communities.

As one of the Somali women says, "You can't wash your face with one finger, it takes the whole hand. That's why we're coming together as a group to support each other."

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