Arts programme in Kenya’s Kakuma celebrates ten years of creativity and connection
Arts programme in Kenya’s Kakuma celebrates ten years of creativity and connection
'Group Portrait 2024' features over 200 hand-painted portraits and cardboard cut-outs, created by children in Kakuma and Kalobeyei.
In Kakuma, Kenya, a vibrant gallery displays a colourful and inspiring collection of artwork by refugee children. Through workshops delivered in school art clubs and a community learning centre in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, participants have developed their creative skills and highlighted the importance of art in education.
The Hands On m2 Gallery is an art educational, non-commercial initiative designed to showcase the artwork from primary and secondary school students particiating in Hands On workshops.
Hands On co-directors Lisa Milroy and Stephanie Nebbia and UNCHR's Joyhlynn Maraka at the opening of Group Portrait 2024 in London.
Text and media 1
Hands On Art Workshops is an initiative run by founder Lisa Milroy and fellow Co-director Stephanie Nebbia, both UK-based artists and art educators, with support from UNHCR. It allows children to explore a range of artistic practices through drawing, painting, photography, video, performance, object-making, textiles, and functional design, whilst encouraging exchanges between artists and students globally.
To celebrate 10 years of delivering workshops in Kenya, the exhibition was brought to London’s m2 Gallery, on which the gallery in Kakuma is based. Titled ‘Group Portrait 2024’, the exhibition features over 200 hand-painted portraits and cardboard cut-outs, created by children in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. The workshops were led by local Hands On Art Workshops Coaches, supported by Milroy, Nebbia and partners.
Over the past decade, Hands On Art Workshops has gone from strength to strength, supporting hundreds of students in Kakuma and Kalobeyei under Milroy and Nebbia’s guidance, and in close collaboration with Joyhlynn Maraka, of UNHCR. Drawing on her understanding of the camp and the challenges and opportunities, Maraka, through UNHCR, has championed the programme and supported the development of a scholarship initiative.
“So far, five students have received scholarships,” she explains, “and two are currently in the prestigious Lugulu Girls High School, a National public school in Kenya.”
Located in the Kakuma Municipality in northwestern Kenya, and established in 1991, Kakuma hosts over 311,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from more than 20 countries. Of these, over half are children. Over 105,000 are enrolled in fifty-five UNHCR supported pre-primary, primary and secondary schools, bringing education to both refugees and local host community students.
The 'Painted Sound' workshop was delivered in 2023 in Kakuma 1. Participants created paintings based on patterns inspired by a pop song that was collectively chosen by the cohort, exploring the relation between sound, music & painting.
UNHCR continues to invest in education and creative programmes across Kakuma and Kalobeyei, recognising that learning spaces need to support both academic growth and emotional well-being. Working with schools, community centres, and partners, UNHCR helps ensure that children have access to safe environments where they can learn, express themselves, and build confidence. In Kakuma, this includes direct support for arts initiatives, teacher capacity-building, and coordination with agencies that run co-curricular activities. The Hands On Art Workshops programme is part of this wider effort, and its steady progress reflects UNHCR’s commitment to expanding opportunities for young people in challenging settings.
In this remote region, programmes like Hands On Art Workshops offer young people critical and creative ways to imagine alternative futures and to process past experiences.
“The only way to get out is with your mind,” stresses Maraka. “That's what this art programme is doing”.
Artist Joseph Deng has been a Hands On coach since 2022.
Text and media 7
Hands On Art Workshops is delivered through video conference, mobile messaging, and in-person visits by Milroy and Nebbia, with support from UNHCR. Local artists lead, who are hired through the Hands On Gateway Bursary as coaches, independently designing and delivering workshops. Milroy says, “We really encourage our wonderful coaches to take over Hands On and run and develop the programme as they see fit, on their own terms, with our support and advice.”
Artist Joseph Deng, a refugee based in Kakuma and a Hands On coach since 2022, says the programme fosters creativity and connection amongst school students.
It has helped him grow personally and professionally too. “Each workshop I lead demonstrates a pursuit of passion, commitment, and fulfilment in art, and seamless interaction for creativity," he says. "I have also grown a big work personality that has helped my personal growth.”
Reflecting on the programme’s creative impact, Milroy adds, “I’m delighted to see so many brilliant young people come on board and participate in Hands On across Kakuma and Kalobeyei. Through the programme they can open up to the fun and pleasure of making, grow their creative skills, and contribute to the community with their wonderful artistic creations.”
A “Group Portrait” workshop at Angelina Jolie Primary School. 35 students from Angelina Jolie Primary School, LifeWorks Tumaini Girls Secondary School and Our Lady’s Girls Secondary School created portrait paintings of each other in a collaborative 2-day painting workshop.
A lot has changed since Milroy led the first video conferencing session in 2015, with the support of the Vodafone Foundation, still an important partner today. Hands On has expanded its reach and support. Book Aid International has donated over 1,000 books to the Ethiopian Library next to the Kakuma gallery, and Colart, a leading art materials company, has provided a significant amount of high-end supplies. Nebbia, who works for Colart, says that donating to the programme “has allowed us to expand our ability to help refugees outside of established art schools.”
Windle International Kenya oversees the programme’s financial and HR matters. Hands On also receives generous support from the UCL Slade School of Fine Art. The “Hands On/Slade Short Courses Bursary” offers places on Slade Short Courses to Hands On Coaches.
As cuts to global aid impact education programmes in Kakuma and Kalobeyei and beyond, initiatives like Hands On are more vital than ever for refugees. “Group Portrait 2024” is a powerful reminder that art can be a way to process experiences and share stories, and opens pathways for the future. This powerful message is just as clear when in Kakuma or London.
Celebrating an incredible ten year's of programmes in Kenya, Hands On brought the 'Group Portrait 2024' exhibition to London as a demonstration of the power of art for young refugees.
