Meet the courageous LGBTI refugees in Gorom camp, South Sudan, as they advocate for safety and basic needs. Join Survival Colors in supporting their journey towards resettlement. Your donation can make a life-saving difference.
Survival in Colors: Safe Haven for LGBTI Refugees
Survival in Colors is grassroots, survivor-led LGBTQI coalition based in South Sudan. We serve as a vital lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer refugees, asylum seekers, and host community members who exist on the extreme margins of society. In a nation that criminalizes our existence, we provide the advocacy, humanitarian coordination, and community support that international systems often fail to deliver.
Our mission
To ensure that the "refugee status" of our members does not result in the erasure of their human rights. We work to provide emergency relief, safe housing referrals, and legal advocacy for those who have been cast out of communal systems. By documenting the daily atrocities faced by our community from the Gorom Refugee Settlement to the streets of Juba Survival in Colors stands as a shield and a voice for the invisible.
"What we do"
Creating awareness and advocacy.
Raising awareness about the living conditions and challenges facing LGBTI refugees in South Sudan to the outside world, bridging the gap between queer refugees and the UNHCR plus other international organizations.
Community Building and Social Support
Creating safe spaces and organizing community activities to foster solidarity and mutual support.
Basic Needs Assistance
Distributing essential supplies including food, water, and hygiene products to ensure survival and dignity.
Legal Advocacy and Rights Awareness
Offering legal support and education on rights to protect LGBTI refugees from discrimination and violence.
Emergency Shelter Support
Providing safe and secure temporary housing for LGBTI refugees displaced due to their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Gallery
Unity and hope empower LGBTI refugees to rebuild lives.
Support their journey now!
Team
Angel Irure Espin
International coordinator
Angel Irure Espin, is the international coordinator-based in Basque, who manages the fundraiser pages to ensure the funds can be withdrawn and sent via World Remit, AS Refugees often cannot have bank accounts.
Pretty Tricia
Campaign organizer
Pretty Tricia (they, them), on ground lead, amplifies voices of the allies, manages the distribution of funds, monitors relations to sustain essential services and basic needs for displaced LGBTI individuals awaiting resettlement.
Survival Colors: Hope and Resilience
Survival in Colors: Advocating for LGBTI Refugees in South Sudan
Our History: The Birth of our Movement
The history of Survival in Colors is not one of choice, but of survival. Our coalition was forged in the fires of 2024 and 2025, during a period of unprecedented violence against LGBTQI refugees in South Sudan. Many of our founding members had already fled persecution in Uganda, Sudan, and the DRC, only to find that the "protection" of the camps was a devastating illusion.
The turning point came in late 2024, when a series of coordinated attacks devastated our community. Tents in the Gorom settlement were slashed, our belongings were looted, and our members were subjected to stoning and physical assault by both host communities and fellow refugees. We watched in horror as transgender sisters were denied entry to medical clinics and mocked by the very officials sworn to protect them.
By mid-2025, the crisis reached a breaking point when the government ordered hundreds of LGBTQI refugees to leave the settlements for urban areas without providing legal documentation, work permits, or safety guarantees. Pushed into the shadows of Juba, unable to find work due to our identities, and facing "survival sex" just to buy a meal, we realized we could no longer wait for the world to save us. Survival in Colors was formed to turn our collective suffering into a structured force for change. We chose our name as a defiance against the dust and despair of the camps a reminder that even in the darkest circumstances, our humanity remains vibrant and undeniable. Offer essential services aimed at ensuring the safety, dignity, and basic needs of our community members. We provide advocacy for protection and rights, facilitate access to healthcare and psychosocial support, and organize community-building activities that foster solidarity and resilience. Our approach is holistic, focusing not only on immediate survival but also on empowering individuals as they await resettlement to safer environments.
More about what we do.
Advocate for Protection: We push international bodies like the UNHCR and the South Sudanese government to recognize the specific, life-threatening vulnerabilities we face.
Humanitarian Aid: Survival in Colors is a first-of-its-kind LGBTQI-led coalition in South Sudan. Born from the shadows of displacement and the echoes of silence, we are a lifeline for those who have been forgotten by the world. We are more than an advocacy group; we are a family of survivors, refugees, asylum seekers, and South Sudanese nationals standing together to demand dignity in a land where our existence is often treated as a crime.
Our Reality: Living on the Edgin the Gorom Refugee Settlement and the dusty outskirts of Juba, "survival" isn't a metaphor it is a daily, grueling labor. Our community lives in a state of perpetual fear.
Daily Attacks: While others find safety in camps and cities, we find targets on our backs. Our members face regular physical assaults, stoning, and death threats. In late 2024 and throughout 2025, coordinated attacks on our shelters left our people homeless, their few belongings stolen, and their sense of safety shattered.
The Invisibility of Transgender Lives: For our transgender sisters and brothers, the world is even narrower. Identity documents that do not match their truth become barriers to every basic human right. They are mocked by authorities, denied entry to medical clinics, and targeted with specialized cruelty by both the host community and fellow refugees. The Hunger for Work: Employment is a distant dream.
Due to systemic discrimination, LGBTQI refugees particularly those who are gender-nonconforming are systematically barred from the workforce. Without the ability to earn a living, many are forced into "survival sex," trading their bodies for a meal, only to face further violence, HIV infection, and the crushing weight of stigma.
Why Support Survival in Colors?
Supporting Survival in Colors means standing with a vulnerable and often overlooked population. Our coalition is uniquely positioned to address the intersectional challenges faced by LGBTI refugees in one of the most complex humanitarian settings. Your contributions directly impact lives by providing food, shelter, medical care, and advocacy efforts essential for survival. Join us in making a tangible difference by donating today. Every gift helps sustain hope and rebuild lives.