---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he asked about work, Noor laughed…"
description: "\"“When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many governments anxious about asylum seekers, Keny..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg"
---

#  When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that…

![“When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many governments anxious about asylum seekers, Kenya didn’t want Somalis taking Kenyan jobs, so all formal work with a decent salary, with the agencies and the UN, was reserved for Kenyans. Most of…” quote by Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg)

> ““When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many governments anxious about asylum seekers, Kenya didn’t want Somalis taking Kenyan jobs, so all formal work with a decent salary, with the agencies and the UN, was reserved for Kenyans. Most of the camps’ economy is informal, however, and in the grey economy it was possible to get work in the market, driving, butchering, teaching in the private colleges. The””

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Refugees in Kenya face legal barriers to formal employment, pushing them into informal work to survive.

**In simple terms:** Kenyan law blocks refugees from formal jobs, forcing informal labor.

Key Takeaway

Seek alternative income paths within constraints.

Themes

refugee rights employment informal economy migration policy

Mood

frustrated hopeful

Type

analytical policy‑oriented

When to use this quote

- humanitarian aid planning
- NGO program design
- policy advocacy
- community development

Key Concepts

legal restrictions survival strategies informal labor markets

Questions to Reflect On

- How can host countries balance labor markets with refugee integration?
- What informal opportunities can be formalized for refugees?

A Different Perspective

Informal work often lacks protections and stable income.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [We played well in Kenya. We didn't lose a game and we bowled Pakistan out for 100 twice. We don't need to change much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-warne/we-played-well-in-kenya-we-didn-t-lose-a-game-and-we-bowled-pakistan/)

[Shane Warne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-warne/)

> [Earlier, 100,000 elephants lived in Kenya and we didn't have any noteworthy problem with it. The problem that we have is not that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/earlier-100-000-elephants-lived-in-kenya-and-we-didn-t-have-any/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

## More by Ben Rawlence

> [“I tried to explain to the NSC officials my own wonder at this teeming ramshackle metropolis with cinemas, football leagues, hotels and hospitals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-tried-to-explain-to-the-nsc-officials-my-own-wonder-at-this-teeming/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“In Ifo he felt only hostility. The inhabitants eyed him nervously. Guled had come from a place of fighting and fear; as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/in-ifo-he-felt-only-hostility-the-inhabitants-eyed-him-nervously/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“Al-Shabaab seemed right about many things. The newsletter said that international aid was brought to ruin Somali agriculture and to make people dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/al-shabaab-seemed-right-about-many-things-the-newsletter-said-that/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“In the city, the ‘Battle of Mogadishu’, as al-Shabaab’s offensive was known, intensified street by street with trenches, snipers and indiscriminate shelling. The militants’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/in-the-city-the-battle-of-mogadishu-as-al-shabaab-s-offensive-was/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“Millions more, the vast majority, remain in camps. And through our tax contributions to the UN, we all pay billions of dollars to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/millions-more-the-vast-majority-remain-in-camps-and-through-our-tax/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“I thought of the former child soldier Guled and the many like him, who had fled to the camp to escape the extremists, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-thought-of-the-former-child-soldier-guled-and-the-many-like-him-who/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“But Ethiopia and America were nervous of an Islamic government and the US and other nations sponsored Ethiopia to invade Somalia and dispatch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/but-ethiopia-and-america-were-nervous-of-an-islamic-government-and/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“At a time when there are more refugees than ever, the rich world has turned its back on them. Our myths and religions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/at-a-time-when-there-are-more-refugees-than-ever-the-rich-world-has/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“Poverty does not necessarily lead to extremism,’ I said. In my head, images of the proud Imams defending their traditions against the murderous corruptions;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/poverty-does-not-necessarily-lead-to-extremism-i-said-in-my-head/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“Raised on the meagre rations of the United Nations for their whole lives, schooled by NGOs and submitted to workshops on democracy, gender mainstreaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/raised-on-the-meagre-rations-of-the-united-nations-for-their-whole/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“The place where Guled had come seeking sanctuary was, according to Oxfam, a ‘public health emergency’, and had been for several years. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/the-place-where-guled-had-come-seeking-sanctuary-was-according-to/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“Back in 1992, the camp originally held ninety thousand Somali refugees fleeing the civil war. They had reproduced. Then others had come: more waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/back-in-1992-the-camp-originally-held-ninety-thousand-somali-refugees/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“After so much death, it was a wonder anyone remained in the country at all. No one really knows the population of Somalia but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/after-so-much-death-it-was-a-wonder-anyone-remained-in-the-country-at/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“beauty contest, the porters jostled for business. Those with big families could not carry all their rations, so they traded some of their food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/beauty-contest-the-porters-jostled-for-business-those-with-big/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

> [“I thought of Nisho, the young man who works as a porter in the market, his face clouding into a scowl as he stormed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/i-thought-of-nisho-the-young-man-who-works-as-a-porter-in-the-market/)

[Ben Rawlence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

[Explore all 18 Ben Rawlence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/)

## More Kenya Didn quotes

> [We played well in Kenya. We didn't lose a game and we bowled Pakistan out for 100 twice. We don't need to change much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-warne/we-played-well-in-kenya-we-didn-t-lose-a-game-and-we-bowled-pakistan/)

[Shane Warne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-warne/)

> [Earlier, 100,000 elephants lived in Kenya and we didn't have any noteworthy problem with it. The problem that we have is not that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/earlier-100-000-elephants-lived-in-kenya-and-we-didn-t-have-any/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

Browse all 3 Kenya Didn quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many governments anxious about asylum seekers, Kenya didn’t want Somalis taking Kenyan jobs, so all formal work with a decent salary, with the agencies and the UN, was reserved for Kenyans. Most of the camps’ economy is informal, however, and in the grey economy it was possible to get work in the market, driving, butchering, teaching in the private colleges. The”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Rawlence"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-guled-learned-that-employment/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Kenya Didn"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-guled-learned-that-employment/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0b/ben-rawlence-29678_quote_when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-gu_369490.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When he asked about work, Noor laughed. Guled learned that employment in Kenya was forbidden. Like many…” — Ben Rawlence",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ben Rawlence",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rawlence/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When he asked about work, Noor...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-guled-learned-that-employment/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rawlence/when-he-asked-about-work-noor-laughed-guled-learned-that-employment/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
