Oruchinga Refugee Settlement doesn’t have a youth center. There’s not a public space especially for young people to be together, socialize or build community. Issa Cubaka and his friends wanted to do something about that.
They had a partially completed structure that was their’s to use, but it needed some serious work. When they came to us for help, we were happy to get them the support and supplies they needed to be able to transform the space themselves.
It was no small job. They started by removing the huge piles of rubble that filled the space. Then, they spread out a layer of cement over the dirt to make a smooth, clean floor. And once the cement had set, they completed a wall to separate the space into a large room and a smaller room in the back (we’ll tell you what that room’s for tomorrow). The finishing touch? A couple of coats of canary yellow paint on the interior walls.
This time, doing the doable took Issa and his friends about four days. But it was all worth it. “When we’re all here it will feel like home,” said Issa. “We are planning lots of activities. We’re hoping to bring teachers in to teach English on Mondays and Fridays. And we’d like to get a TV so that we know what’s happening in the world.”
Sometimes the best way to do the doable is just getting behind a group of people with an idea and staying out of their way.
A youth center needs more than four walls and a roof – tomorrow we check back to see how else we can support Issa and the Oruchinga youth.
This change made possible by Cresa.
