For the past three days we’ve been working with our Minneapolis-based friend Zu, making change in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. And one community in the settlement needed a little help with their mosque.
This mosque was missing something – a megaphone. Mosques usually include a megaphone that projects out to surrounding neighborhoods, signaling a call to prayer.
“Because this community is spread far and wide over rolling hills,” said Zu, “many residents do not have access to clocks, and programming the time to go for prayer can be difficult.”
The lack of a loudspeaker was felt heavily by the community. But it was also a simple change we could make.
We found a loudspeaker and an amplifier in town. This loudspeaker was no joke! When we tested it out, it practically knocked us over with volume.
The Imam’s face lit up as we watched him use the speaker for the first time. He told us it would also be helpful to the community for making important announcements as they came up.
Without a loudspeaker to call everyone together, the community felt a bit adrift. Now, they can feel a sense of normalcy and belonging with just this one simple change.
