After our team built a brand new Protection Center in Bidi Bidi, Vivienne was looking for a place to sit inside. Vivienne is a Protection volunteer for ARC in Bidi Bidi, and it’s her job to help refugees connect to resources available in the camp. “I collect information from them. They tell me what their needs are, and I pass it over to teams who can help,” she said. But despite the new work space, we had yet to designate a comfortable spot for Vivienne to sit and talk with her community. So on Day 29, we decided to ensure that Vivienne and her colleagues have that place to sit. A place to talk with refugees seeking support. The ARC team purchased chairs and desks, with a simple notebook and pen. Pencils and pens are at the ready, and plants kept neatly on top of the desk make visitors feel at home. We also bought some toys and games for the kids, who often come along with their parents. “We have toys now, so the moms can let their children play,” Vivienne added. … [Read more...] about A Place to Sit
Changemakers365
With a Hammer and Nails
Part of what makes Changemakers 365 so powerful is the ability to do something amazing for someone else - in the moment. As soon as an idea comes to mind. That’s what this project is all about. And that’s just what happened with Lomoro, who we first met on Day 17. So we decided to make Day 28 all about him – about making his dream just a little closer to reality. Lomoro is a carpenter. He’s also a refugee from South Sudan who fled to Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. “Us South Sudanese refugees, we’ve been everywhere running up and down,” he said. “This is now my second time coming back to Uganda as a refugee. With my knowledge of carpentry, I was planning to build my business in South Sudan, but we had to run to the bush. What I planned I failed completely because of these rebels in South Sudan.” When the ARC team first saw the holes in the roof at the Ariwa Health Center, they asked if there was a carpenter nearby. Before long, Lomoro was there with his tape measure … [Read more...] about With a Hammer and Nails
Protection Center
ARC’s team in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement includes 25 volunteers. Some are refugees and some are Ugandan. The Ugandan volunteers come from all over the country, as far away as Mbale (an 8+ hour bus ride) and as close as Yumbe which is just down the road. Every morning they gather and – after an hour’s drive – they are dropped off one by one, section by section, to meet the community and help them understand and get access to services. When the volunteers meet with refugees, they are often having quite sensitive conversations about violence or other trauma. But at the moment these conversations are happening on a log, under a tree out in the open. Day 27 was dedicated to constructing a protection center – a dedicated space where refugees can feel safe and secure sharing their experiences and their needs with the ARC team. Vivienne is a Ugandan with a heart to help. 24 years old, Vivienne has been working with the team for two months and serves a section of Bidi Bidi called … [Read more...] about Protection Center
A Place for Everyone
The Health Center in Ariwa has seen some major changes over the past few days. From a new ceiling, to a fresh coat of paint, to new sheets and pillows for the post-natal ward, this clinic is looking and serving patients better than ever. So for our final day at the Health Center, we decided to share this big change with the community. Opening the doors of the Health Center to nearby leaders, key partners, and the community at large, we celebrated this new beginning together. Speakers from the local government, the District Health Office, and officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) joined along with the leaders of the refugee villages of Ariwa. Those gathered were excited to see the changes. “These women have been delivering at home,” said Katherine, a refugee leader for her neighborhood in Ariwa. “Now we will tell them there is a better place.” Grace, another refugee leader, echoed Katherine. “For me I feel very nice because this … [Read more...] about A Place for Everyone
A Little Help From a Friend
ARC’s number one job in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement is looking out for the most vulnerable among the already at-risk men, women, and children who have arrived there. So when we set off to work at Ariwa Health Center, in the middle of Bidi Bidi, one need was simple – determining who exactly would look out for those patients who need a little extra help. “Some people come alone to the health center with no people to sit with them, to help them get water, to help them find food,” said Hildah, the Protection Manager for ARC in Bidi Bidi. The solution? Hire a caretaker for the health center, whose job it is to look after those folks. So on Day 25 ARC staff set out to find the perfect person, someone who would lend a caring, supportive hand to those going through some of the toughest times in their lives. And because of the extensive network ARC has already built in the new settlement, finding Suzan was easy. “I want to help my people," Suzan said. “I want to help them … [Read more...] about A Little Help From a Friend
Moving Freely
Alfred has been in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement for weeks. And in Bidi Bidi, which is vast with almost no means of transportation, you have to walk everywhere. But for someone like Alfred, whose legs are injured from a previous accident, even the walk to water is a challenge. When it rains and the dirt becomes slippery, slick mud, Alfred finds himself falling. When he first arrived in Bidi Bidi he found a piece of wood and whittled a cane. “I made it,” he said, “but it doesn’t help me much.” “We just want to enable them to have more freedom,” said Hildah, ARC’s Protection Manager in Bidi Bidi told us. Hildah and her team meet people like Alfred everyday. Many of them were injured as they ran, while some were already physically challenged and were carried the long journey to Bidi Bidi by their families. So on Day 24 the team found a quick solution – crutches. The ARC team traveled through the communities where they work, meeting with men and women in need of an easier way … [Read more...] about Moving Freely
A Little Comfort
A few days ago, we gave the walls of the post-natal room at the Ariwa Health Center new life. Now, with a fresh coat of paint, the team imagined what they could do next. “You can’t imagine the difference some small, small thing, can make in a person’s life.” One big struggle for the health center is the lack of funds for things like bedsheets and curtains. Patients are asked to bring their own bedsheets from home, carrying them from the house as they rush to the Maternity Ward to give birth. With that in mind, a solution was simple. Day 23 would be all about getting the things needed to keep women comfortable. Things like sheets, curtains, and pillows. Joseph, Senior Logistics Coordinator and Changemaker Award Winner, joined the team and jumped on the phone. Straight away he set out plans to source bedsheets from the nearest town that would have them, almost two hours away. “You can’t imagine the difference some small, small thing, can make in a person’s life,” … [Read more...] about A Little Comfort
Outfitting Midwives
In Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, thousands of new refugees arrive from South Sudan every single day. The result? All existing infrastructure that was in this rural area of northern Uganda is now filled to the brim with people urgently needing services. Everyday Ugandans, staff from organizations like ARC, and even the refugees themselves pitch in whenever possible, but sometimes places like the health center in Ariwa simply can’t take on any more patients. But this puts mothers who are expecting a baby in a tough spot – you can’t time a delivery in the middle of a new refugee settlement. Moms come to the health center in Ariwa at all times of day and night to deliver, and the beds are always full in the post-natal unit. That’s where our midwives come in. Midwives in any refugee settlement are faced with enormous challenges. Imagine it is only you and a pregnant woman who’s about to give birth. Would you know what to do? What if all the lights were off? What if it was the … [Read more...] about Outfitting Midwives
A Bright, Clean Delivery
Today we returned to Ariwa Health Center to continue with more improvements to the suddenly very busy local medical facility. After painting the Post Natal Ward last week, we still have enough paint left for the team to create a more comforting environment for women as they actually give birth. So, today we’re tackling the delivery room itself. The team got to work straight away. The room needed a deep cleaning, so we started there with mops, squeegees, water, suds and plenty of elbow grease. Then we applied paint to the walls and the brand new ceiling – including a pop of color in the bright pink window shades! A few small changes in the delivery room were going to make a big impact. “We just need a simple cloth and a table cover to make this a better experience for mothers and babies,” Sonia said (Sonia is one of ARC Uganda’s hardworking teammembers. Since the ARC team launched our response in Bidi Bidi, staff like Sonia have worked tirelessly – taking only a day or two … [Read more...] about A Bright, Clean Delivery
Just A Little Soap
A simple kit - just a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a bar of soap, presented with kindness - can go a long way. Especially in a place like Bidi Bidi. Every day the dust flies as gusts of wind blow through the neighborhoods, enveloping children and flinging clothes from clotheslines. And simply using neighborhood latrines can become hazardous when there isn’t any soap to wash up with afterwards. “When people arrive here they receive only one bar of soap,” said Hildah, a member of ARC’s Protection team. “That’s 500 grams…it cannot last long.” Of course, with so many people arriving at Bidi Bidi each day, it’s an uphill battle to supply people with all the things they need. But to start, on Day 20 our team did what was doable and provided hygiene kits to the most vulnerable in Zone 5. “It can have an impact on the community,” Hildah said as the team assembled hygiene kits – a simple toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap packed in a tiffan. After packing up the kits, we went … [Read more...] about Just A Little Soap