After the first two days of work, the Health Center in Ariwa has already seen big changes. The post-natal ward has a new, hole-free ceiling and the walls are spick and span. Now, it’s time for a fresh coat of paint. With a few rollers and brushes in hand, the ARC team set out to give the ward a face lift, a change that will brighten a mother’s days after she’s given birth to a brand new little one. Sonia is the Reception Center Manager in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, and she joined the team in Bidi Bidi in their Changemaking efforts. “A coat of paint can make a big difference. It’s like a breath of fresh air.” Sonia should know - she saw what a difference a little paint made on Day 2 at the Nakivale Safe House. “It brings a new kind of happiness because already, right now, if you’ve just come delivering, these clean, beautiful walls can help you breath a bit of comfort.” With the walls covered in light, white paint, the scuff marks and dirt gone, the post-natal … [Read more...] about New Life To These Walls
Changemakers365
A Good Scrubbing
Ariwa was just a tiny town of a few hundred people before the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement sprang up around it. The settlement is now 270,000 strong and every business, every public service, every bit of infrastructure that was in place before refugees arrived is now being tested. The Ariwa Health Center is one such place. The number of patients visiting the center has skyrocketed, with three or four babies being delivered per day (three per month previously). The five beds in the post-natal ward are always full. Although the Health Center is now bustling with activity, little attention has been paid to the building itself – the walls, the furniture, or the environment inside. With much to be done on the inside, the team rolled up their sleeves yesterday and started with the most pressing need - fixing the falling ceiling. Next, the center needed a good scrubbing. And, to prepare for a fresh coat of paint tomorrow. The ARC team went quickly to work with the team of … [Read more...] about A Good Scrubbing
What It’s All About
Sometimes, doing the doable is all about doing the right thing, in the moment. As the problem is made clear. And that’s what happened in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda yesterday when the ARC team went in to do one thing, but ended up doing something else entirely. With paint cans and brushes in hand, we set out to give the post-natal ward a makeover at Ariwa Health Center. The health center, where about 3 babies were born per month before the refugee crisis, now delivers 90 babies or more every month! The health center staff greeted us with smiles, but with reservations. We quickly learned they were dealing with some challenges that needed attention right away. “You see here,” Aziz said. Aziz is the Refugee Chairman in Ariwa, where the post-natal ward is located. “There are big holes in the ceiling. The bats come in.” Florence, the manager of the maternity ward, agreed, telling us about deliveries where bat poop was falling on moms as they gave birth. “What … [Read more...] about What It’s All About
A Soft Place to Sleep
You might not know much about Bidi Bidi refugee settlement or the refugees who have sought safety there. But you can imagine the sort of challenges that arise when a place goes from Population Zero to Population 270,000 in just a few short months. Bidi Bidi is growing so quickly, in fact, that sometimes there are simply not even enough places to sleep. One of ARC’s most important jobs in Bidi Bidi is to seek out the most vulnerable individuals in the settlement, find out what they need, and provide it. In fact, finding these individuals is the sole job of a team of 25 Ugandan volunteers. With thousands of refugees arriving every day, it can be overwhelming for this dedicated team of volunteers to keep up. Today we’re doing the doable to help a specific group of vulnerable individuals the team has found – elderly women living on their own in the settlement. We’re lifting them off the dirt floor of their makeshift homes in Bidi Bidi, so they have a safe and comfortable place … [Read more...] about A Soft Place to Sleep
Welcome to Bidi Bidi
Today, we’ve shifted gears and taken Changemakers 365 to the world’s newest refugee camp. You may not have heard of Bidi Bidi. In a few short months it has become the second largest refugee camp in the world. This summer it was a sleepy Ugandan border town – but today it is home to some 270,000 refugees, most of whom have fled South Sudan. ARC’s team is responsible for Zone 5 of the camp, providing protection and other support to residents of Bidi Bidi (it takes 1 hour to drive across Zone 5, alone!). We’re providing post-trauma counseling, working to prevent violence in the camp and helping run the reception center – the place where every refugee first arrives at Bidi Bidi. The camp materialized so quickly and so many people have come and continue coming, humanitarian groups are still hustling to make available all the critical services that are needed. So why, in a place where families are living in makeshift shelters without access to the essentials, would the … [Read more...] about Welcome to Bidi Bidi
Counseling Space Spruce Up
On Changemakers 365’s last day (for now) in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, we had one more mini renovation that needed to be completed – the counseling room. One of ARC’s most important services in Nakivale Refugee Settlement is support counseling for women who are facing domestic abuse, violence, or discrimination in their communities. Despite their significance to the survivors that ARC serves, there simply hasn’t been the budget or the time to prioritize the atmosphere of the counseling rooms. The rooms were cramped, furnished with whatever large office desks and chairs were available. The walls were stark and roughly painted, the lighting dim. It felt formal instead of calming and healing - neither counselor nor guest found the space comforting or reassuring. So on Day 13 of this project, the counseling spaces got a complete makeover to be the spaces that women who’ve suffered abuse and violence really need to begin healing – spaces our staff could be proud of. Step … [Read more...] about Counseling Space Spruce Up
Honoring Volunteer Activists
In a place as large as Nakivale Refugee Settlement, which spans 100 square miles and hosts over 80,000 residents, providing protection services can be a challenging task. It is simply too large for ARC staff to be everywhere at once. That’s where ARC’s Community Activists come in. These are 100 volunteers, members of the communities in Nakivale, who want to be agents of change, of good. The volunteers are trained by ARC in how to deal with conflict resolution, how to encourage positive relationships in families, and how to get people, especially women and children, the support they need when they face abuse or violence in their homes. They act as ARC’s eyes and ears in the furthest corners of Nakivale. They’re vital to what ARC does – they’re the reason we can do so much to protect the most vulnerable in the settlement. So Day 13 was about giving these volunteers the recognition they deserve - by honoring them in a public space and showing just a small token of our … [Read more...] about Honoring Volunteer Activists
The Big Reveal
Now that the Safe House renovation is complete, it’s time for one last step – revealing the transformation to the community and those who helped make it happen. We took a moment to celebrate everyone’s commitment to improving the lives of women in Nakivale – the refugee community, ARC staff, and our most important partners at Nakivale who were there to cut the ribbon. Harriet Adong, ARC’s Protection Manager, was one of the first to see the new Safe House. Her reaction said it all – she was awestruck, covering her face with her hands and testing out the bed, as if to see if it was real. “It’s incredible,” she said. “Just incredible.” Other stakeholders had similar reactions. Aba Opokum-Mensah, Team Leader at Nakivale for the UN Refugee Agency, said, “when I first saw the house I was so surprised. This is not what I expected. It’s so good that we don’t have to struggle to get someone a place to sleep. We just have to say, this is the lady and we will take her. I wish … [Read more...] about The Big Reveal
Being a Guide
On the last day of the Safe House Makeover, we’re tying up loose ends. The Safe House is a physical place for women and families to recover. Over the last 10 days we’ve shared how truly important it is that we care for all of the details related to this place of healing. The improvements to the Safe House will change dramatically the experience of women in the days and weeks following trauma. But, fortunately, we have much more to offer women than a safe and comforting environment. Day 11 is all about making sure guests at the Safe House are connected to the many opportunities and services that are available to help with the healing process. ARC offers counseling, referral support, legal and other services – we also have a help hotline in times of emergency. And other organizations at Nakivale offer services that can help women through the healing process, too. The challenge is that women need a guide to help them understand and navigate the options and make a plan for the … [Read more...] about Being a Guide
Ready To Cook
A home is not a home without a way to provide nourishment for yourself and your children. Before the renovation, when women arrived at the Safe House they would have nothing with which to cook – no pots, no stove, and no food. Instead, when ARC staff knew there was to be a guest at the Safe House, they would rush to gather some extra food, or even just take them to a neighbor nearby for a quick meal. The system didn’t make sense. And for women who are running from domestic abuse, not having even the most basic of their needs met only sharpens their pain. So for Day 10 of the Safe House renovation project, the team set out to provide everything a woman needs to feed her family at the Safe House - ready for her arrival. To start, ARC staff purchased one cooking stove, along with 10kg of flour and 10kg of beans kept ready and waiting for guests. A new system has been established to purchase the flour and beans ahead of time, so that food will always be available. … [Read more...] about Ready To Cook