No matter where you are in the world, one thing is true: waiting rooms are boring. We’ve all been there, patiently waiting minutes—or even hours—to hear our names called. It can feel like forever as you pass the time reading magazines or simply watching the clock. Our clinic staff in East Darfur feels this truth every day. But they had a solution! The clinic staff saw potential to better use this waiting time. They wanted to take that time as an opportunity for teaching, to help people of all ages learn something new as they wait. To make this easier, they asked to install a screen, turning the waiting area into a classroom and movie theater all in one! Quick as a flash, we were back at the clinic with a fresh new screen! You could feel the energy shift as our staff realized they can now offer their patients an amazing waiting room experience. And just like that, this incredible idea will have a huge impact for each and every person who visits the clinic. … [Read more...] about While You Wait

Today is a day of celebration. As our good friend and amazing teammate Beatrice Nyalwal ends her time with Alight, we’re toasting the incredible impact she’s had on the people of Kalma Refugee Camp and our Alight Sudan Program. Beatrice is a true changemaker, and one of the many amazing things she’ll be remembered for is her warm meals project. Thanks to Beatrice, we provide a warm meal and hot drink to new mothers, benefiting their health, recovery, and overall well-being after the stress of birth. Beatrice’s program is a human centered answer to providing better service, and it’s a simple but effective way of showing new mothers that we care. “The meal can sometimes bring more joy than the baby, because when they come to us, they are very stunted and have nothing to eat. The meal can even relive pain because they are so happy,” one of the midwives told us. Because Beatrice has given so much, we wanted to be sure to give her a warm send off. What better way to do … [Read more...] about A Fond Farewell

Kalma Camp is right now struggling with malaria. The wet season ended not long ago and mosquito populations are high. Visiting our health center in Sector 6 of the camp, we learned that they were seeing hundreds of new cases of malaria every day. In the center’s laboratory where they test blood samples for the disease, they were running through microscope slide cover glasses faster than they could keep them in stock. Laying on cots in the temporary stay ward, patients were suffering malaria attacks – shaking chills, high fever, headache, nausea. A temporary shortage of malaria treatment drugs means that many of these people are not receiving the drugs they need to fight the disease. And if the malaria parasite is able to spread throughout the body unchecked, malaria can be fatal. “We can save lives if we buy malaria medicines,” Arafa, our HR Manager, encouraged us. Our team headed to Nyala, the closest city, to find malaria drugs available in stores and in the … [Read more...] about Feeling Better

Our team in Kalma Camp in Darfur had so many great ideas related to water...Luckily we have the water committee to lean on! Although water is readily available in Kalma, getting the water day-in and day-out can still be a big challenge for some in the community. People living with a disability and the elderly often struggle to get large, heavy water jugs back to their homes. We wanted to lighten the load a bit – with some wheelbarrows. The wheelbarrows will be stored near the water points. They’ll be available for anyone to more easily wheel their water back to their homes, or for a neighbor to fetch water for them. “We’ve done the best we can to make water available all the time at the water points,” said Abbas, the South Darfur Program Manager. “This will ensure our most vulnerable residents will also have water whenever they need it.” … [Read more...] about Keeping Things Rolling

It’s thanks to the Kalma Water Committee that the community has enough water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. It’s a huge service…that they do as volunteers. So, when there’s an opportunity, our staff always wants to help the committee in any way that we can. Nearby one of our solar water pumping centers and next to a water point, there is an open area with good soil. Our team’s idea was to give the water committee quality vegetable seeds so they can grow produce that they can share amongst them and that will supplement their family’s diet. “One of the committee members lives nearby,” Yousif from our water team told us. “He can keep an eye on the garden for the group.” So our team headed out to find some good quality seeds – carrots, onions, tomatoes. Darfur has struggled with poor quality seeds, so we wanted to make sure to find the best that would ensure a good harvest and provide seeds for the future. The Committee was so happy to have the new seeds. “We’ll … [Read more...] about A Lot from a Little

The Water Committee in Kalma Camp that keeps the whole water system running does a great job. That’s why our team knew we could rely on the committee for another important task… The water points around Kalma run on-demand. When someone is done filling up their water jug or jerrican, the water turns off – so there isn’t a lot of wasted water. Nonetheless, with so many people using the water points, there’s always overflow and water puddles around most water sources. That gave our team an idea. “It’s always muddy,” said Yousif, who works on our water team. “Why don’t we plant some fruit trees here to soak up the water overflow.” It seemed like a great way to make use of a precious resource and provide a service to the community – fruit and shade at the water points. And when we heard that our budget was enough to plant several trees at each water point, it was a no-brainer. Our logistics team headed to a nursery where they bought two hundred mango trees and two hundred … [Read more...] about Making Every Drop Count

Yesterday, our team in Kalma Camp sat down, broke bread and celebrated a job well done. Last year, they took on a cholera outbreak in the camp. Thanks to their swift action and tireless attention to patients and safeguarding the community, they were able to save lives and contain the crisis. Not about to rest on their laurels, the team wanted to make sure they’re ready if cholera returns. Our Diarrhea Treatment Center was Ground Zero for fighting the outbreak. But since it all ended, the center has been sitting dormant. It needs a couple of quick fixes to make sure that everything is ready to go should the need arise. Dr. Fadua pointed to some batteries in the corner of one of the clinic rooms. “These batteries are supposed to provide the electricity for the Diarrhea Treatment Center. But they’re all dead.” Our team had heard of a couple of recent cases of cholera outside the camp, so we all thought it was best to get prepared right away. We headed to the market straight … [Read more...] about Prepared for the Worst

Last year, the team in Kalma Camp acted with a speed that saved lives. A few cases of cholera in the camp spread quickly. And soon they were dealing with a full-blown outbreak. The team quickly constructed a Diarrhea Treatment Center, and all cases were referred and transported to this new Center in Sector 1. Patients were quarantined in order to protect other patients and residents. Strict protocols were put in place to stop the further spread of the disease, and Alight moved medical staff from other parts of the world to Kalma to help contain the situation. The team worked late into the night and weekends caring for people suffering. And it all paid off. Thanks to their commitment, the outbreak was brought under control. Life and work moved on quickly, and the team never took the moment to really acknowledge what they had done and celebrate their amazing teamwork. So, we gave them a little help. Lunch on us, for the 100+ health workers at Alight’s three health … [Read more...] about Celebrating Successes

When we saw the water system in Kalma Camp, we were really impressed. 9 solar panel installations provide the power that pumps water from deep underground directly to people at the dozens of water points around Kalma. There are even backup generators to ensure water is available on the rare overcast day. As a result, water is immediately available 24-7. And there aren’t lineups for water like you see in many other refugee camps and communities. But it doesn’t all happen magically. A group of residents comprise the water committee – they keep an eye on every element of the water system. Whenever anything breaks down or needs fixing, they get to work to get water flowing again. “Our water committee in Kalma is really fantastic. They take a lot of pride in their work [though they are all volunteers from the community], and they’re doing a very big service for their community,” said Abbas, Alight’s Senior Program Manager for South Darfur. “But, they don’t have a way to stay … [Read more...] about Keeping Things Flowing

Like Adam from yesterday, Aamira is also a person we heard about even before we arrived in Kalma. She has been through a lot, not the least (or greatest) of which was the loss of her leg. Kalma is a sprawling place. She gets around as well as she can on her crutches, but she can’t go far. And as a single mother of a toddler and returning to school to finish her education, Aamira has places to be. We wanted to help Aamira not have to rely on others to get where she needs to go, so we found her a special hand-pedal wheelchair. She may need to work on her arm strength a bit, but now she can navigate all around Kalma without a worry. “Thank you!" she said, "I’ll use this chair to get to school on my own.” Aamira is supporting herself and her young son. She’s been trying to run a small shop, but she’s too far from the market. We thought we could help there, too. We bought Aamira a little cabinet on wheels. She can fill it with her products, attach it to her wheelchair and … [Read more...] about New Wheels