Yesterday, we spent the day with the students at The Robundo Secondary School in Nakivale by adding a little color to their classroom through color, big and bold murals that they would be able to see as soon as they entered the classroom every morning. And it was pretty amazing to see how a few strokes of paint could really change the makeup of a room, and cause everything to look that much brighter. Today, and to complement yesterday’s work, we’re adding some things that will help spark the students’ interests while continuing to make their new school feel welcoming and inviting to everyone. To start, we hung all of the world’s flags around the building, stretching across the four sides and over the doors of the classrooms. It was kismet - the Ugandan flag landed right over one of the senior classrooms, where students learn much about world geography. We also brought a giant world map for the senior students, and talked to them a bit about what they were focusing on … [Read more...] about Students of a Global World
Changemakers365
More Color!
The Rubondo community in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, is very remote - the nearest secondary school was over an hour drive away, and too far for many students who had finished their primary education and were craving more. So the community came together to build a secondary school, literally brick-by-brick. Word of the idea spread in December, gaining support and traction, and official construction of the school began just this January. We're proud to say that the first two-room school building was finished in March! We were so inspired by the story of this community. And we wanted to help them do even more. We started by adding a little bit of color to the school, and hiring painters to add two beautiful murals to the back wall of their two classrooms! Many of the students told us how much they loved the murals, and that they really brightened their day. They even incorporated the school’s color — a dark green — to let them know that both they and the … [Read more...] about More Color!
Getting Connected
Phew, on to Rwanda! Our Trip Around the World team of six has traveled from Somalia to Jordan, and now we've landed safely in Kigali, Rwanda's capital. We're spending time with the Alight crew here, brainstorming ways to do the doable together. One group of teammates that always seems to get overlooked here is our warehouse staff, they told us. They love when they get a visit. The warehouse staff is based in Kigali, but they're about 20 minutes away from the head office. They're in charge of handling, receiving, organizing, and transporting all of our materials for all of our programs throughout the country. It's a big job. So they could use a little love. When we arrived at the warehouse, everyone was so excited to see us! We sat down with them and talked about what they might need - what might make their job a little easier? Their answer surprised us. Internally at Alight, we use a WhatsApp to communicate worldwide -we even have a couple of feeds that connect almost all … [Read more...] about Getting Connected
Space to Listen
Jordan is our next stop on the Trip Around the World, where we're visiting our Questscope teammates and spending time with Syrian refugees living in the capital city, Amman. One of the most important skills to learn in our line of work is to listen - to show up without an agenda, and to just give the gift of time and empathy. None of the members from the Trip Around the World team have been to Jordan before, or have spent time with Syrian refugees. So we wanted to learn as much as we could, and listen closely. But we also wanted to do something to help out the families and new friends we were meeting. One of the best - and most fun! - ways to spend time with new people is over a delicious meal. A meal shared is an invitation to family. Not everyone is privileged to have more than one meal a day, and yet having enough food in the house is the foundation of energy to work, think, and spend quality time with loved ones. So when we visited these families, we also showed … [Read more...] about Space to Listen
Growing Up
Hello again from Somalia! Asia, Osman, Jon, Steph, Betty, and me (Joseph!) are on a trip of a lifetime, the Trip Around the World! Our team is going borderless, visiting different Alight country programs across the globe. It's all about making new connections, learning from each other, and becoming Alight together! We're in Hargeisa, Somalia, where we're hanging out with the Alight team here and getting out into their community to do the doable. Today we're headed to an orphanage, where kids and teachers alike could use a little extra TLC. Zahra is the head teacher at the orphanage. She's been here for nine years. "I came to work here when I learned that they didn't have a teacher!" she told us. "I want to give them a better future. They need to not feel like they're abandoned." Her favorite subject to teach is the history of Somaliland, so that they can see where they come and where they are now. "Even talking about this now gives me such joy!" One of the things … [Read more...] about Growing Up
Trip Around the World
Welcome to the Trip Around the World!! I'm your host, Joseph Kyobe. And I'm with my fellow travelers from Alight: Asia from Somalia, Betty from Rwanda, Osman from Sudan, and Jon and Stephanie from Minnesota. Me, I'm from Uganda. This trip is all about coming together to learn about Alight's country programs literally around the world, and building relationships with our teammates everywhere. It's all about being borderless - we are one WORLDWIDE team, working together to be the very best for the people we serve. First stop - doing the doable together in Somalia! Here we are in Hargeisa, Somalia, with our Alight teammates. We sat down to chat with our colleagues about what we might do together during our visit. One of the things they were most passionate about? Supporting the local mental health residency facility. The facility was running low on a few things - things like soap, sanitary pads, and new clothes for their residents. The Alight team in Hargeisa was moved … [Read more...] about Trip Around the World
Starting with Giving
A few days ago, we started on our journey to become Alight. And what better way to celebrate, to come together and start anew, than by giving to others? And especially to the community of organizations that call Minnesota home, too. Most of our programs support people where they are - before someone is resettled to another country. But the International Institute of Minnesota comes in on the other side of the coin. They support refugee families (less than 1%) who are resettled in another country, and who are now building their new life in Minnesota. The folks at IIM are SO busy, all the time. Everybody knows the feeling of being so overwhelmed that even the seemingly simple things can feel impossible. So today we're helping them make a small change that will just feel so much better when it's done - organizing their inventory! IIM gets lots of donations from people all over the state, wanting to lend a hand in helping families get settled in their new homes. But many of … [Read more...] about Starting with Giving
Welcome Home
As we embark on our journey to become Alight, we're starting with giving - giving to to the community where we call home, giving to like-minded people who are doing a lot with a little. Today and tomorrow, we're working with the incredible International Institute of Minnesota, which is celebrating 100 years of welcoming new Americans! The Institute works with single adults, families, and unaccompanied minors – teenagers or kids who have arrived in Minnesota alone, trying to navigate an entirely unfamiliar place. They teach practical things that we might overlook - like how to walk on ice, which is especially handy during Minnesota's winters! They're also the only organization in Minnesota that helps victims of trafficking who are non-US citizens. Sierra is a Case Manager for IIM's Anti-Human Trafficking program. “People are strong, some of the strongest people in the planet," she said. "The resilience that you see is amazing. People start by having no confidence in … [Read more...] about Welcome Home
Full Circle
Big news! American Refugee Committee is becoming ALIGHT! It's more than just a name change. It's a re-committment to the people we serve and the promise we've made to them. Part of that promise starts with Changemakers 365. Doing the doable is all about removing the barriers to making change - just diving right in and doing something good. It's about giving first, and believing in the abundance of ideas, creativity, and goodwill in people everywhere. That's why, to celebrate the launch of becoming Alight, our teams started by giving - we started by getting out into the communities we call home and making a difference, one idea at a time. First stop - a celebration of Khmer culture at Minnesota's own IKARE museum! IKARE is a first of its kind space promotes and preserves the rich legacy of the Khmer people. 40 years ago, American Refugee Committee began its journey in response to the crisis on the Thai-Camodian border, where a terrible genocide of Khmer people was … [Read more...] about Full Circle
Freshly Baked
"The single mothers in Nakivale never cease to amaze me." Andrew from the Alight team has seen how incredible some of the single mothers in Nakivale Refugee Settlement are - as sole providers and care takers, they need to navigate a difficult landscape while at the same time caring for the needs of their kids. It's a bit job. "Many single mothers find themselves doing labor in farms," he said. "But not everyone can handle that." One group of moms decided to band together to do something different - open a bakery! They're just getting their business of the ground, and like all startups, they needed a little capital. Andrew and the team put their heads together to think up ways to help. And together with the Nakivale Rotaract Team, they came up with a list of items that the ladies would need - and they set to work getting them! With this little boost, the moms will be able to make enough freshly baked buns to sell at the nearby school, and other people who pass by! … [Read more...] about Freshly Baked