Gatete lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. He's had a particularly tough time recently, with an illness that's left him unable to support himself. When we first spoke to Gatete, he was sleeping outside, without a shelter. "Gatete needed help," said Andrew from the Alight team. "He came to us and asked what we might do to help. We immediately told ourselves, there's got to be something we can do." Together with the Rotaract Club of Nakivale, we had a shelter built for him, and helped him furnish it with the comforts of home, like a mattress and eating utensils. We also connected him to health services so that he can get a proper diagnosis. "It was really powerful to see Gatete's transformation over just one day," said Andrew. "He went from sleeping out in the open one night, to sleeping on a comfortable mattress the next, with a roof over his head and a blanket to keep him warm." "Just when I thought the world had turned its back on me, today I have reason … [Read more...] about A Home for Gatete
Changemakers365
Staying Connected
As a humanitarian working in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, it takes courage to stay in a refugee settlement from Monday to Monday without access to any outside updates or information. Most people who work in Nakivale spend the whole day in offices, and the only time they have access to watch the news is at night in the nearby trading center. It's soccer season, and teams really wanted to stay up to date! So we decided to surprise one of our partner's whole office team, the Office of the Prime Minister, with furnishes for their quarters - including access to TV! We furnished their staff house in Nakivale with refrigerators to keep their food cool, a set of chairs for the sitting room, and of course, a TV and cable connection! Their work can be long and stressful, so having something comfortable to come home to - and some access to the outside world - can go a long way in helping stress management and boosting moral. “I have been watching the news and sports updates … [Read more...] about Staying Connected
Safety First!
Everybody knows what recess at school can be like - teachers deal with a lot of scraped knees, bumps, and bruises as kids unleash all the energy they've been building up in class. Having a first aid kit on hand is a MUST. At the primary school in Rubondo, a small community in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, teachers deal with those little childhood injuries all the time. They told us that when it comes to safety, first aid kits would go a long way in helping ease these little bumps and bruises for the kiddos. But they didn't have any. So with the help of the Rotaract Club of Nakivale, we got first aid kits into the hands of all the teachers at every primary school in Rubondo. The kids will help get bandages on those scraped knees, and they'll also work to promote a culture of safety at school. Now, the teachers can help their kids be safe at school...and stop worrying about not having these supplies on hand! … [Read more...] about Safety First!
In the Light
Giving birth is a joyous moment for mom, family, and baby alike. But it can also be a scary one. Imagine all the emotional highs and lows, fears, pain, and joy of that day - and now imagine all of it happening in the dark. You can't control when you'll give birth. So in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, there are many births that happen at night, a time when electricity is unreliable and the chances of being in total darkness are likely. Doctors and nurses make do with holding flashlights in their mouths as they work with their hands. But that simply isn't good enough. We've heard directly from the people in Nakivale that they want and need solar lamps, a solution that only relies on the power of the sun. So we decided to start with step one, something that we could do that would help moms in Nakivale feel and be a little safer - solar lamps for the maternity ward. We installed solar lamps at the maternity clinic, run by our partner MTI. And they were so thrilled with … [Read more...] about In the Light
Go for the Goal
Football - or soccer in the U.S. - is far and away the most popular sport in Somalia, and in Yemen, too. So when we asked young Yemeni refugees what sport they'd like to play more of, let's just say we weren't exactly surprised... In all 40 of the schools where ARC works throughout Mogadishu, Yemeni boys said, "MORE soccer, please!" We wanted to do something not just to spark more play, but to keep the ball rolling. "We gave the students resources to start their own clubs," said Mohamud from the ARC team. "More than anything else, these boys like taking time outside of school to play in competitive football matches. Now they can do that." Practice makes perfect, and playing more often helps these kids hone their skills - and perhaps become talented players. These sporting opportunities are new to many of the schools. But they're already helping kids stay in shape, and be more engaged in both schoolwork and daily life. “I like playing football with my classmates and … [Read more...] about Go for the Goal
Traditions of Home
Feeling tied to your culture is important for anyone. But it's especially important for refugees who are separated physically by their homes - cultural traditions are sometimes the last ties that bind them to something comfortingly familiar. Yemeni refugee families living in Mogadishu feel that loss acutely. Mogadishu hosts over 7,000 of them who have fled from Yemen since 2015. For parents, it's especially important for their kids to celebrate the culture of home. We wanted to do something to help them come together, and do just that. We hosted a Yemeni Cultural Day event, bringing together primary and secondary students and their families, helping everyone reconnect with one another after fleeing to Mogadishu. Both parents and students performed in costumes with props, and cooked up different traditional foods, and filling the hall with the smells of home. "Today I took part in a mini theater play and really liked," said Fatima. "I got chance to interact with other … [Read more...] about Traditions of Home
Generation to Generation
Who doesn't love mom's cooking? When we chatted with Yemeni refugees in Mogadishu, they talked about how many moms are such fantastic cooks, but they had no formal way of sharing their skills with the younger generation. The ARC team in Mogadishu had an idea...combine forces with Yemeni moms, leveraging their superpower fishing skills to host a friendly fish cooking competition for youth! And host a party to taste the goods afterwards, of course. Refugee secondary students, plus half a dozen refugee kids attending Mogadishu Marine Academy, learned different ways to filet, cook, and prepare fish! "Today I have cooked fish in three different methods," says Khadija Yasir, a second-year high school student. "The activity made me realize that my ability in fish cooking is good – but I still need to practice more at home." This change made possible by the Margaret and Jennifer Kress Foundation, Inc. … [Read more...] about Generation to Generation
Slam Dunk
Since 2015, tens of thousands of Yemeni refugees have made a home in Mogadishu, Somalia, seeking refuge from the civil war. Many are school aged children with their families, hoping to pick up where their education left off. Our team works with these Yemeni students to place them successfully in Somali schools, and we offer after-school programs to help them build community and ease their transition to Somalia. Sports are such a unifying thing - no matter who you are or where you're from, love of the game brings everyone together. Playtime is important for both boys and girls. But some parents tend to encourage only their sons to play. So many of these kids love basketball. So, we thought, why not host a tournament, just for Yemeni girls? Playing basketball and staying active has so many benefits, especially for girls. It can be a boost in confidence and self-esteem, playing on a team and finding something that you're good at. It's a great way to socialize, to stay fit, and to … [Read more...] about Slam Dunk
Music to Their Ears
Lahore is an epicenter of music and arts in Pakistan! While visiting a classroom in the city, we learned that even though they were surrounded by music, none of these students had ever held a musical instrument in their hands! We wanted to change that ASAP. The first step? A music class, to get instruments into their hands and creativity flowing. As soon as we gave over the instruments to the waiting classroom, the kids were so curious to know how they worked. They came up and asked the instructors how each was used, and the sounds the instruments made were completely new to them. Some of the kids were hesitant to take the instruments out of their packaging - "they're too precious," they said. But very soon, the classroom was filled with sounds of kids tentatively testing them out, as the different instruments mixed together to create a music all its own. The music teachers taught the children a basic lesson on beat and rhythm, and led a few exercercises with … [Read more...] about Music to Their Ears
Fun and Games
While we've been in Pakistan, one of the things we've heard again and again from teachers is a request for something that you might not guess...more FUN activities to do with their kids! Of course, all teachers want their kids to enjoy learning. But with limited resources for teachers in Pakistan, we thought more "practical" things like calculators, pencils, or pens might be top of mind. Happily, these teachers know that there are so many tools that help kids learn, including games and art supplies - things that spark joy. We couldn't agree more. Listening to what the teachers were saying, we put together a "fun kit" for each of them - supplies and tools that the teachers can use to enhance their learning environment. Each kit has board games, card games, dice, stickers, multi-colored pens, ink stamps, and markers - all things these kids have never experienced. Keeping kids in school involves more than just the basics. To get them really engaged, learning should be … [Read more...] about Fun and Games