Today, we're turning our attention to the man who's in charge of keeping Asili firing on all cylinders. Meet the head of Asili operations, Alex. Alex takes care of logistics for Asili. And it's no small task ensuring that all three of Asili's business lines - including clean water sales, world-class quality healthcare, and agricultral cooperatives - are up and running for its customers. There's so much going on at once, but Alex makes it look easy. On top of being dedicated to his job, Alex is also a dedicated family man. We wanted to do something special to thank no only him, but his family as well. They're a big part of the Asili family, too. And their support of Alex's long hours and time away from home makes Asili possible. So on Day 259, we thanked Alex with a gift – good for the whole family. We surprised Alex with a new bike for his son and stylish new fabrics for his wife. And when he saw the gifts, the smiles wouldn’t stop coming. “Wow, thank you so much! … [Read more...] about Like Riding a Bike
Changemakers365
Walk the Line
In Congo, one of the things Asili is known for is water. We reach over 30,000 people with clean and safe drinking throughout Eastern Congo. But it's no easy task – the water flows from the top of a mountain through hundreds of kilometers of pipeline into water points throughout communities. There are certain people who are tasked with making sure the water flows smoothly, every single day – our plumbers. They tackle the leaks, blockages, and maintenance of the pipelines that provide the water our Asili customers depend on. For their service to the community, we wanted to thank them. Everyday, Asili plumbers walk the length of the pipeline, ensuring that nothing is amiss. That's a LOT of walking! It's a good workout, but it can be exhausting. It's important to stay hydrated, but they didn't have a great way of carrying water with them. So to say thank you, we got them all water bottles. But not just any bottles – these are especially designed for people on the go. … [Read more...] about Walk the Line
Home for the Holidays
Mama Jose is the kind of person you want on your team. The good news is – she’s on ours. Mama Jose leads RDF – Reseau des Femmes – which is an all-women’s Congolese organization in Eastern Congo. And from Asili’s very first days, she’s seen opportunity in collaboration. Now, the women of RDF also help manage our water system, and Mama Jose herself serves as one of Asili’s biggest and most powerful loudspeakers. She’s the best marketer around. Although she’s the type of person who would never seek out praise or the spotlight, she deserves to be praised from the rooftops. So for Day 357, we wanted to do something to make the holiday season just a little brighter for Mama Jose and her family – a meal fit for a holiday dinner. Mama Jose is a good cook – she has her own style and way of doing things. So instead of preparing the food ourselves, we wanted to give her all the ingredients that she needed for her entire family. Some flour, beans, rice, soy protein, oil, and more. … [Read more...] about Home for the Holidays
Shopping Spree
Asili, our social enterprise project in Eastern Congo, is all about bringing many different types of people to the table to create something meaningful. And one of the most important people at that table are Congolese businesses, organizations, and individuals who have a deep belief in what we’re trying to achieve. ASUREP is a Congolese water management organization that we’ve worked with from the very beginning. Their goal is the same as ours – to get clean water to even the hardest to reach families in Eastern Congo. The leader of ASUREP is Roger. A great friend to Asili, he helped lay the foundation for Asili it its very first communities – now, he’s practically like family. So for Day 356, we thanked Roger and his family for being such dedicated supporters and pioneers for the people of Congo. We wanted to give Roger and his family a shopping spree, Congolese style. In Congo, getting a new outfit means buying fabric that’s then transformed by tailors to any style you’d … [Read more...] about Shopping Spree
Write Away
Have you ever had that one friend who can seemingly do it all? For us, that’s Gracien. He’s the Director of Social Development for the King of Kabare, the traditional ruler in the region in Eastern Congo where Asili has taken root. But he’s also a historian, a writer, an expert on gorillas and other wildlife, and a very good friend of Asili’s. Gracien spends his free time – not that he has much of it! – on writing. “I love history, and I love Congo’s culture. I want to record some of these oral stories and traditions so that future generations will know them, too.” He’s already had a few publications, which students read in school. Gracien has been a steadfast supporter of Asili from the very beginning. We wanted to thank him for having our backs, for believing in us even when there wasn’t much in the beginning to believe in. So for Day 355, we thanked him with a gift that will help his work as a writer go a little smoother – a brand new laptop. “Wow!” said Gracien as we … [Read more...] about Write Away
Seed Funding
We all know that person who has a great idea for a novel that never quite gets written, or dreams of making it big in music but sticks to karaoke instead. “Don’t quit your day job,” goes the age old adage. But quitting her day job was exactly what Delphie did. Delphie used to be a journalist for a local radio station in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, she had dreams of being a landscape architect – and starting her very own business. She tested out her skills with us, volunteering her time, energy, and talents toward designing the landscapes outside our Asili clinics. And, everyone who comes to the clinics remarks at how just very beautiful the landscapes are. People even take wedding and family photos there. A couple months ago, Delphie quit her job, deciding to pursue her idea for a business full time. So for Day 354, we decided to thank her for everything she’s done to make Asili clinics the incredible places they are – by giving her some seed funding to … [Read more...] about Seed Funding
Family Dinner
For the past few days, we’ve taken a closer look at the rockstars behind the scenes, who are absolutely critical in helping us serve over 120,000 refugees in Rwanda. These aren’t folks who are in the spotlight very often, in fact, they rarely ever are. So that’s why today, on Day 353, we’re showing our gratitude to some of our Rwanda teammates who fly under the radar, but who do so much to support what we do and to keep us safe – our cleaners and drivers. We asked Bernad, ARC Rwanda’s Country Director, what we could do to show these teammates that we value what they do. His answer? A dinner, together. “These drivers, they take us to nice restaurants all the time when visitors come, or when we have important meetings,” he said. “But I want to show them that dinner is not just for visitors and senior colleagues- we can actually all sit together , and what’s more, make the dinner about honoring them.” So we gathered all the drivers and all the cleaners that are stationed … [Read more...] about Family Dinner
Steady As We Go
When it comes to getting things done, we all have our” “go to” places – from the mechanic down the street, to your favorite coffee shop, to a doctor that you trust – these people and places provide reliable services that never let us down. The same is true for our teammates in Rwanda. Over the years, they’ve come to rely on incredible partners who are always there just when you need them. And unlike a favorite coffee shop, having reliable partners in the humanitarian context can literally mean the difference between life and death – it means someone getting the care they need in time, or not. So we asked some of our very best partners and vendors to gather for a surprise reception, held in their honor, complete with tea, cookies, thank you gifts, and a whole lot of gratitude. Some of the most important vendors in Rwanda are pharmacies. “We trust that they have the medicine whenever we need it,” said Bernad, ARC Rwanda’s Country Director. “And a lot of these medicines relate … [Read more...] about Steady As We Go
Behind the Scenes
In any humanitarian context, there are always different kinds of people that are needed to get the job done – planners, activists, dreamers, and doers alike play a role in saving lives. But we truly couldn’t do the things we do without one role in particular – our warehouse crew. Working in the warehouse perhaps doesn’t sound like the most exhilarating job in the world. But in Rwanda, the warehouse is where most medications for the country program are held. It’s where expensive supplies are stored and kept safe, and dispatched when the time is right to six camps throughout the country. It’s where records are kept, stretching back almost a decade. There’s only a few guys who work at Rwanda’s main warehouse in Kigali, and most of them have never even met some of their colleagues who work at the ARC office! So for Day 351, we decided to change that – thanking our colleagues at the warehouse for the incredible work that they do, and bringing everyone along for the ride. We … [Read more...] about Behind the Scenes
A Simple Thanks
Our team in Rwanda is unstoppable. They manage six different refugee camps and serve over 122,000 refugees. But they're so busy with the day to day, that they don't often get the chance to pause and appreciate the things they've accomplished together. So we gathered the team for a meeting – for the sole purpose of saying thank you. We surprised our teammates with gift bags filled with a thank you card, some snacks, and a new notebook. Small things – but with big meaning behind them. "They're surprised because we never have meetings just to say thanks," said Bernad, ARC's Country Director in Rwanda. "Sometimes we forget to rest and reflect a bit." Smiles were abundant as the team opened their baskets. “Your kind gesture and recognition to us is so appreciated," said Betty, one of our Rwanda teammates."It shows us that you value the work we do." "This kind of thing means a lot," said Bernad. "This may look simple, it may not cost much, but for me it touches the … [Read more...] about A Simple Thanks