The refugee athletes in Nairobi are Olympic hopefuls. They've come from far away refugee camps to this single site to train and see if they can make their dreams happen. Training 6 days a week - to compete at an international level - takes a toll on the body. And quick recovery is crucial if an athlete is to continue building and progressing. Things like massage, plenty of good sleep (see Day 231 & Day 232) and ice and heat for aching muscles and injuries can make a big difference helping athletes get back out there every day. When we heard there was no ice at the training camp, that sounded like a doable project we could take on. On Day 233, we brought a deep freezer to the camp. It wasn't something that anyone had a lot of experience with. "What's a freezer? How does it work?" said Paolo, one of the refugee team members. Most of the athletes came to the training camp from refugee camps where electricity was probably spotty or not available. There definitely weren't … [Read more...] about Ice, Ice, Baby
Campaigns
Mattresses, and sheets, and pillows…oh my!
A nap in the sun can be glorious, to be sure. But a bed of grass is not where we want to spend most of our sleeping hours. We want a soft place to rest our heads, and covers to keep us warm. So, on Day 232, we got busy making our beds. Yesterday, we delivered new beds to the camp in Nairobi, Kenya where refugee youth are training for the Olympics and other big international competitions. Many of the athletes had been sharing beds. Finding blankets and mattresses was easy, but the sheets presented a bit of a challenge. We had been asked to purchase bedding that matched all the other sheets at camp. But try as we might, we couldn't find the match. Instead, we picked up some dark blue sheets with the same pattern and headed back to put the finishing touches to the beds. Rather than returning to disappointment, we found some of the male athletes really excited about the darker sheets. "These have gotta be for the guys," one of them told us. "We can sleep on them for a month … [Read more...] about Mattresses, and sheets, and pillows…oh my!
The Refugee Olympians
In Rio last summer, they ran away with our hearts. We're talking about the Refugee Olympic team - a team of athletes, each one of whom defied all of the odds to compete in the XXXI Olympiad. A year later and under the patronage of Tegla Loroupe and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, these athletes and several more are keeping the dream alive. 43 refugee youth live together and train together at a camp in Nairobi. Forget what you think you know about an Olympic training camp. These athletes walk several kilometers back and forth to the track where they train, and they don't have any fancy equipment. In fact, they're missing some really basic items. And so, starting on Day 231, we wanted to help these world-class athletes get some simple things that will help them make their dreams come true. One of the things that helps you be at the top of your game each day - whoever you are - is a good night's sleep. So when we learned that some of these athletes were sleeping two to a … [Read more...] about The Refugee Olympians
Oruchinga’s Got Talent
The last couple of days, we've been with our team in Oruchinga - a tiny team that submitted hundreds of ideas to ARC's staff idea contest, The Changemakers Award. This last two days they've made a couple of their ideas happen (see Young Scientists and Getting Off The Ground). Before we move along, the Oruchinga team had one more idea all about the youth. Oruchinga settlement is small - only 6,000 people - but there are so many young people who live there. They don't have a way to share their talents with the world, no venues or opportunities to show off what they can do. Our team thought they could do something about that, so they organized an Oruchinga Talent Show on Day 230 and invited everyone who lives and works in the settlement. The show began about 2:30pm with a prayer and the Ugandan national anthem. And then the fun began. The room was packed, hundreds of camp residents had turned out to see what this was all about. 5 groups performed. There were singers, … [Read more...] about Oruchinga’s Got Talent
Getting Off The Ground
Today, we're back in Oruchinga refugee settlement with a second idea submitted by the team there for the Changemakers Award (their first idea is here). Most people living in a refugee camp are in a somewhat vulnerable state - they've fled their homes and are often reliant on services provided like clean water or food. But there are those who are extremely vulnerable, who may have a hard time getting around, who don't have a support network or have difficulty communicating. On Day 229, we were focused on these extremely vulnerable people, specifically elderly residents living on their own in the settlement. Visiting their homes, our team discovered that most of them were sleeping on the ground, maybe with a piece of fabric or a sheet of plastic between them and the dirt. "It must be so uncomfortable, every night" said Mercy, an ARC team member. So the team decided to do something about it. There are 13 small villages that make up Oruchinga settlement. The team found 2 … [Read more...] about Getting Off The Ground
Young Scientists
The submission period for ARC's Annual Changemakers Award recently ended. It's the time every year when our teams from around the globe share their ideas about how they'd better help the people they serve to feel more joyful, valued and powerful. This year, 2,335 ideas were submitted and our judges have narrowed the field to ten (we'll tell you more about these ten later). But we wanted to take a moment to thank one of our teams who really dug in, thought hard about the challenge and submitted as many ideas as they could - the ARC team in Oruchinga Refugee Settlement in Uganda. And, although their ideas weren't selected to the Top Ten, we wanted them to have the chance to do the doable and make a few of their ideas happen...starting with Day 228. On a visit to Rwamurunga Secondary School - where refugee and Ugandan students attend together - our team noticed some critical items missing from the science classrooms. They checked in with Albert, the head of the school's science … [Read more...] about Young Scientists
Flat and Smooth
How can $500 improve your well-being? That's the question we've been asking ARC teams around the world the last couple of weeks. Our staff work in some very challenging circumstances helping people who've struggled through so much. It's a stressful job. So, we wanted to do the doable for our teams who are used to giving of themselves but don't always have the time or resources to take care of themselves. We asked the team at Questscope - our partner agency working with marginalized youth in Jordan - what would help their team most. And their answer was swift: a flat surface in the courtyard! The Questscope team uses the office courtyard for many purposes including hosting small events and holding staff meetings. Last month, the team personally pitched in funds and purchased a ping-pong table for some after hours fun as a team. But, unfortunately, the table has been folded up in the corner. The floor in the courtyard is very uneven, with potholes, cracks and different … [Read more...] about Flat and Smooth
A Healthier Latrine
The last week or so, we've been doing the doable for ARC humanitarian teams around the world, asking our teams: how can we use $500 to make your work a little easier? Our South Sudan team endures some of the most challenging conditions. Yesterday, we got hold of a deep freezer for our team that runs the hospital in Aweil, South Sudan. They wanted to be able to prepare and freeze their meals in advance, so they'd have more time for their patients and themselves and less time cooking. Today on Day 226, we're with our team in Kapoeta South, South Sudan where ARC has a field office and provides health care and other vital services. The Kapoeta team wanted something so simple - a safe, comfortable latrine. Right now the Kapoeta team has an open pit latrine. With no cover, the flies and mosquitoes can move freely in the latrine. It's certainly unpleasant, and it poses a very real health concern for our team. This kind of problem is what Changemakers 365 was made for. The … [Read more...] about A Healthier Latrine
In A Deep Freeze
ARC's team in South Sudan has to deal with some of the most challenging circumstances any humanitarian worker encounters...a remote setting, violence, political instability, food shortages, and more. So, when we thought of offering Changemakers 365 projects to our teams to support their health and well-being, the team in South Sudan was on the top of our minds. The team in Aweil has a daunting task - keep a hospital up and running in a remote location in a country currently torn apart by civil war. Purity (senior nurse), Remy (physician), Jeremy (surgeon), Anthony (hospital advisor), Hassan (anesthetist) and Henry (hospital coordinator) all live together in an ARC house adjacent to the Aweil health center. When they heard they would have $500 to spend in any way that would help them, they sat down to talk. A little while later they were agreed - a deep freezer. "I'm so excited by the idea of a deep freezer," said Senior Nurse Purity. "This will allow me to spend more time to … [Read more...] about In A Deep Freeze
T.V. Time
We're back in Uganda today on Day 224, with another idea about making change for our staff and helping them take better care of themselves and each other. Some of our Uganda teams work in very remote locations, like our team that works in Bidi Bidi settlement up on the northern border with South Sudan. There aren't many amenities, and often the journey for them to go back to see their families is so many hours they only make it some weekends. Their weeks and their weekends blend together, and it can get pretty stressful. "I've wanted to make sure that each of our teams has a television," said Mahmud Gaznabi, ARC's Uganda Country Director. "They're far from their families and it's a good thing for them to relax and not think about their work." So, on Day 224, we purchased TVs and DSTV dishes for the teams in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement and in Nakivale settlement. The announcement was met with deafening jubilation and clapping from staff. They expressed happiness that at … [Read more...] about T.V. Time