More kids come to school on basketball days than a regular school day. That’s Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. That’s one of the reasons that Coach Joan Akasingura wanted to get real basketball equipment for the Kashojwa Primary School players. You see Joan is not just one of the basketball coaches. She’s also a teacher at Kashojwa. So, when she thought about what kind of play and sports opportunities she wanted for her students the answer was simple. Basketball equipment would give them an opportunity to improve their skills, but it would mean more kids in school. “It will help with school dropouts,” Joan told us. “Having opportunities to really play basketball with the appropriate equipment will engage our students and break the boredom they may be feeling.” So Joan, her fellow coaches, and teachers ran in the World Refugee Day 5k in support of their idea. And on Day 192, we were able to make it happen. We brought all the supplies to outfit the Kashojwa girls basketball … [Read more...] about Can’t Miss Basketball Practice

The teachers at Kashojwa Primary School were some of the most eager we met in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. When we asked them if they had an idea to create more play and sports opportunities for their students, they said, ‘Yes, of course. We have four!” So, each of the Kashojwa teachers hopped onto one of their four idea teams, and they all ran in the World Refugee Day 5k on June 20 in support of their ideas. The first idea was Sylivano’s - to start a Kashojwa running club. The problem? No shoes. No uniforms. They had the space in the schoolyard, but large anthills made the surface too uneven. On Day 191, we tackled the space first, mowing the grass, knocking down and smoothing the anthills, and then measuring and chalking lanes for the runners. With the running course sorted, we turned to the runners. Sylivano and the teachers wanted uniforms for the kids and shoes that could be shared amongst them. When we handed them over, the teachers and students were thrilled. … [Read more...] about Run Kashojwa, Run!

It happens all the time. People make decisions intending to benefit as many other people as possible. It's well-intentioned but it means that some smaller groups are regularly overlooked. That's why we were so glad to talk with the teachers at Kabazana Primary School in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. When we asked other schools what play equipment or materials their students need, most teachers immediately thought of equipment such as uniforms, shoes, or updating the school's play space - things that benefit most students. But at Kabazana Primary School, we heard something different. There we met Pauson, whose idea - along with other teachers - was to buy games for the special needs classroom. About 20 students, including boys and girls with both physical and mental disabilities, attend Kabazana Primary in a special classroom. Pauson was looking for memory and brain games that would be good for these students – effective at educating by promoting critical thinking and … [Read more...] about Some Indoor Fun

You might remember the first time you put on a new jersey or sports uniform... You probably felt pretty cool, like you were somehow more skilled or powerful than you were before - like you and your team were ready for the toughest opponent. And that's exactly why the students and teachers at Kabazana were so excited to see us today. And why shouldn’t they be – they’ve been waiting for this for quite a while. Back in April, we talked with teacher Moses and others at Kabazana Primary School in Nakivale Settlement. Moses let us know that one of the big things they needed for their students was sports equipment. The favorite sports at Kabazana are futbol, volleyball and netball – but the kids didn’t have the gear to play safely or properly. So we helped make a video with Moses to tell people about Kabazana, and Moses and his team ran in the World Refugee Day 5k in support of their school. On Day 189, we were able to deliver the jerseys, shoes and balls the students needed. … [Read more...] about Jumping for Jerseys!

Aimerance is a trained actress from Congo. She now lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, but she hasn't forgotten her training. "I worked for six years as an actress and when I came here I started Refugee Voice. We perform educational plays on issues facing the community," she explains. She is passionate about engaging youth in Nakivale. "I often hear about girls who've been raped or suffered violence. And I see everyday the problems some youth are having with drugs and alcohol," said Aimerance, "Our goal is to help these youth – to get them to hospitals or connect them to counseling or other services so they can understand that there is life after what they've been through." It's no small goal and in a settlement of over 130,000, it's difficult for Aimerance and her group to reach all the at-risk youth. "If we had a camera, microphone and kitenge costumes to match, we could make short films of our plays that could be viewed all around Nakivale, all the time." We were … [Read more...] about Refugee Voice

Today, we are excited to be back at Barious' house. There seems to be no limit to the talent among these young Congolese – singing, playing instruments, drama, dancing – they do it all. Darius, is one of the teachers of the hip hop dance crew that meets, learns and practices here. "We learn a lot of our dances from YouTube. We just watch on our phones and then try it out!" Darius said. There is always an event being put on in Nakivale, and Darius and his crew are frequently asked to perform. But, practicing can be difficult when they only have a mobile phone to play the music. "It's hard to dance without music," Darius tell us, "Music gives me the courage to really dance." So, he had a simple idea to get their crew speakers and a recording camera. "We get ideas from other dancers, and we also like to share the moves we're working on. Being able to record ourselves will help us connect with dancers worldwide!" The crew also wanted to look a bit more like a cohesive … [Read more...] about Outfitting the Crew

Back on Day 150 we met Barious. He is a young, talented musician who lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. He's a songwriter, composer, singer, dancer and music teacher. His home doubles as a gathering place for other young musicians. We were inspired by his passion to teach and use his talent to promote positive messages in his community. When we first met Barious, he shared his dream to open a music recording studio in Nakivale. "My friends and I want to create a place where young kids can come and we can train younger generations how to compose songs and record music," explained Barious. So, Barious and his team ran in the World Refugee Day 5k on June 20 to make their dream happen. And today, through our community of changemakers, we were able to return to Nakivale and make his dream a reality! Barious, and the other youth that he teaches and composes music with, had already worked together to build a structure that they hoped would become their music studio. With … [Read more...] about Making a Studio