It’s hard to reap a bountiful harvest with only poor, tired soil to grow in. The folks at Nakivale’s four greenhouse learning centers know this well. But lucky for us, the solution to depleted soil is easy and au naturel. Today, we visited one of the greenhouse learning centers, where the space and its surrounding grounds have been used for months to grow fruits and vegetables that the residents can eat. But the greenhouse is good for more than just nutritious food — most importantly, it’s a learning center that teaches people how to cultivate their own gardens. Unfortunately, all this learning and growing has taken a toll on the soil in and around the greenhouses. The land isn’t as lush as it once was — even during the wet season — and it needed some revitalization. We decided to bring the team here a hefty pile of manure, produced by some local goats living in Nakivale! Not only were we able to help this greenhouse get the necessary nutrients it needed, but we were able … [Read more...] about Revitalizing the Soil
Campaigns
Getting Our Ducks in a Row
A sense of community is important to all of us. Sometimes it’s community created by the family we grew up in, and sometimes community comes from our chosen family. In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, it’s easy to find small, tight-knit communities. One is a group called Courageous Women. They were founded by 15 women with the simple yet powerful goal of supporting one another, of being there for each other. Many of the women are single mothers, were orphaned as children, or are a part of the albino community. Each of these groups have dealt with their own difficulties, but they’ve decided to come together - to get through the tough times together. When we arrived, the group welcomed us quickly into their tight-knit community. We all met in a shaded meeting location they had constructed for the purpose of accommodating community members with sensitive skin. Josiane, the chairperson for the group, talked to us about her idea to help the group – ducks. “Rearing ducks is a … [Read more...] about Getting Our Ducks in a Row
It’s a Shoe In
Most businesses begin with a little start up fund—something to rent out a store front, buy the materials you need, pay the staff. But especially in places as remote as Nakivale Refugee Settlement, residents don’t have access to these types of materials. In Nakivale, we seek out groups that might have a harder than average time accessing funds and opportunities to start or grow a business. Our team focuses especially on helping socially-minded businesses - from using your time to train single mothers or giving youth something to do. Today we met with an entrepreneurial group our team knows well. We’ve been scheming of ways to help them for a while. Today, we're making our move. This group is especially aimed at helping people with special needs. While a disability might be able to prevent them from labor-intensive farm work, they’re able to make ends meet by specializing in things like shoe-making and mending. We helped gather all the things they needed to kick start … [Read more...] about It’s a Shoe In
Tailor Made
Food insecurity doesn’t have to do solely with access to food itself — sometimes, it’s caused by an unstable income. On our journey to promote stability, our next stop was to a collective of tailors to see what we could do to support them. These tailors live in Rubondo and are distance away from many other income-generating activities, so instead of asking them to come to us, we came to them! And when we went, we brought sewing machines with us. The center of this community was a neighborhood square, with children running around, elderly sitting in chairs, and calves and chicks wandering through picking at grass and lost seeds. In an unassuming building on the South side, we peeked our heads in to meet some of the women being trained in tailoring by the collective’s leader, Jean. When we spoke with Jean, he told us the direct impact these sewing machines we brought would have: “We are using the machines to sell clothes such that the women can make enough money to meet … [Read more...] about Tailor Made
We’ve Goat Your Back
Food security is an everyday problem for millions of people in the world. We're tackling the issue in a remote community in Rubondo — an already secluded area of the Nakivale Refugee Settlement of Uganda. Here, we could focus directly on agriculture and livelihoods by meeting people where they are. We started with goats! Our livelihoods advisors introduced us to one of the women’s cooperatives they work with. This particular women’s cooperative consisted of ten women who primarily focus on agricultural work. We were able to give them four goats to help along their progress! One woman, Glorias, explained how these four little goats would help her and the community: “First of all, we do not have jobs, so the goats will become our jobs. With the help that you have given us, we will be able to do more. As we keep the goats, they will mature and give birth. We will be able to sell the baby goats and send our children to school and buy clothes and shoes.” Rachel, the leader of … [Read more...] about We’ve Goat Your Back
Stay Playful
The children’s play area at the shelter is so important. Even where space is limited, kids need room to just be kids, especially after experiencing the trauma of being uprooted from what’s familiar. They need a safe place to be distracted, to be entertained, and to use their imagination in a joyful outlet, especially while their parents and guardians focus on difficult adult matters. But even though they have a play room, many of the items donated for kids didn’t quite fit in. In order to be safe for children of all ages, they needed to be easily cleaned and at least as large as a hand. So, we bought some fun items that fit these specifications, plus a poster to add some joy and encouragement to the walls! When we asked what kind of items could really make the play room functional and fun, one organizer named Kathy shared her dream. She said, “I want something that kids could create and be put up on the walls to help add happiness to this place.” Inspired by Kathy’s vision, … [Read more...] about Stay Playful
Getting Festive
When we realized the feast day of the Virgin de Guadalupe was fast approaching, we wondered if folks at the shelter had plans to celebrate. The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is a major holiday in Mexico, and many people at the shelter would ordinarily be taking the day off to spend time with their families. In the face of so much transition and uncertainty, we wanted to add something familiar and fun to this special day. Even in difficult circumstances, there are still reasons to celebrate and moments to find joy. To spark some of this joy, we decorated the dining area — an otherwise bare room — with festive décor and bought sweets to be served with dinner! We used tinsel, strings of lights, and some ornaments to make everything feel more festive. When people saw the decorations, they lit up. Little kids were delicately touching the bulbs and tinsel with wonder. The decorations even inspired some to feel more festive and giving. Filipe, the custodian, saw what we were … [Read more...] about Getting Festive
Don’t Forget to Refuel
The staff and volunteers at this shelter work tirelessly, often skipping meals and never asking for anything in return. Many are putting in an incredible number of hours, even taking time off work. In the chaos, they are the calm, steady, kind and caring presence. They deserve some appreciation - and some fuel – to keep them going strong. Montse from the shelter showed us the staff and volunteer snack table. She had strung up some positive affirmations on the wall. But the actual table items were a bit drab – and not a lot of variety. So we decided to spruce it up a bit. We got a Keurig, pods, to-go cups, chips, chocolates, trail mix, and more. We also got them a $100 gift card to Target, so they can restock when they get low. The volunteer drivers are especially generous with their time, often getting out of bed at 3:30am, sometimes with no notice, to pick up and escort families through the airport. They are a rock for those at the shelter, and for the families … [Read more...] about Don’t Forget to Refuel
Bring Hope to the Surface
With people passing through the doors of the shelter so quickly, volunteers told us that sometimes the process can feel a little transactional. And yet, there’s so much love to go around. Volunteers and staff are giving so much to help those in need, and the shelter’s guests are grateful for their kindness. We were inspired to help bring that kindness, care, and hope to the surface, to make it more accessible. As guests and volunteers walk into the shelter, there’s a check-in area. In that space we put up a bulletin board, post-its, and sharpies and asked helpers to answer, “What inspires you to help?” And in that same space, we created a “Wonder Wall” with more supplies, encouraging people to leave a note as they come through. The response was incredible. It was like a lid was lifted off a well of deep compassion, hope, and joy – everyone, both volunteer and guest alike, wanted to share words of gratitude. Montse, who works at the shelter, had tears in her … [Read more...] about Bring Hope to the Surface
Getting Organized
It’s amazing what a weight is lifted when things are simply organized. Less clutter, less mess - less stress. And in already high stress situations, everything you can do to stay on top of it is key. There are so many moving parts at the shelter in San Diego where we’ve spent the last few days. It can be tough to keep things organized and efficient. On Day 12, we started in on the problem. Today is round two. We purchased four more shelving racks and organizing tubs for the donation room, dispersing the piled-up items that now rest neatly on the shelves. We also helped lend an organizing eye to the space, helping the staff think through the process. We created an inventory checklist, personal shopper checklist for volunteers, and labeling templates for donations bags. Rosie, who oversees the donation area, was so grateful for the extra hand. “We receive so many donations, and often it’s unclear what is in the bags. So, we have to sort through them all over … [Read more...] about Getting Organized