The average length of stay in a refugee camp is 17 years. But for Francisco and Elizabeth, it’s been closer to 25. “They came to Uganda from Rwanda in 1994,” said Mercy from the ARC team. “They’ve been here a long time.” Now both nearing 90 years old, Francisco and Elizabeth don’t have any family to support them. They get by with the help of neighbors and organizations like ARC. But life is tough. “They face so many challenges,” said Mercy. One of those challenges is access to electricity. For the past few days, we’ve explored the power of light – and how even just a small increase in access can change lives. And for Day 58, we’re bringing that change to these two. Solar-powered energy is often the best option for many people living in Oruchinga Refugee Settlement. Unlike the power grid that is inconsistent – and not to mention expensive! – the sun’s power is free, reliable, and almost always there when you need it. Especially in Uganda! So we had just the thing for … [Read more...] about Resilient and Strong
Campaigns
Night Lights
If you’ve raised a child or have been close to someone who has, you know that taking care of a baby is a 24/7 job. Day or night, little ones need to be fed, their diapers changed, or simply soothed back to sleep. But imagine that on top of sleepless nights, you have to juggle everything in total darkness. That’s the reality for many parents in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. “The majority of people don’t have power in their houses,” says Doreck, an ARC counselor in Nakivale. “At night, when women go to breastfeed their babies, and sometimes they need to clean their babies, they can’t see them.” There’s one group of women in particular who could really use some extra support – single, breastfeeding mothers who have faced trauma. This is a group that ARC works with in Nakivale, helping them get back on their feet. So, we wanted to solve at least one problem for them – giving them light at night. “These women have been deserted, and have gone through very difficult situations,” … [Read more...] about Night Lights
The Break of Dawn
In Nakivale, many people’s livelihood is farming. And just like farming anywhere else, they sometimes have to start early – really early. “People get to their fields even at 4:15am,” said Andrew from the ARC Uganda team. “It’s very dark at that time.” But there’s a problem. In the refugee settlement, there’s not a lot of reliable access to electricity. People sometimes use flashlights to get around during the darkest hours, but batteries run out. There’s one group of self-starters who’ve formed a farming cooperative – and are kicking butt in the process. Their crops are thriving, they’re working together well. So, we thought, with just a little bit of light early in the morning – how much further could they go? One farmer named Mwindo joined the group because he wanted to be a part of change. “We want to improve our lives,” he said, standing in front of their field filled with small green tomatoes. “Together, we harvest what we have here, sell it, and then put that money … [Read more...] about The Break of Dawn
The Doctor Is In
For the next few days, we’re thinking about the power of light. Especially in a place like Nakivale Refugee Settlement, which is cloaked in darkness when the sun goes down. What can access to even just a small amount of light do for someone in Nakivale? How could it change their lives? In refugee camps, access to reliable light can also mean access to better healthcare. And the clinic team at Medical Teams International know that all too well. “We struggle with power here,” said Kate, the nurse in charge at the MTI clinic. “If the generator is down, then you’re in a fix. We also use the power grid. But it’s not reliable. This is very difficult at night, when needs are so high. There’s nothing you can do. Sometimes we have no choice but to keep working in the dark.” Luckily, thanks to The Shine on Project, there was something we could do to help. We gathered the MTI teams together for a little surprise – HEADLAMPS! And not just any headlamps. Solar-powered lamps from Watts … [Read more...] about The Doctor Is In
Bright Lights
The albino community in Nakivale is tough. Often a population that is marginalized and discriminated against, they’ve been through a lot. But despite it all, the community sticks together. It’s tough for many of us to imagine the absolute darkness that is Nakivale at night. But for albino people, they have no choice but to spend most of their time outside in early morning or evening hours – their skin is extremely sensitive to the sun. “They always have a challenge of movement and working at night,” said Andrew from the ARC Uganda team. “They can’t afford paraffin, they can’t afford electricity. So it’s difficult to get things done. Plus, it’s dangerous for them to walk around the settlement in the evening.” Thanks to The Shine On Project, we had an idea – bringing a reliable, sun-powered source of light to guide these families in the dark. Through the The Shine On Project, we were able to give them 45 solar-powered headlamps from Watts of Love! Kids and parents … [Read more...] about Bright Lights
Advocating for All
An advocate is someone who champions, supports, and fights for someone else. And at Casa de Esperanza, their 15 Advocates are champions for women and children survivors or violence. They're in great need of the support that Casa provides – things like family advocacy, shelter, community engagement, and more. The Advocates meet participants where they are, which means that they're out in the community – in their homes, at their school or workplace – helping them in a variety of ways. As you can imagine, they start to feel like family to each other. Rosario - the Community Advocacy and Partnerships Manager at Casa - describes the advocates as "the core of the organization. They’re the ones who have everyday contact with the survivors.” And sometimes, they experience vicarious trauma as a result. But their well-being is also so important – without it, they wouldn't be able to do their jobs. "In order to be there for the participants, the Advocates themselves need to be well," … [Read more...] about Advocating for All
In Transition
Over the past couple of weeks, we've had our sights set on quick but high impact projects in and around Minneapolis. We've followed our partnership with The Progressive North from a boutique that doubles as a social enterprise for East African women, to a Lunar New Year Celebration with Mid ANKR, and now, to Casa de Esperanza. Casa is an organization based in St. Paul that mobilizes communities to help end domestic violence. We were drawn to Casa because they also work with people who don't feel safe at home – like us, they do this work by meeting people where they're at. One of Casa’s main programs is El Refugio, an emergency shelter for women survivors of violence. We learned from Rosario and Sarahi, two of Casa’s staff members, that women at the shelter get there in a hurry - they often come with nothing with them. This is a challenge that's all too familiar to us - so we decided to do something to help. Together with The Progressive North, we set out to put together … [Read more...] about In Transition
A Special Tradition
We're back in Minnesota working with local refugee communities to do the doable. And today is all about the Midwest Alliance for North Korean Refugees (Mid ANKR), who we know through our friends at The Progressive North. There are only 200 North Korean refugees in the United States. And Mid ANKR is a Minnesota based non-profit organization working to protect those refugees through education and advocacy.They're a small but mighty organization working all over the world to fight for their human rights. We found out that Mid ANKR was organizing and hosting a Korean Lunar New Year celebration, and we wanted to be a part of it! We decided to join in on the fun and help put on one amazing event. Mid ANKR was founded by Hyon Kim, who is from South Korea. “My personal story and history made me care about this horrible situation of North Korean refugees,” said Hyon. “I’m doing this for my mom. She perished in North Korea. I want to do this work to honor her.” We partnered … [Read more...] about A Special Tradition
Shop Til You Drop
This past week, we've been working with the women of Sisterhood Boutique to transform their retail space. But because of the big changes to the store, the work throughout the week was pretty disruptive. There’s no doubt it impacted their business during the week – so we wanted to do something to help. So after the big reveal, we surprised the youth from their internship program by sponsoring a shopping spree at the boutique! They could shop for an outfit from the store for themselves, and an outfit for someone in their life that would benefit most. It was a win win! The girls were given time to shop in the newly designed space. And Yasameen was truly touched by the gesture - "Wow, you guys are the best!" They loved the opportunity to pick out clothes for others. "I'm picking out clothes for my older sister," said Amira, "She's going to be super surprised about the new space when she comes to visit!" “They are trying on everything – there are shoes everywhere!" said … [Read more...] about Shop Til You Drop
The Big Reveal
The transformation of Sisterhood Boutique's space comes at a big moment for the business – they are evolving, growing and changing. And now the store looked and felt like this behind-the-scenes reality. And that calls for a celebration. After a week of “refreshing,” we decided to host a reveal party for the youth in the internship program. These young people are the future of the store – so we figured they should be the first to experience it! We got everyone together and ordered pizza (of course!), a salad, chips, soda, and chocolate – everything every great party needs. We had a pizza party and took some celebratory confetti photos outside the store. Interns and staff alike were overjoyed at the changes. "I want to work tomorrow! Like, I just want to be here!" Said Yasameen, after seeing the space come together. “Teenagers started this place, and it felt like that too. But it's more mature now so this fits what our evolution has done as well," said Alexis. … [Read more...] about The Big Reveal