Thousands of people living in Athens, refugees and migrants, do not have access to books in their own languages. Being able to read is so important for learning, entertainment, and relaxation. We Need Books is an organization that is doing the doable and providing books and libraries to refugees in Greece and we wanted to help. We teamed up with our friends Communitere and We Need Books to get the job done. “We wanted to create a space where everyone can find books in their natural language. An environment that feels like home, where people feel safe to meet and accept each other, exchange ideas and express their feelings and opinions," said Giorgos, a member of Communitere. We Need Books is working towards collecting 15,000 books to give to refugees. “There have been 5000 books collected thus far, and the goal is 15,000. The area of focus are books in Arabic, Farsi and Urdu,” said Giorgos. On Day 333, we gave brand new books written in Urdu, the native language in … [Read more...] about Readers are Leaders
Campaigns
A New Route
When you have refugees and host communities living separate lives from each other it becomes easy for rifts to grow between the two communities. Misinformation can spread and cause tension. But communication and interaction between local communities and refugees can help to ease feelings of distrust and help unify both communities. And today on Day 332 in Greece – and with our partners Communitere - that is just what we are setting out to do! In Polycastro, a rural town in Northern Greece, we organized the Routes Festival! It's a festival for the local community to interact with their refugee neighbors. There were workshops for children and adults, live music, kite-making, and Greek and Syrian food for everyone. The kite-making brought together locals and refugees. Children and parents worked together, remembering a less troubled time and letting themselves relax a little. Being able to take the time to dance, share food, and laugh truly shows that we are not all … [Read more...] about A New Route
Team Up to Teach
Today, we're working with Communitere again, this time in Bulgaria, where thousands of refugees live. The folks at Communitere wanted to find a way to build a much-needed supportive community for teachers working in Harmanli Refugee Camp. "The responsibility and challenges of filling the gap in education experienced by displaced children in this context is too large and complex to tackle it alone," said one member of Communitere. So for Day 331, we're teaming up for these teachers, holding a co-creation session to come up with a teaching field guide, so they can share their own teaching approaches in a challenging setting. After the 3-hour co-creation session, we had flipcharts filled with drawings and post-it notes, illustrating the challenges and opportunites that teachers have identified in their classrooms. It was powerful to see them come together from completely different backgrounds and share their passion for this work – and their love for their students. … [Read more...] about Team Up to Teach
Tiles for Change
A safe space is something every community needs to feel whole. In Thessaloniki, there are a large number of refugees without a friendly, inclusive space to gather. This is especially challenging for women and children. So on Day 330 with our partners Communitere, we set out to do the doable and make a safe space for women and children refugees in Thessaloniki. Communitere engages communities in a kind of DIY humanitarian relief. They create opportunities for communities to think about and plan for their own futures, and then they help them choose from a variety of tools and models that will help them get where they want to go. We wanted to work with Communitere to create a space that would allow refugee women and children in Thessaloniki to have a space to hold community activities. And they had an idea. Why not renovate an old space into a new, clean and usable community center? We re-tiled the floor of an old room to make it safe for children to run around in and made … [Read more...] about Tiles for Change
A Whole Lotta Pies
Fernanda is the Business Manager of a small health clinic called Casa el Buen Summaritano. The clinic is completely free, and serves a population of undocumented immigrants in the Southwest area of Houston. So many of her patients were affected by Hurricane Harvey. So Fernanda wanted to do something to help. “We got the idea to hold a Friendsgiving,” said Fernanda. “So we identified those new patients that we served after the storm and were most affected and invited them.” Fernanda wanted to put together a full “Thanksgiving Kit” for 50 families, turkey included. Lots of community partners came together to pitch in. But she was missing one vital – and some might argue, the most important – thing. The pies. We jumped in and purchased 50 pies for 50 families. And in the end, Fernanda and her crew of other partners were able to put together a complete meal that included the turkey, stuffing mix, a bag of potatoes, two cans of vegetables, dinner rolls, and of course, a pie. … [Read more...] about A Whole Lotta Pies
Something to Be Thankful For
So many families were affected by the flooding in Houston, Texas, during Hurricane Harvey. And the devastation extended into schools, too. Over the Thanksgiving season, the needs of students and their families was felt even more deeply – many families don't have working ovens, stoves, or microwaves. But they still wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Juan Sorto is an amazing community leader in Northeast Houston – where the flooding was extensive. He’s been visiting kids in at Hilliard Elementary in Northeast for years. And he’s especially dedicated to bringing them joy in the post flood holiday season. So for Day 328, we wanted to help Juan and some Hilliard students have a lovely Thanksgiving meal – despite the challenges. First, we rented a car that could fit enough food for 66 students and 3 teachers for three separate classrooms! We then set about getting full meals that could be served without any preparation – roasted chickens, fresh bread, fruit, and some classic … [Read more...] about Something to Be Thankful For
Teach Your Children Well
Northeast Houston was an area particularly hard yet by Hurricane Harvey. Families there are struggling to get their lives back together. And teachers have an extra challenge – getting enough school supplies. Teachers around the country often supplement the necessary school supplies for their students each school year. And teachers at Hilliard and Shadybrook Elementary Schools are no different. But Ms. Parker, Ms. Quintana, and Ms. Polo were in a bind – after the flooding, they had to concentrate on their own homes and families, and their resources were running out. That’s why Juan – an amazing community advocate in Northeast Houston – had an idea to help these amazing teachers out. He wanted to be sure that they had everything they needed to start the school year off right. So we partnered up with Juan to purchase supplies for all three teachers, things like crayons, large pads of paper, and packs of colored paper. The supplies were small, but they go a long way to help … [Read more...] about Teach Your Children Well
A Phone Call Away
A lot of us take being connected for granted. With the world at our fingers through cell phones, it's easy to forget how isolating it can be when you don't have an easy way to connect. But at Nakivale Refugee Settlement, being able to communicate easily is vital. Whether it's being able to move around the settlement more quickly, or communicate from anywhere in the camp, connection is important. One of the vital members of our team, Jimmy Bob, was feeling a bit more disconnected then he would have liked. Jimmy is the Operations Manager at Nakivale, and as you can imagine, there are quite a few operations taking place at the settlement! Jimmy is an incredible manager - with a not so incredible phone. But Jimmy's phone was consistently on the fritz, leaving Jimmy without coverage and without connection to his teams. We thought it was about time we help Jimmy by making his life a little more connected - with a brand new, reliable, phone. Jimmy was ecstatic. "I … [Read more...] about A Phone Call Away
Drama Queens
In Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, you can find talent around every corner. And much of the talent comes from our drama performance troupes. Made up of Congolese, Rwandese, and Burundian refugees, they spread positive messages throughout the settlement. Their message? The importance of women empowerment and respect. “They help people think about how they use their own power - whether they use it for bad or good," said Sonia from the ARC team, who works closely with the groups. This message is important anywhere in the world. And it's especially important in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, where people are at their most vulnerable. So for Day 325, we're getting something to help these drama troupes perform at their best – new costumes. When performing theater, one of elements that truly makes the performance stand out are the costumes. And one particular dance troupe was without costumes to make their performance look cohesive and colorful. So we bought the … [Read more...] about Drama Queens
You’re An All Star
There are over 120,000 refugees in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. Which begs the question - how are they all looked after? One way? Our community activists. Community activists are members of the community who keep their eyes and ears open for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, and help those victims get the support they need. “They allow us to reach out to the places we cannot reach,” our colleague Sonia told us. Our community activists are volunteers – they don't get paid for the work they do. So today, we wanted to recognize some of our all-star activists who go above and beyond in their work, and do something to make their jobs just a little easier. These all-stars travel throughout the settlement for their work. But Nakivale is huge – over 32 square miles. And right now, it's the rainy season, which getting around a little uncomfortable. We wanted to provide them with a way to reach their destination dry – umbrellas! Two of the all-stars activists we met … [Read more...] about You’re An All Star