Kyaka Refugee Settlement in Uganda has recently become a new home to many Congolese people, fleeing instability in DRC. Because of the influx, supplies at the reception center are at an all-time low. What they especially need as they first arrive is clothing. But clothes for kids is tough for a couple reasons - first, they keep growing! Kids are changing size all the time, and when resources are limited, pants become shorts overnight. The second is play. No child in history has cared more about their clothing being in good shape when a good time is on the line! This leads to ripped shirts and pants. For Day 163, we made a surprise visit to the reception center with bags full of new children’s clothes! Squeals of joy filled the air. As one little girl walked away, she tied her new sweatshirt around her waist. It was too hot to wear it in the middle of the day, but she just wanted to have it on anyway she could! Just think how you feel in a new outfit...it can make … [Read more...] about Feeling Fresh

Getting yourself settled into a refugee camp is no easy task. Most refugees arrive at a reception center with few belongings, and many people struggle to find ways to support themselves. While we were in Kyaka, we noticed that many of the refugees there were coming from Congo. They knew how to farm but couldn't put their skills to work - they just didn't have the right tools. Getting tools isn’t so hard...so for Day 162, we set out to do just that. We got tons of gardening tools, seeds, and watering cans, all to be delivered to the new arrival center. This way, as refugees arrive to Kyaka they will be greeted not only with open arms but a way to set themselves on the course of self-sufficiency! It's a small step, and there's a long road ahead. But by giving them the tools they need to build their best life, these new arrivals will start off on the right foot. … [Read more...] about The Sharpest Tool in the Shed

Our counseling space in Kyaka has now been painted inside and out! But we needed one last thing - better furniture to feel right, to keep with the beauty of the space. The room was filled with metal desks, old chairs, and was over-crowded. It was time for a face lift. We headed to the market with two goals in mind - make the space feel inviting and comforting, and to help even our smallest patients feel welcome. We found the perfect beautiful and comfortable wicker chairs with pillows, so patients can spend time in the room comfortably. Next, we got a TV, desk, and sound system for relaxing music and to play instructional videos. The basics were covered. But it was time to add in some hospitality features - a water cooler, tea, and coffee. To make kids feel at home, we picked up art supplies, games, toys, and a crib. This way mothers can focus on the counseling session and the children can focus on having fun! Our counseling room was now complete. Our team has all the … [Read more...] about Finishing Touches

Many people pass by the counseling space at Kyaka Refugee Settlement every day. The waiting area is made up of two huge walls with nothing on them - not exactly very inspiring. We thought of an opportunity - What if we could use those walls like two huge billboards, to spread positivity to the community? We asked our friends, the Revolution Artists, about their ideas to put on the wall...and then the work began! They had no shortage of thoughts for important messages that could benefit the community and those in the waiting area. Their images showed families speaking out against violence together, youth using their voice to make a difference, and the importance of equality and respect. We even added a little nod to the bee keeping projects and to our wonderful colleague Colleen, who loves bees and has pushed to reduce sexual abuse in the humanitarian field! It's something small, but an important reminder of the powerful impact positive messaging and art can have in … [Read more...] about Painting Positivity

In Kyaka Refugee Settlement in Uganda, ARC offers counseling services and a safe place to heal from trauma. Our counseling staff is top notch - but the space was not. After looking it over, we thought to ourselves, “this is nothing a few coats of paint couldn’t solve!” We called up our friends, Revolution Artists, and told them our situation. They are a perfect fit for the job because not only are they talented, they can make art with a message. Our goal was to repaint the counseling room and make it feel peaceful, warm, and like an escape from the outside world. Because we wanted it to feel familiar, one wall was painted with a mural of the beautiful Kyaka landscape. On the next wall, positive messages and depictions of a healthy community were drawn. As someone sits in the space waiting for the counselor to enter, they will already encounter positive messages. Lastly, many women bring children to the counseling session with them - so we painted the last wall with fun … [Read more...] about Healing through Beauty

Kyaka Refugee Settlement is a big place filled with tons of people. Our community activists - all volunteers - help us reach them all. For Day 158 we asked them - how can we help you be more effective? "A bike will help me reach new far communities," said Patrick, one of the activists. "I may need to go 45 Kilometers to reach them and visit patients and see how they are doing.” 45 Kilometers is 27 miles! That’s over a marathon away to visit members of the community. Most people only dream of doing a marathon, and these activists are doing it in one day! Naturally, we couldn’t say no to a request for bikes. We delivered our activists brand new bikes that could take them all over the camp. And they were overjoyed. Not only can they now do their job better than ever, they'll have more energy to engage with patients -because they didn’t have to walk a marathon to visit them! … [Read more...] about Cruising Around Kyaka

Yesterday, we helped introduce bee keeping as a new livelihoods skill inside Kyaka Refugee Settlement in Uganda. And today, we're helping to reboot some past bee-keeping enterprises! Our staff in Kyaka knew that the environment there was perfect for bees. And they even knew someone who had mastered the art of keeping bees and getting honey. But there was one problem. They didn’t have enough hives to make collecting honey and selling it viable. Their hives had also seen better days, and were looking a little rough around the edges. We had just the solution - better hives and more of them! Once the new hives arrived, we loaded them into the back of the truck and headed over to surprise the group of bee keepers. They were overjoyed to be able to start their business up again, and this time have the option to scale it in a feasible way. "When we arrived in Kyaka settlement, there was a lot of potential land for farming," one of the members told us. "So we formed a bee … [Read more...] about A Sticky Situation

Over the next 7 days, the Changemakers 365 projects will be dedicated to a special member of the ARC family - Colleen Striegel. Colleen has dedicated the last 17 years of her life to serving with ARC. As she moves onto her next adventure, we wanted to do a couple ideas in her honor, about things that she cares so deeply about. First up? Bees! Bees are an important part of any ecosystem, and we wanted to make them an important part of the economy in Kyaka Refugee Settlement in Uganda! “The climate of Kyaka is very good for bees,” said one of the camp leaders. So we got to work. The first stop was to find some local bee hives. After finding a couple promising leads, we landed on a beehive-making master. He promised us that he could make hives that would attract bees so quickly, we’d have to set it up as soon as we got them. He wasn’t joking! Within a week there were bees buzzing around their new homes! We delivered 6 new bee hives to one of the leaders in the camp … [Read more...] about Buzzing for Change