Community Activists (or CAs) are our closest link to the community in Kyangwali refugee settlement. These members of the ARC team - refugees themselves and 68 activists in total - make their homes in the small communities and villages that comprise Kyangwali. They are pillars in their communities. When an important message or public health concern needs to be communicated, CAs bring it to their communities. And if there is a dispute or disagreement among their neighbors, they are there first to help them settle it or refer the matter to someone else to help resolve. Part of the job of our CAs is to create written reports about what's happening in their communities to share with other ARC staff. These are written with paper and pen, and since they are hard copies they can be difficult to share amongst the whole team. So, on Day 249, we thought we could do a little something to make the reporting process easier while helping our CAs learn some new skills. So, we purchased a … [Read more...] about A Shared Workspace

A few months ago, the lights in the library at Kyangwali Secondary School went out. They tried replacement bulbs, but the light never came back. The school staff even started asking whether they should have a library at all if they can't get the lights working. Kyangwali Secondary School is the only secondary school for the refugee settlement, and it's also the secondary school for several villages and towns surrounding Kyangwali. It serves 2,000 students. And though the school could use some extra space for all those students, they never actually converted the library. So, on Day 248, we decided to help the school get their library back up and running by installing a new solar panel on the roof of the library. But that wasn't really enough. Of course it was great to get the space functioning again, but if half the school couldn't make use of the library it wasn't enough. Female students didn't feel safe making it to the room at night, trying to get from their dormitory … [Read more...] about Lighting the Way

People are so busy in Kyangwali refugee settlement, making life better for their loved ones and their community. We met a group of women from the host community, Ugandans who live nearby Kyangwali who are making sanitary ware by hand. And, we met another group of refugee women doing embroidery work that they sell in Kyangwali or in the nearby city of Hoima. These women are working hard for themselves, their families and their neighbors - and on Day 247 we knew we could do something simple to help them make an even greater impact. So, we delivered new sewing machines to the women's groups in Kyangwali and neighboring communities. "This sewing machine is going to increase on our production, and it will be multipurpose - that's helping widows in the group to sew clothes, train young girls of the community and mostly to increase on the sanitary pad production for our girl children," said Jane the leader of the women's group from the host community. In addition to sewing … [Read more...] about A Needle and Thread

Schools need to keep sensitive documents, whether it's a school in Minnesota or a school in Uganda. And to protect their students, they need a safe place to keep them. But at four schools in Kyangwali settlement, that wasn't always possible. Some schools never had a cabinet they could lock. And at one of the schools, rats were destroying their wooden cabinets and the documents inside. So, on Day 246, we delivered 4 large metal file cabinets to schools in Kyangwali settlement, including Rwemisanga and Kasonga Primary Schools. "We now have a place to keep our confidential documents and student's pass slips in case they delay to pick them up," said Alex Muhanga from Rwemisanga Primary School. … [Read more...] about Under Lock and Key

It can be hard to be a refugee, and it can be hard to live with a disability. But imagine dealing with both challenges - living with a disability in a refugee settlement like Kyangwali in Uganda. The blind in Kyangwali struggle on a daily basis. It's hard to get from place to place across uneven ground, and nothing is designed for the visually impaired. Distances become longer when you can't see the way, and getting from one place to another can take a lot of time. There's a lot going on in Kywangwali, and it can be dangerous if no one is looking out for you. "I call him Driver, because he drives me around" laughed Poli Poli, an 18 year-old blind man who lives in Kyangwali. He was talking about a young boy who helps him to get around the settlement. Driver leads Poli Poli - guiding him at his shoulder - helping him to walk wherever he needs to go. Poli Poli and the other blind residents of Kyangwali must rely on their neighbors like Driver to help them function and live their … [Read more...] about A White Cane

Don't let the bed bugs bite. Bed bugs are the worst. They burrow into mattresses and cushions, and can cover a person in bites over night. If they hitch a ride into your home, there's no escaping them. And they can be terribly difficult to get rid of completely. When we heard there were a number of families struggling with bed bug infestations, our team knew we could do something to help. Typically, a round of fumigations happens on a quarterly basis in Kyangwali refugee settlement. But with budget issues, the organization normally in charge has been unable to fumigate this year. The result? Several families who have been suffering without much hope of relief. "Bed bugs have been biting me all night," said Jembeke, a resident of Kasonga village in Kyangwali. "People think I have a skin disease." On Day 244, we got a fumigation specialist out to help. We targeted two villages in Kyangwali and identified 20 families who needed help - households that were particularly … [Read more...] about Sleep Tight

Yesterday in Kyangwali refugee settlement, we brought the GOSH (Girls Out Of School) girls a laptop they could use at their restaurant/training center to look up new cooking and baking techniques and manage the business. These girls, for a number of reasons, couldn't stay in school to complete their secondary education. The GOSH program allows them to keep moving forward - learning cooking, hospitality and small business skills by running a restaurant together. The girls wanted the laptop so that they could continue learning about new skills, new recipes and new ways of doing things. There was just one problem. There are lots of girls in the GOSH program, but only one person can use a laptop at any given moment. So, they asked for our help to be able to engage more students all at once. We couldn't get a laptop for everyone, but we could purchase a projector so that everyone could follow along together at the same time. "Now, if they find a new skill they want to learn, they … [Read more...] about Learning Together

Kyangwali refugee settlement is home to thousands of young people. By Ugandan law, all students - refugee and Ugandan citizen alike - are assured a primary school education. But when students reach secondary school, there are compulsory school fees and other family demands that can make it challenging to stay in school. For many refugee youth, that marks the end of their education. But young people want to keep learning, and they need to develop their skills further to make a life for themselves. Our team in Kyangwali met a group of girls last year whose educations had been cut short. They wanted to know if ARC could do something to help them keep moving forward. We gave the group a name - GOSH (Girls Out of School) - and helped the girls open a restaurant on the main street of the settlement. The girls run the business of the restaurant, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, etc. And it functions as a center for teaching cooking and hospitality to anyone who wants to learn. ARC gives the … [Read more...] about Oh. My. GOSH!