One year ago, three ARC team members – Beth from Minneapolis, Sonia from Uganda and Ajjima in Thailand – put their heads together and submitted an idea about hospice care for refugees to ARC’s Changemakers Award idea competition. Part of their idea was to train community volunteers in camps to provide home-based care for their neighbors. On Day 142, we’re making it happen. In Nakivale, there are many people who are nearing the end of their lives or are ill and can’t make it into the clinic. They’re at home and many don’t have family who are able to care for them appropriately. So, the idea was to train a group of people who could help. And we had the perfect group – ARC’s Community Activists, volunteers who help share messages with their communities about health and preventing violence. ARC team members Dorica and Hope assembled the group for a training on the basics of home-care, including: bedside manner, how to help a patient be as comfortable as possible, and handwashing … [Read more...] about Comfortable At Home

On Day 140, we learned more about the issues young girls face in continuing on to secondary school. "No one teaches about menstruation. Even the parents don’t tell their girls. It takes a girl by surprise," said Agnes, ARC Sanitation Officer. The shame that can accompany beginning menstruation can be made worse by not being prepared to face such a change. So, today we are doing the doable to help keep girls in school. Ruhoko Primary School has over 800 girls in attendance – both refugees and Ugandans. But, many will drop out when they begin menstruating because simply staying clean and keeping their school uniform unstained is a challenge. “Building a water tank, this will make a change for these girls,” said Agnes. With the help of a local engineer in Nakivale, we constructed a water tank next to the girls washroom. This will give girls access to running water to wash out their reusable pads. "This way we can let people know the process is normal," said Agnes. … [Read more...] about Growing Up, Staying in School

In Nakivale, nearly half the population are kids of school-going age. The challenges of just getting to school and being able to afford the materials cause many to dropout. In fact, the largest rate of dropout is among students moving on to secondary school. Less than 10% of kids who go to primary school continue on with their education. Many who dropout before secondary school are girls - and the reason for that is often very simple. “They get their periods,” explained Sonia, ARC Protection Officer, “and it can be difficult to continue going to school.” Sonia meets young girls faced with this decision each and every day. She wanted to do something that would encourage girls to stay in school. She knew that a few simple supplies could make the decision to stay in school an easy one for young girls. So, we visited the PS7 class (equivalent of 6th grade in the US) at Kashojwa Primary School. We brought 100 kits, filled with reusable sanitary pads, laundry soap, body … [Read more...] about Continuing On

It’s something you might not think about the next time you bounce a basketball. But having a flat court to dribble on is certainly a key to the game. It keeps the ball from bouncing in unexpected ways. If the playing surface is flat it’s one less thing players need to worry about navigating during an intense game of basketball. The basketball court in Nakivale is unlike most courts you might see. The court surface undulates with mini ravines and a patch of gravel in the middle. The court is in a high traffic spot in the settlement, and the players sometimes even need to dodge bikers and motorcyclists looking for a shortcut through the middle of their game. Skyy, the coach of the basketball teams in Nakivale, told us that many of his players have been injured while playing. We thought at least something could be done to improve the court. So, we hired a team of workers in the camp to tackle the court surface. Over a couple of days they dug it all out, reset the basketball … [Read more...] about Flat & Safe

Nakivale is home to thousands of youth – and they're looking for something to do. Gathering with friends and being active is important, but there is a lack of activities in the settlement. A brand new youth center was built, but it sits nearly empty. It's a gathering space for youth but the only thing inside are chairs, a few books and a couple of basketballs. That was the case until Jimmy, ARC Logistics Officer, set to work getting a table tennis set delivered. He recruited a few youth and staff to help set it up. Now, the many youth who come by will have something to do. And, they may even be challenged to a game by ARC staff, Isaac and Patrick, who plan to show off their table tennis skills. … [Read more...] about Something To Do At The Youth Center

Getting the chance to play and be physically active is universally important. But having deficient equipment (or none at all) can be demoralizing and discouraging after you’ve taken the time and effort to get together with friends to play. We heard that a women’s netball team that gathers daily at the youth center in Nakivale was having just this problem. Their balls were in rough shape and deflated. And their court was unlevel and littered with large rocks and debris – hardly a court it turns out. [for those who haven’t heard of netball – see this video] We could do something about this. Isaac, ARC Engineer, recruited some workers to dig up the court, remove the debris and rocks and level the whole thing out. While they got busy, we headed to the store to pickup some new balls to replace their old worn-out gear. When we came back to the court, Ann – a representative from UNHCR was there to survey the progress. “Sports is how we mobilize youth,” said Ann. “And this is … [Read more...] about Build It And They Will Come

What a relief! All jokes aside – having a place near your home to use the bathroom makes a big difference. It often means people stay safer and live in more hygienic conditions. That’s why it was so important to Jimmy, ARC’s logistics officer in Nakivale, to make sure some of the most vulnerable families (elderly and female-headed household) have latrines. Jimmy had a list of such families. So on DAY 136, we got them some of the basic supplies they needed to put up their own latrines. That included 4 large logs to use as a base and a latrine platform and cover. $500 allowed us to purchase supplies for 60 families and their latrines, and the vendor tossed in an extra set of logs to make it 61 (THANK YOU!)! Before we arrived, families had excavated pits for their latrines, about 2 feet wide, 5 feet long and at least 10 feet deep. They also got a hold of bricks to make a structure around the latrine. The logs and latrine platform and cover were put in place and then the families did … [Read more...] about A Latrine All Their Own

Yesterday, we met Kabirigi. He's over 100 years old and he lives alone in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. For refugees like him, an already hard life can be even harder. His neighbors help him out in ways that they can, but there are some things they can't provide. That's where Freddie comes in. Freddie has worked in Community Services for ARC meaning that he knows the community in and out. He has a big heart, a neighborly spirit and a lot of ideas to make change in the lives of the people he knows. Today, he's doing the doable. After providing lights to several elderly refugees, Freddie thought we could do just a little more. "It is hard for an elderly person to be sleeping on the cement floor. He would be much more comfortable sleeping on a mattress," says Freddie. So, with just $500, we took to the nearby town to see how many mattresses we could purchase. They were loaded up and driven to Nakivale where we hand delivered each mattress. At Kabirigi's home, his … [Read more...] about A Good Night’s Sleep

On Day 133, Freddie had an idea to help elder refugees that are living alone in the settlement. And now, he wants to do just a little more for them. Living alone can make even a simple task seem daunting. And, it can be lonely and unsafe too. We met Kabirigi, a refugee from Rwanda that is over 100 years old! After dark, he is alone in his home with no light source to cook by, or to make him feel safe. Freddie knew of an easy way to make change for Kabirigi and others living alone and in a vulnerable state – give them light. D-lights are small, solar lamps that are simply recharged using the energy of the sun. They're safe and easy to use – the perfect light source for someone like Kabirigi. "I've always been in the dark.The light will help," said Kabirigi. It may seem simple, but providing something as basic as light can make a big difference. Suddenly, the days can last just a little longer and more importantly, you can feel safer in your own home. … [Read more...] about A Reassuring Light

Today, we are heading about an hour northeast of Oruchinga to Nakivale Refugee Settlement. Nakivale is a bustling settlement that is home to more than 100,000 refugees and it's been around since 1958. Living in a refugee settlement can be challenging – the daily task of fetching water, walking miles to get to an appointment, waiting in the hot sun for a food distribution. Now, imagine doing all this on your own and in your later years. This is the case for a man named Deo. He lives alone and his ability to move around isn't what it used to be. Freddie, one of our team members in Nakivale, had an idea to help Deo and others like him. With mobility being an issue, he thought that we could bring some of these services to them. "He needs to use water daily – for cooking, drinking, washing - it can be right here," said Freddie. So, we set about building a water tank beside Deo's house. In just a few short days, the bricks were laid, the water tank installed and ready to use. … [Read more...] about Lightening the Load