Conflicts and wars are not just disruptive but also destructive to both human lives and activities including farming. A once-happy self-reliant community of Pure and Kiri in Kajo-Keji was forced to abandon farming as their main source of livelihood to stay in Korijo IDP camp after the conflict in 2017. While in Korijo IDP camp, most of the community were forced to travel to the refugee camps in Uganda to receive the food ration or risk going back to their original homes within the county to harvest from their abandoned farms. “With war, you can’t do anything. We were forced to abandon our fruitful and fertile land for safety in Korijo IDP camp where there was barely any food. We had to risk our lives to collect abandoned food in the garden or cross to Uganda for food ration” narrated Juru, a member of Mother to Mother Support Group (MtMSG) in Pure. The food crisis among some women was partly resolved when Alight came up with a great idea of introducing the kitchen garden … [Read more...] about Community Gardens

Variety is the spice of life and plays a key part in nutrition. Today’s Changemakers 365 project is all about food and mixing it up! The Alight team in South Sudan has a plan to improve customers' diets as well as their income. Through kitchen garden trainings, the team can teach about the importance of nutrient-rich gardens and how to grow the food. The team gathered groups of mothers who had an interest in expanding their knowledge of gardening. The trainings went incredible and the gardens flourished. “The kitchen garden has greatly added to my financial status. I now own a goat and two chickens at my home from the money I got from sharing the sale of the kitchen produce” said Aker Akol Bol, the lead mother of the mother-to-mother support group. Another member of the group, Aguak Deng Wol, said, “I am very lucky to have benefited from the kitchen garden project. After acquiring the knowledge from the group, I felt empowered to start growing my own vegetables at home. I … [Read more...] about A New Garden

Today’s Changemakers 365 project is all about Doing the Doable in South Sudan. In KajoKeji, our staff was running into an issue. There are limited spaces for caregivers to work under and provide medical care in a comfortable environment. “With all these interruptions from rain and sunshine and the risk of contracting COVID-19 due to congestion, all was a lot of discomfort from these facilities,” said caregiver Poni. The team on the ground jumped into action to make a better space for caregivers and people receiving services. Purchasing iron sheets, nails, tarps, and poles, the changemakers set out to create a new structure that would protect users from the elements. The shelter turned out great! “The construction of the triage areas has reduced the interruptions during the rainy season and on sunny days, - and the worst risk of COVID-19 due to congestion. We are now served promptly and conveniently, said Idde, a caregiver told us. Great job team and way to provide the … [Read more...] about Shelter for All!

South Sudan is one of the toughest places ARC works. But despite the challenges, our teams do amazing work in even the most remote areas. Working in 26 health facilities, including managing a couple of hospitals, our health teams save lives - responding to devastating cholera outbreaks and delivering thousands of healthy newborn babies each year. But there’s one problem – electricity. Because of ongoing insecurity, there are constant fuel shortages. The generators that the teams rely on get shut off frequently, leaving the hospitals in total darkness. “90% of South Sudan plunges into darkness at one time,” said Stanford Phirri, one of our nurses. “Sometimes in the middle of an operation the generator goes out,” explained Dr. Joseph Okello, our surgeons. “We have to search for a flashlight or use the light on our phones in the operating theatre.” We saw a simple solution for these incredible Changemakers – headlamps. Our human resources team in South Sudan helped us … [Read more...] about Let There Be Light

Exercise, relaxation, and a little fun can help a lot when the going gets tough. But our teams in South Sudan don’t have great ways to exercise or get away from the stresses of work. They live in compounds that hold both the ARC office and their living apartments, which is convenient - but sometimes a little boring. “We have nothing at all to do,” says Dr. Henry Esame, our County Hospital Coordinator in South Sudan. “We cannot leave the compound, and sometimes we sit alone in our private rooms.” Because of the security risks, there is no walking or exercising allowed outside of the compound. Curfew is at 7pm. But their jobs can be extremely challenging – especially for our health teams. They need to something to reboot and relax. “We try to do things together on Sunday to start the week off well,” continued Dr. Henry. “The hospital staff has to be stable and ready to face the week.” So for Day 317, we decided to do something small to make those Sundays just a little more … [Read more...] about Birdies for Well-Being