Yesterday, our team in Kalma Camp sat down, broke bread and celebrated a job well done. Last year, they took on a cholera outbreak in the camp. Thanks to their swift action and tireless attention to patients and safeguarding the community, they were able to save lives and contain the crisis. Not about to rest on their laurels, the team wanted to make sure they’re ready if cholera returns. Our Diarrhea Treatment Center was Ground Zero for fighting the outbreak. But since it all ended, the center has been sitting dormant. It needs a couple of quick fixes to make sure that everything is ready to go should the need arise. Dr. Fadua pointed to some batteries in the corner of one of the clinic rooms. “These batteries are supposed to provide the electricity for the Diarrhea Treatment Center. But they’re all dead.” Our team had heard of a couple of recent cases of cholera outside the camp, so we all thought it was best to get prepared right away. We headed to the market straight … [Read more...] about Prepared for the Worst

Last year, the team in Kalma Camp acted with a speed that saved lives. A few cases of cholera in the camp spread quickly. And soon they were dealing with a full-blown outbreak. The team quickly constructed a Diarrhea Treatment Center, and all cases were referred and transported to this new Center in Sector 1. Patients were quarantined in order to protect other patients and residents. Strict protocols were put in place to stop the further spread of the disease, and Alight moved medical staff from other parts of the world to Kalma to help contain the situation. The team worked late into the night and weekends caring for people suffering. And it all paid off. Thanks to their commitment, the outbreak was brought under control. Life and work moved on quickly, and the team never took the moment to really acknowledge what they had done and celebrate their amazing teamwork. So, we gave them a little help. Lunch on us, for the 100+ health workers at Alight’s three health … [Read more...] about Celebrating Successes

When we saw the water system in Kalma Camp, we were really impressed. 9 solar panel installations provide the power that pumps water from deep underground directly to people at the dozens of water points around Kalma. There are even backup generators to ensure water is available on the rare overcast day. As a result, water is immediately available 24-7. And there aren’t lineups for water like you see in many other refugee camps and communities. But it doesn’t all happen magically. A group of residents comprise the water committee – they keep an eye on every element of the water system. Whenever anything breaks down or needs fixing, they get to work to get water flowing again. “Our water committee in Kalma is really fantastic. They take a lot of pride in their work [though they are all volunteers from the community], and they’re doing a very big service for their community,” said Abbas, Alight’s Senior Program Manager for South Darfur. “But, they don’t have a way to stay … [Read more...] about Keeping Things Flowing

Like Adam from yesterday, Aamira is also a person we heard about even before we arrived in Kalma. She has been through a lot, not the least (or greatest) of which was the loss of her leg. Kalma is a sprawling place. She gets around as well as she can on her crutches, but she can’t go far. And as a single mother of a toddler and returning to school to finish her education, Aamira has places to be. We wanted to help Aamira not have to rely on others to get where she needs to go, so we found her a special hand-pedal wheelchair. She may need to work on her arm strength a bit, but now she can navigate all around Kalma without a worry. “Thank you!" she said, "I’ll use this chair to get to school on my own.” Aamira is supporting herself and her young son. She’s been trying to run a small shop, but she’s too far from the market. We thought we could help there, too. We bought Aamira a little cabinet on wheels. She can fill it with her products, attach it to her wheelchair and … [Read more...] about New Wheels

Even before we arrived in Kalma Camp, we heard about Adam. A week or so before Changemakers 365 came to Kalma, Adam had lost his wife in childbirth at home. Once they had finally made it to our clinic it was sadly too late. The family was struggling. Adam was left with 7 older children AND a brand new baby. He didn’t know how he would care for them all or what he was going to do. He even asked our medical staff, “please, can I give the child to you. I have older children to feed, and I don’t have any milk to give this baby.” When Beatrice, our health coordinator for Sudan heard the story, she reached into her own pocket to buy Adam two goats. It was a sustainable source of milk that would give the baby the nutrition he needed. But we wanted to also help the whole family who’ve been through so much losing their mother. A donkey and cart are a versatile means to make a living. You can carry produce from the fields to the market for farmers, or transport people around Kalma or … [Read more...] about A Donkey for Adam

Kalma Camp in South Darfur, Sudan is what they call a super camp, meaning it’s home to more than 100,000 people (in the case of Kalma, 170,000+ people are living there). The people who live in Kalma have been displaced from their homes in other parts of Darfur by conflict and violence, coming here for safety. Like any other camp, life moves on. Kids are headed to school, playing outside. There are markets where residents sell food and household items and tailors sew away at new garments. Kalma is one of the biggest camps in the world for displaced people. With such a huge population, Kalma needs a way to organize itself. And that is through the sheikhs. We met the Sheikhs on our first morning in Kalma. There are eight of them, each representing a different section of Kalma. There are also people in charge of the different interest groups – there’s a women’s leader, a leader for youth, a leader for religious groups, etc. The Sheikhs have a small office and a large open meeting … [Read more...] about Welcome to Kalma Camp