Today’s 365 brings us back to the Nakivale library. The library is looking for new books that will be fun and engaging! What is more engaging than Harry Potter? Nothing! The Changemakers team was able to purchase 56 copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in French and in English! These books will make the stories accessible to readers of all ages and all cultures! Now residents of Nakivale can experience the magic of Harry Potter! … [Read more...] about Bringing Magic to Nakivale Community Library

Today is all about the recognition of an amazing person who also happens to be a mother. The Assistant Commandant in Nakivale, Ms. Justine Gonza, has been an incredible partner and friend to Alight. She has by an advocate for the secondary school Rubondo, which Alight helped fund. She also has been helpful to the host community of Uganda in making sure their voices are heard. “Justine has shown unconditional love by uniting and advocating for both the refugee and host community co-existence and wellbeing in Rubondo community, through these engagements the community is able to receive first-class services from all the implementing partners,” explained Andrew, an Alight team member. To show our support for Justine, the team wanted to surprise her on Mother’s Day with an award for her service. “Ms. Gonza, we appreciate you today for your sincerity and generosity during the time you are needed. You have always been a mother to the community and the staff around you and today we … [Read more...] about One of the Good Ones

Today, Changemakers 365 brings us to Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. Mr. Amani Musa, a refugee recently relocated to a new village in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, lives with his three daughters. He and his daughters were living in dilapidated shelter; covered by a tarp and maize-stems to shield them from the cold in the night. The house was much too small for a family of this size and was in need of some serious improvements. Upon seeing the shelter Amani and his family were living in, our team knew what they had to do. We had to provide a new shelter. One that can fit his family and provide relief from the cold. “ALIGHT has given me a home with two bedrooms and a sitting room; one room for the girls and the other for me and my son. I did not know that God was bringing a blessing to me through Alight and I cannot believe how they got to know about my condition. I am so grateful to Alight. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” said Mr. Amani. Great job team and way to … [Read more...] about A Safe and Secure Home

Today our COVID-19 response brings us to the Nakivale refugee settlement in Uganda. We will be dealing with an important issue: housing. The new arrivals at the Nakivale reception center all stay in providing group shelters but due to social distancing rules, they were kicked out of their temporary houses and left with no one to go. Our staff saw this and knew that we could not leave them out on their own and with no houses, so they got right to work! They quickly began construction of houses for these families to move into and have a place to call home. Thanks to the quick work of our staff, the houses were finished in not time! “There was too much crowding at the reception center which couldn’t allow us to observe the social distancing, I am so happy for having this house that Alight has constructed for me. Asante saana Alight," said Mr. Nsanzamukiza Augustin, one of the owners of his new house. This change made possible by Tradition Capital Bank. … [Read more...] about A Place to Call Home

No matter how much support you have, raising children takes an incredible amount of energy. For a single mother doing this all on her own, keeping it together day-by-day can be challenging. As anyone who works this hard knows, a helping hand never goes unappreciated. For one single mother in Uganda, Celestina, the challenges of daily life were getting to be too much to hold at once. Celestina is a single mother of six children bellow the age of 15 juggling all the details of raising a family. She works so hard, but with the prolonged rainy season, the family’s shelter has deteriorated quickly. Without the funds and time to fix it alone, she’s been unsure how to keep up. But the community leaders were looking out for Celestina, and they reached out for help in supporting the family. Together with the leaders, we were able to build a two-room house to keep the family safe and dry! Now, Celestina and her kids will be safe at night, and they’ll be sheltered from the cold. Plus, … [Read more...] about New Home, New Hope

For the students at Rubondo Community Secondary School, there’s much studying to do! As more and more students enroll, the competition between students grows steadily. It’s a healthy competition—everyone is working hard to do well on upcoming exams—but for these students, the lessons are the least challenging thing! So, what’s harder than math, science, or reading? Doing studies without light! Because the school didn’t have electric lights, the students were limited to studying only during the daytime. But we had just the solution: a solar lighting system for the school! Now, no matter where a student lives, they can come and study with good light late into the evening. Plus, the lights help make things easier on the security guards, too. The guards will be able to more easily patrol at night, and the light will guide their way. With all that safety and convenience at the school, there’s no doubt that the number of students at school will keep on growing. As headteacher Mr. … [Read more...] about Bright Classrooms, Brighter Futures

From billboards off the highway to advertisements on the bus, we're bombarded with so much messaging every day. But what if these daily messages weren’t trying to sell us something? What if instead, they stood for something truly good, like peace and safety in our community? In Oruchinga Refugee settlement, the Kajaho boda boda drivers had just this idea. These motorcycle taxi (or boda) drivers play a big role in making daily commutes safe. They’re trained in safe driving practices, but they also receive training in in gender-based violence prevention and how to report instances of violence to authorities in the settlement. The boda boda cyclists wanted to take steps to be even safer on the roads while spreading the anti-violence messaging far and wide. So, they requested reflector jackets with educative messages printed on the back. We were able to get 27 bright new jackets, which will serve as uniforms for the boda boda group and moving peace billboards, too! As Mr. … [Read more...] about Mobile Messages

There is so much power in knowing there’s a safe place for you to land. In Juru, the protection house stands for this kind of safety, promising shelter, comfort, and peace of mind. But when a safe space is missing key safety features, all that solace vanishes. At Juru’s protection house, a lack of lighting is the biggest safety concern. When it gets dark, staying safe gets riskier, which is especially troubling when you consider how many people specifically use the protection houses at night. Khalid, an OPM worker in Juru told us, “The challenge of a lack of lights is simply a threat to security.” But though challenging, there’s certainly a solution to a lack of lights, and the community had just the fix: solar lights! We got to work installing a solar system to make sure everyone stays safe, no matter the hour. Already, people are enjoying the new system. “Before, because of the darkness, it was difficult to wake up in the night to breastfeed my baby. So this light will … [Read more...] about Light All Night

Wintertime is the rainy season in Uganda. Though rain is great for growth, it can also bring dangerous flooding. Due to unrelenting rain, some communities in Kakoma village have been struggling to keep their homes safe and dry. For community members living with special needs, conditions are especially hard. These folks often struggle to fix up housing after floods. So, we teamed up with OPM to build a house for people with special needs, one that makes sure they’re safe and sound no matter the weather. The house has a floor that can be easily cleaned, plus good ventilation, both of which help keep the residents healthy, even when it’s damp. And to make the house comfy, we made sure it was full of warm bedding, too! Now, everyone can rest easy. As one resident named Venance explained, “I have lived in a poor house for years, and I have been praying for a better house. When the rainy season started, I worried the house would collapse and kill me. So I appreciate Changemakers … [Read more...] about Shelter from the Storm

Today, we’re at the Kahirimbi police station. This station serves both the host and refugee communities of Nakivale Uganda, and they work hard to keep everyone safe. But after the sun goes down, this police station has a problem: their lights turn off! A police station without lights makes a hard job even harder. After all, crime never sleeps! And reporting and writing up crimes without light is difficult, if not impossible. If the lack of light wasn’t challenging enough, the station has recently been having trouble with their holding cells, which have become easy to break out of over time. So what did we do? We got to work! First, our team installed solar lights and a solar panel. And just like that, let there be light! Next up, we made the holding cells sturdier, and we ensured all the exits and entrances were secure. With a stronger police station, everyone feels better. “I have always feared to report my cases to police because I knew the people arrested would move … [Read more...] about Lighting up Kahirimbi