Taby has been in Uganda since last December. She and her family fled from Congo across Lake Albert, deciding not to take their chances with rising insecurity at home. But for almost a year, Taby's been restless. She and her friends had businesses back in Congo, but they haven't had a way to start them up again here. They know how to run a small business - they just need a little help to get them running. Yesterday, we built a shelter for the women of Taby's community to come together, socialize, and most importantly, get their businesses off the ground. "With a shelter like this," said Taby, "we'll divide it into kiosks so we can all sell different things, like a market center." The next step was obvious - get these ladies some things to sell! We got a smorgasbord of wares...everything from sodas to flashlights to sweet treats to soap. That way, they can test the market, learn, and adjust for the most popular items. "We can even get fish from the lake and sell … [Read more...] about Gather, Give, Grow

When we sat down with a Congolese community living in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement to learn what we could do to help, one thing came out loud and clear - women wanted more ways to support themselves. "Back in Congo, women had little shops, selling things like sugar, salt, vegetables, and clothes," said Taby, a Congolese woman who sought refuge in Kyangwali almost a year ago. "What we need is something to help start those businesses again. We need a market, a place for people to gather." The community where Taby lives is having a tough time. Some people are even returning to Congo, where they fear for their lives. Our colleague Andrew had an idea to help... "My mother has sold bracelets in the market for years," he said. "I was raised up at the market. If we build a market stall for women to gather, they have a place to start a business." Together with Andrew and the ARC team in Kyangwali, we built a brand new market stall for women in this area to use! "When you … [Read more...] about Working Women

During the rainy season, the ground in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement soaks up quite a lot of water. It can rain several times a day, in huge downpours that last for hours. Our colleague Igor saw an opportunity. "Rainwater coming in is relatively clean," he said. "The amount of filtration that's required in minimal. And parts of the year, rainwater is abundant." One remote community we've been working with the past few days really struggles to get clean water. So Igor and the team came up with a temporary solution, something that will help boost their access to water with the resources that they have. Igor's idea? A water cathchment system for their community shelter! Now, when it rains, water will be collected and saved in a tank that everyone has access to. It won't be enough to serve the entire community all at once, but it will help in a pinch. "Their biggest challenge is water," said Andrew, another teammate in Kyangwali. "Sometimes in a week they'll get water … [Read more...] about Rain, Rain

We all know what it's like - sometimes doing the "right" thing for yourself and your body is all about convenience. If the gym is far away, how likely are you to get there? If that good book you've been meaning to read is out of reach, you might just settle for reality TV instead. That's the concept behind "tip top" jerrycans. It's not that they deliver better or cleaner water than regular jerrycans, it's just that they're more fun. And easier to use. So, more people use them. In Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, getting clean water is a challenge for most people, and even more so for one community we've been working with the past few days. So, we thought, couldn't we make the water they do get just a little more convenient to use? Tip top jerrycans flip, pouring water to use for hand washing and drinking. They're really popular with kids, who sometimes need extra encouragement to wash their hands. Our colleague Andrew has seen them in use throughout many of the places we … [Read more...] about Easy Does It

When you think of refugee camps, you might not think about the loss of things like trees, plants, and shade. But when a town pops up virtually overnight, that tends to be the case. This loss of biodiversity impacts everybody, and refugees not least. The new landscape can feel barren and uninspiring. Tree growth starts from scratch. Our team in Kyangwali sat down with one community in the settlement to talk about the problem. And they came up with an idea that - fingers crossed - will really bloom into something exciting. Mango trees play many different roles - they bear fruit of course, leading to increased nutrition for children. They provide shade, protecting against the hot Ugandan son. Their fruit can be sold at the market, giving supplemental income to families. And, they simply look beautiful. We purchased 360 mango seedlings, enough to kickstart a community garden. Everybody was excited about this improvement - including our team! "This idea really supports … [Read more...] about How Does Your Garden Grow?

Soap. That deceivingly simple substance that most of us use in one form or another multiple times a day. That we rely on to stop the spread of sickness and disease. That we mainly take for granted. A bar of soap is a small thing. But for someone going without, its absence looms large. We've spent the last two days with a newly arrived Congolese community in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. With the help of our teammates in Kyangwali, we're helping get them more regular access to resources. But in the meantime, there are small things we can do to get them where they need to be. After spending time with families in the community, it became clear that one thing was sorely needed...you guessed it, soap! There are 720 families in this community. So we got 720 packages of soap. "These small improvements, they mean a lot," said Igor, one of our water and sanitation experts working on the problem. "When we're out here talking to people, a lot of the time we feel like we … [Read more...] about Soap in Hand

"This community has been sidelined and forgotten," says Igor, our resident expert in all things water and sanitation. "They are one of the most in need. What inspires me is to do the doable for them, to do what we can, today." This is our second day working in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, in a community that, as Igor said, has largely been left behind. They live in a remote part of the settlement, along steep and bumpy roads. Sometimes services just don't quite get there. One of the lacking services? Sanitation that works. "Normally the organizations running the settlement ask people to dig their own latrines," said Igor. "They give people the materials to build them on their own. But in this case, it's not coming." This community could build their own latrines with local materials, but just one problem - they don't have any tools. When they fled from Congo, it's not as if they came with shovels, wheelbarrows, or construction equipment. This was something we could … [Read more...] about In Their Hands

Igor is our water, sanitation, and hygiene specialist for all of ARC. He traveled to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement with a team ARC colleagues to answer one question - how might we help more everyday people in the settlement access and use clean, safe water? There's a quiet emergency happening in Kyangwali, with over 60,000 new refugees from Congo who have arrived in the past few months. Resources there are stretched. Igor and the team have long term plans to find a solution, and help these new arrivals get the services they deserve. But, in the meantime, they also have some doable ideas in mind...some quick, low-cost solutions that will have a big impact on families right away. Their first idea? Water filters. Igor and the team concentrated their efforts on one particular community in Kyangwali that was pretty remote - about an hour's drive from the entrance of the camp. "Sometimes they don't have any other option but to get water from the stream, which can lead to … [Read more...] about Welcome to Kyangwali

We are on a mission to help transform the deaf unit at Kajaho Primary School. These kids are far away from home, living with their peers, giving their all towards staying in school and getting a top notch education. Their teacher Dorothy believes in their potential. And we do too. Yesterday we transformed their dormitory space from a drab, dusty room to one filled with brightness and color. Today, we're helping with a challenge they face every day - how to collect water. The kids of the deaf unit were used to gathering all their water during their recess time at school - they didn't have a water pump near their classroom or dormitory. This task was taking up all their playtime, plus they had to be very careful with how much they used at home. Our team had an idea - why not build a water drainage and collection system at their dormitory? That way they could save their playtime for what is was meant for - playing. We built a rainater collection system right at the … [Read more...] about When it Rains

In Oruchinga Refugee Settlement in Uganda, there are a group of students that we've really fallen in love with. Their energy is contagious, smiles vibrant, and resiliency sky high. The kids of the deaf unit at Kajaho Primary School face enormous challenges. Since they can't hear, this puts them at a severe disadvantage to the rest of their peers, who already deal with obstacles to staying in school. But for these kids, there simply aren't a lot of resources to get them the special support they need. Despite all that, their commitment to school is unwavering. The bonds between them strong. But their dormitory? It didn't match their brilliance. The kids of the deaf unit stay in dorms, as most of their families live too far away to commute every day. But the building was a little worse for wear. Our first step? Make it simply more beautiful. We added color - and patterns - to the walls of their dorm. We made it look fresh and new, a little bit of joy to come home to … [Read more...] about Seeing in Color