With new sewing machines ready to go, Mama Noume had another idea. “When the sun goes down work has to stop,” she told us. But what if it didn’t? With a new house, we thought it should come with something else - solar power. The sun is bright in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. It's a reliable resource that can be put to work powering Mama Noume's lights and machines. With solar lights, the work doesn’t have to stop once the sun goes down! This will allow her students to be able to learn much faster and work more precisely. Even during the daytime, the house can be dark. Having steady light gives their eyes a rest so they don't have to squint to see what they're doing. Mama Noume is bringing light to her community, so we wanted to bring light to her house! Thank you for serving with passion Mama Noume! … [Read more...] about Flipping a Switch

Yesterday, we started out on our journey to make Mama Naoume's house into a home! We had set out to fix just the roof, but in the process discovered that fixing the roof could ruin the structural integrity of the house. So we cut out the middle man and knocked the house flat. If it's not safe for her and her kids, it just isn’t good enough! After knocking down the house and rebuilding the walls, we set out to do what we had originally planned. A new roof! This new roof was made of metal sheeting - it's long lasting and doesn't leak. Mama Noume's house is now safe from storms - and the sewing projects and fabric inside can stay in great condition. Tomorrow, we're turning our attention to what's happening under Mama Noume's new roof... … [Read more...] about Raise the Roof

Over the next week, we'll be undertaking a project near and dear to the whole team’s heart. Mama Naoume, who we've met before, takes in young single mothers and teaches them to sew. Ever since we met her she has stolen our hearts with her kindness and self-sacrifice. Mama Noume had an idea for her house that shelters so many - a new roof. Why? The roof leaked, and when it did, it ruined the fabrics and sewing projects she and her foster kids were working on. We thought, a new roof? That's doable! We called a contractor to look over the roof and he had bad news. “If we change the roof, the house may fall,” he said. So we thought about it and looked over what needed to be done. It was then that we knew what we could do... We decided to to redo EVERYTHING! In eight steps, we'll knock down the whole house and rebuild again. Step one? Tearing down the house! It was demolished! Everything must go! Once all the debris was cleared away, walls and a foundation set … [Read more...] about Tearing Down the Walls

In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, we try lots of new programs. But we can't do it alone. Monica works for the Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister, and she oversees all of Nakivale. She's open, kind, and generous with her time. She's an invaluable resource for ARC, helping us address the needs of the people of NAkivale. She comes and speaks at ARC events and most importantly, she is a woman of action. When you want her to give you feedback, she will hop in a car and go see it for herself. Monica doesn’t stand in the way of progress, she welcomes it. Since all of her work is in the settlement, Monica lives there too. And as we spent time with he, we noticed that she had no furniture in her office or home. That didn't fee right. So we set out to do a little interior design... We found a great sofa and love seat combo that we thought would make the place feel just a little more like home! It's important for someone like Monica - who's always on the go - to have a … [Read more...] about A Woman of Action

As we continue our journey with Zu in Nakivale, we focused on some of the things she's most passionate about. Education is one of them. We wanted to do the doable with Zu at one of the schools in the settlement, and we knew just the person to connect her with - Dorothy. Dorothy is the teacher at Kajaho Primary School who runs the program for deaf students. She is one in a million, and we always act on the opportunity to work with her. One of Dorothy's ideas? Building a hen house and having her students raise chickens! According to Dorothy, raising chickens teaches important life skills and also gives them access to a livelihood opportunity. It's great training for the future, which is particularly important because deaf students can have a difficult time finding work. Learning to raise chickens, they'll have a vocational skill in their back pocket as soon as they graduate. Naturally, we loved this idea and the children loved the chickens! It was a win win all … [Read more...] about Little Chickens

Yesterday, we supplied the pig farmers in Nakivale Refugee Settlement with piglets that will grow and help them expand their business. But we also wanted to make sure we thought the whole process through. We didn’t want to help by giving pigs, but then make things more difficult by not providing food for them to eat. We're all familiar with the reputation of a pig's eating habits...so this was a detail we didn't want to overlook! We provided the farmers with enough food to last six months - while the pig farmers are getting their farming sea legs, they're able to sustain the pigs without any difficulty to their finances. The women were so excited to start growing these pigs! And they have peace of mind knowing that they have a head start to give them a healthy life. … [Read more...] about Seeing it Through

One group of women in Nakivale Refugee Settlement have an idea for a startup. Their dream? To kickstart a pig farm. Raising and breeding pigs would do much to boost these women's ability to support their families. “This project impacts our lives because when you sell a piglet, you can send your children to school or get medicine,” one of the women told us. The decision to support these entrepreneurs was easy - we stepped in to help with the construction of a pig den and piglets for the group. The ladies also have dreams to expand, teaching other community members who purchase pigs from them how to breed their own. “One of the best things about a piggery is how fast the results show,” said Andrew from the ARC team. Within 9 months you can have a pig ready to sell, allowing growth and expansion to happen. These ladies have some brilliant ideas for how to lift themselves, and their communities. And with just a little boost, they - and their piglets - are off and … [Read more...] about Big Dreams Come in Small Packages

Livestock is an extremely precious asset in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. But the cows can be difficult to acquire and maintain. Enter the Wasifa community - they've really gotten the hang of it. Leaders in Wasifa have demonstrated their strategic organization and planning when it comes to rearing, breeding, milking, and selling cattle. These leaders set an example for long-term solutions and resources - and we couldn't help but take notice. We spoke with them to learn if they had any ideas for their community. And unsurprisingly, they did! They wanted to get a community cow that will let them breed calves until everyone in their group has their own. We love this idea because it's sustainable - and beneficial to the whole group. So we made it happen! Thanks Wasifa community for this fantastic idea - it'll keep your families and neighbors moo-ving in the right direction! … [Read more...] about Have a Cow

Today we've got a surprise for the talented members of Juru's soccer league! Juru is a community in Nakivale Refugee Settlement that has eight men's soccer teams, each with a team captain. They compete in friendly competitions, but they often lack the equipment necessary to play as much as they'd like. We thought to ourselves, we can totally solve this! This is doable! We called all the 8 team captains together and surprised them with a ball and a pump. The captains presented the new equipment to their teams - and then they got to playing! There was such joy and strengthened community just from being able to play together. Another small change making a big impact! … [Read more...] about The Great Eight

The Juru Primary School teachers work tirelessly to teach children of different nationalities in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, who often come speaking many different languages. As they pool their efforts towards educating the young people of Nakivale, they often find very little time for themselves. Their school has a small lounge where teachers can rest between lessons, but it isn't much to look at. But with a few little changes, it could really be something! Their idea was to stock the teacher's lounge with ceramic mugs, tea, sugar, a large thermos, silverware, trays, biscuits, and board games for entertainment. This would help the teachers recharge after their long and challenging days at work! The teachers used to share a few plastic mugs and would continually have to run to the kitchen to reheat water for tea. Now, water can be kept in a thermos in the teacher’s lounge, and each individual has their own mug - they don't have to wait during the little time they … [Read more...] about Lounging Around