Teachers use all sorts of techniques to help students learn and retain information, whether that’s lab work to make abstract concepts more concrete, or a song about verb conjugations that you can play in your mind. Today, we’re back at the Rubondo Secondary School to help teachers in their mission to promote hands on learning by creating raised beds for their agricultural class. The five new raised beds, formed in concrete blocks that are wide enough for the students to sit on while hanging out in between classes, would house plants that the students could take care of throughout the year, encompassing the whole cycle from planting to harvesting. So, with a number of travelers from the United States and across our programs in Sudan, South Sudan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand and Uganda, we got a team together to plant tomato and cabbage seedlings with the students and their agricultural teacher. As the travelers stood side by side the students, planting and watering, the … [Read more...] about Bringing the Lesson to Life

We've spent the last two days working with students to brighten up their classrooms, but today, we want to focus on some of the people really making this school happen — the teachers. Rubondo Secondary School has seven teachers who teach everything - from fine arts, to agriculture, mathematics, English, geography, and more. For the size of the school and the number of the subjects, the school would normally have about fourteen teachers, but for the time being, they were are only able to cover the salary for seven. Many of the teachers live in Rubondo and decided to leave other jobs to come support the school. “Many of the teachers were working at other schools, in other part of Nakivale or the host community," said one of the head teachers. "But they left those positions to come here and accept a lower salary and to work harder because they want to see their communities thrive and the future prospects of their children change.” We wanted to give back to these … [Read more...] about For the Teachers

Yesterday, we spent the day with the students at The Robundo Secondary School in Nakivale by adding a little color to their classroom through color, big and bold murals that they would be able to see as soon as they entered the classroom every morning. And it was pretty amazing to see how a few strokes of paint could really change the makeup of a room, and cause everything to look that much brighter. Today, and to complement yesterday’s work, we’re adding some things that will help spark the students’ interests while continuing to make their new school feel welcoming and inviting to everyone. To start, we hung all of the world’s flags around the building, stretching across the four sides and over the doors of the classrooms. It was kismet - the Ugandan flag landed right over one of the senior classrooms, where students learn much about world geography. We also brought a giant world map for the senior students, and talked to them a bit about what they were focusing on … [Read more...] about Students of a Global World

The Rubondo community in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, is very remote - the nearest secondary school was over an hour drive away, and too far for many students who had finished their primary education and were craving more. So the community came together to build a secondary school, literally brick-by-brick. Word of the idea spread in December, gaining support and traction, and official construction of the school began just this January. We're proud to say that the first two-room school building was finished in March! We were so inspired by the story of this community. And we wanted to help them do even more. We started by adding a little bit of color to the school, and hiring painters to add two beautiful murals to the back wall of their two classrooms! Many of the students told us how much they loved the murals, and that they really brightened their day. They even incorporated the school’s color — a dark green — to let them know that both they and the … [Read more...] about More Color!

"The single mothers in Nakivale never cease to amaze me." Andrew from the Alight team has seen how incredible some of the single mothers in Nakivale Refugee Settlement are - as sole providers and care takers, they need to navigate a difficult landscape while at the same time caring for the needs of their kids. It's a bit job. "Many single mothers find themselves doing labor in farms," he said. "But not everyone can handle that." One group of moms decided to band together to do something different - open a bakery! They're just getting their business of the ground, and like all startups, they needed a little capital. Andrew and the team put their heads together to think up ways to help. And together with the Nakivale Rotaract Team, they came up with a list of items that the ladies would need - and they set to work getting them! With this little boost, the moms will be able to make enough freshly baked buns to sell at the nearby school, and other people who pass by! … [Read more...] about Freshly Baked

Gatete lives in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. He's had a particularly tough time recently, with an illness that's left him unable to support himself. When we first spoke to Gatete, he was sleeping outside, without a shelter. "Gatete needed help," said Andrew from the Alight team. "He came to us and asked what we might do to help. We immediately told ourselves, there's got to be something we can do." Together with the Rotaract Club of Nakivale, we had a shelter built for him, and helped him furnish it with the comforts of home, like a mattress and eating utensils. We also connected him to health services so that he can get a proper diagnosis. "It was really powerful to see Gatete's transformation over just one day," said Andrew. "He went from sleeping out in the open one night, to sleeping on a comfortable mattress the next, with a roof over his head and a blanket to keep him warm." "Just when I thought the world had turned its back on me, today I have reason … [Read more...] about A Home for Gatete

As a humanitarian working in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, it takes courage to stay in a refugee settlement from Monday to Monday without access to any outside updates or information. Most people who work in Nakivale spend the whole day in offices, and the only time they have access to watch the news is at night in the nearby trading center. It's soccer season, and teams really wanted to stay up to date! So we decided to surprise one of our partner's whole office team, the Office of the Prime Minister, with furnishes for their quarters - including access to TV! We furnished their staff house in Nakivale with refrigerators to keep their food cool, a set of chairs for the sitting room, and of course, a TV and cable connection! Their work can be long and stressful, so having something comfortable to come home to - and some access to the outside world - can go a long way in helping stress management and boosting moral. “I have been watching the news and sports updates … [Read more...] about Staying Connected

Everybody knows what recess at school can be like - teachers deal with a lot of scraped knees, bumps, and bruises as kids unleash all the energy they've been building up in class. Having a first aid kit on hand is a MUST. At the primary school in Rubondo, a small community in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, teachers deal with those little childhood injuries all the time. They told us that when it comes to safety, first aid kits would go a long way in helping ease these little bumps and bruises for the kiddos. But they didn't have any. So with the help of the Rotaract Club of Nakivale, we got first aid kits into the hands of all the teachers at every primary school in Rubondo. The kids will help get bandages on those scraped knees, and they'll also work to promote a culture of safety at school. Now, the teachers can help their kids be safe at school...and stop worrying about not having these supplies on hand! … [Read more...] about Safety First!

Giving birth is a joyous moment for mom, family, and baby alike. But it can also be a scary one. Imagine all the emotional highs and lows, fears, pain, and joy of that day - and now imagine all of it happening in the dark. You can't control when you'll give birth. So in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, there are many births that happen at night, a time when electricity is unreliable and the chances of being in total darkness are likely. Doctors and nurses make do with holding flashlights in their mouths as they work with their hands. But that simply isn't good enough. We've heard directly from the people in Nakivale that they want and need solar lamps, a solution that only relies on the power of the sun. So we decided to start with step one, something that we could do that would help moms in Nakivale feel and be a little safer - solar lamps for the maternity ward. We installed solar lamps at the maternity clinic, run by our partner MTI. And they were so thrilled with … [Read more...] about In the Light

An important part of our work is making sure that all members of the community are included. Everyone’s voice matters, and everyone’s invited! In the case of the Oruchinga Refugee Settlement, whether you’re a newly arrived Congolese refugee or life-long Ugandan resident, we want you to be a part of the conversation. We’ve spent the last thirty days supporting the food security and livelihoods of both refugees and host community members. Today, we’re especially interested in thanking the host community for all that they’ve done to welcome refugees into their community. So, we decided to target some other host community groups, and were able to give three groups five piglets, similarly to what we did with the refugee groups we met yesterday! One community member, Anthony told us this: “We’re hoping to use the pigs to inspire and encourage others to start other similar groups. Once they see the success of ours, they’ll want to do the same.” Yvonne was equally pleased. … [Read more...] about Bringing Home the Bacon