How can $500 improve your well-being? That's the question we've been asking ARC teams around the world the last couple of weeks. Our staff work in some very challenging circumstances helping people who've struggled through so much. It's a stressful job. So, we wanted to do the doable for our teams who are used to giving of themselves but don't always have the time or resources to take care of themselves. We asked the team at Questscope - our partner agency working with marginalized youth in Jordan - what would help their team most. And their answer was swift: a flat surface in the courtyard! The Questscope team uses the office courtyard for many purposes including hosting small events and holding staff meetings. Last month, the team personally pitched in funds and purchased a ping-pong table for some after hours fun as a team. But, unfortunately, the table has been folded up in the corner. The floor in the courtyard is very uneven, with potholes, cracks and different … [Read more...] about Flat and Smooth

The last week or so, we've been doing the doable for ARC humanitarian teams around the world, asking our teams: how can we use $500 to make your work a little easier? Our South Sudan team endures some of the most challenging conditions. Yesterday, we got hold of a deep freezer for our team that runs the hospital in Aweil, South Sudan. They wanted to be able to prepare and freeze their meals in advance, so they'd have more time for their patients and themselves and less time cooking. Today on Day 226, we're with our team in Kapoeta South, South Sudan where ARC has a field office and provides health care and other vital services. The Kapoeta team wanted something so simple - a safe, comfortable latrine. Right now the Kapoeta team has an open pit latrine. With no cover, the flies and mosquitoes can move freely in the latrine. It's certainly unpleasant, and it poses a very real health concern for our team. This kind of problem is what Changemakers 365 was made for. The … [Read more...] about A Healthier Latrine

ARC's team in South Sudan has to deal with some of the most challenging circumstances any humanitarian worker encounters...a remote setting, violence, political instability, food shortages, and more. So, when we thought of offering Changemakers 365 projects to our teams to support their health and well-being, the team in South Sudan was on the top of our minds. The team in Aweil has a daunting task - keep a hospital up and running in a remote location in a country currently torn apart by civil war. Purity (senior nurse), Remy (physician), Jeremy (surgeon), Anthony (hospital advisor), Hassan (anesthetist) and Henry (hospital coordinator) all live together in an ARC house adjacent to the Aweil health center. When they heard they would have $500 to spend in any way that would help them, they sat down to talk. A little while later they were agreed - a deep freezer. "I'm so excited by the idea of a deep freezer," said Senior Nurse Purity. "This will allow me to spend more time to … [Read more...] about In A Deep Freeze

We're back in Uganda today on Day 224, with another idea about making change for our staff and helping them take better care of themselves and each other. Some of our Uganda teams work in very remote locations, like our team that works in Bidi Bidi settlement up on the northern border with South Sudan. There aren't many amenities, and often the journey for them to go back to see their families is so many hours they only make it some weekends. Their weeks and their weekends blend together, and it can get pretty stressful. "I've wanted to make sure that each of our teams has a television," said Mahmud Gaznabi, ARC's Uganda Country Director. "They're far from their families and it's a good thing for them to relax and not think about their work." So, on Day 224, we purchased TVs and DSTV dishes for the teams in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement and in Nakivale settlement. The announcement was met with deafening jubilation and clapping from staff. They expressed happiness that at … [Read more...] about T.V. Time

For the last week, we've been asking our teams around the world what they would do to take better care of themselves and their teammates. How would they use $500 to take away some of the stress of the challenging circumstances they work in. In Uganda, they wanted everyone to feel appreciated. Each team member in each settlement where ARC works. What better way to do that than with a party. So, on Day 223 the teams organized a staff appreciation day in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in the north, Kyangwali and Kyaka II settlements in the west, Nakivale and Oruchinga settlements in the south, and in the Kampala Office. At each site, our staff got the afternoon off to share a meal together and relax. Lead staff shared the things they appreciated about their teams, and individual team members were encouraged to share their appreciation with one another. "To be appreciated means someone is grateful for what we do each day," said Sonia from the Nakivale team. "Today was a … [Read more...] about A Little Appreciation

For the last week, we've been asking our team in Rwanda - who work in some very challenging circumstances - what would you do to make change with your team? If you had $500 to take better care of yourself and your teammates, what would you do? ARC's Kigali office is a connecting place. It's where our Country Director and Kigali team sit and support the rest of the ARC Rwanda teams. It's also where donors, colleagues from HQ and other partners come to connect and collaborate. Recently, ARC was asked by the Rwandan government to move our offices to a location that would allow for more convenient cooperation with the government officials who we work so closely with. In the move, the team gained a new meeting room for staff to brainstorm and welcome guests and colleagues. But on a tight budget and after all the expense of moving, the team had no way of furnishing the room or making it a welcoming, functional space. So with $500 they added chairs, stools and some work … [Read more...] about A New Space

The last several days we've been doing the doable with ARC's very own staff who work in some very challenging environments. We've asked them: if you had $500 to take better care of yourself or your teammates, what would you do? Today, on Day 221, we are with ARC's team in the city of Huye in Rwanda, located between two refugee camps where ARC works - Mugombwa and Kigeme. The Huye team decided that it was most important for them to stay in shape and boost their friendships with their colleagues. So, they purchased a group membership to the Huye Fitness Club. Once a week, they'll go to the club together - in matching tracksuits - to workout and take an aerobics class with Coach Bruno. "I think this will make a big difference in the health and happiness of the team," said Country Director Bernad Ojwang. They attended their introductory session, and they can't wait to get started with their regular weekly classes. But the day wasn't all about sweat. The team also wanted … [Read more...] about Eat Together, Workout Together

Building strong connections and relationships is so important for making progress and getting things done, and that's especially true for the work ARC does. Our team in Kigali knows that better than most. The Kigali team provides critical support to all ARC staff working throughout Rwanda, from Kiziba Refugee Camp in the West to Mahama Camp in the Southeast. Strong relationships are key to their work. So, when we asked the Kigali team 'what would you do with $500 to take better care of yourselves and your teammates, it was no surprise that their answer was all about relationships. The Kigali team decided to have a staff party - dinner at a new Indian restaurant they'd been wanting to try. Celestin Karangwa, ARC Kigali team member who welcomed everyone and got the party started, recalled "the aim of this gathering is just to relax and be happy. Let's take this opportunity to sit with each other, talk and build lasting friendships." There was no agenda, no program, no goal … [Read more...] about Enjoying Each Other

Today, we're visiting another place where ARC works in Rwanda, the newest refugee camp in the country - Mahama Refugee Camp. More than 50,000 Burundian refugees live in the camp where ARC provides health care and other services. When we asked our Mahama team - what would you do with $500 to take better care of yourselves and your fellow team members - they were excited. It was something they had actually been thinking about but didn't have the resources to make happen. Mahama Camp was setup in 2015 but is still considered an emergency situation. With a semi-arid climate, permanent hot weather and a very stressful context, staff need to decompress. And the Mahama team had hoped to do so together every Thursday at a sports facility. But they quickly learned the distance from Mahama to a sports facility was too long - they ended up spending all their time in transit and no time working out, playing sports together and destressing. So when they heard they might have $500 to … [Read more...] about A Little Gym

We are in Rwanda again, this time visiting the ARC team at Nyabiheke Refugee Camp in eastern Rwanda. We asked our teams - who do extremely challenging work with some of the world's most vulnerable people - what could you do with $500 to take better care of yourself and your team members. The team at Nyabiheke already had their idea. In fact, they've been doing it since 2013. Staff participate in what they call their Cadenya Association, giving just under $2 per month. So far, since the Cadenya began they've collected roughly $1,400. But that money doesn't sit in the association treasury. The Cadenya is meant to be a mini- safety net for Nyabiheke staff. "The Cadenya's main purpose is to provide mutual solidarity support in times of sadness or joy," said Dr. Jean-Nepo Hakizamungu, current President of the Cadenya Association. "At these times, the Cadenya hands a member 50,000 Rwandan Francs (or $60)" to help them through this difficult time or celebrate a joyous occasion. … [Read more...] about A Safety Net