Our time in Minnesota has been all about supporting those who do this work here at home, where our international office is headquartered. It's our time to be Changemakers in our own backyards. The Refugee Team at Macalester Plymouth United Church are doing the doable every single day. Not only has this group and their church supported ARC for over 10 years, they sponsor a newly arrived refugee family, too. Since the family’s very first day in town, they’ve dedicated countless hours to making sure they feel at home, that they get what they need to build a future in Minnesota. So for day 59, we decided to help them spread the love a little further – by giving the volunteer group $500 worth of support to help the new arrivals get back on their feet again. Chantal, Semucyo and their five children are originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They spent many years living in a refugee camp in Rwanda, so transitioning to life in Minnesota has had its challenges. But … [Read more...] about Neighbor to Neighbor
Archives for March 2017
Informing For Change
Learning new things and shifting the way you understand and think about your world is some of the most important change that can happen. So, on Day 58, we wanted to provide supporters in Minnesota the opportunity to do the doable – and come educate themselves about the current crisis in South Sudan. About 50 people attended a briefing at ARC’s Headquarters on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan. ARC President Daniel Wordsworth talked about ARC’s work providing health care and protection services in South Sudan, as well as our efforts helping South Sudanese refugees in Uganda at Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. Daniel also set the scene a bit with a few sobering statistics on the crisis: more than 3.5 million South Sudanese have fled their homes in the last few years as a result of the conflict; 40% of people in South Sudan are currently in need of urgent food aid; and 100,000 people are in serious threat of starvation due to famine. But, as Daniel often repeats, ‘statistics … [Read more...] about Informing For Change