Howdy! My name is Bill Boegeman, and I'm a high school social studies teacher in Forest Lake, Minnesota. Some of my students are from Central America - refugees now living in the U.S., many of whom made the journey to the States alone. Their stories are amazing - spending hours in cramped semitrailer trucks and trunks of cars, hiding from the Federales and narcotraficantes as they trekked across the Mexican desert. It's difficult for me - and my other students - to imagine what these young people have been through, what hardships they have already endured, and the complexities they're faced with now. So I wanted to go see for myself - and do what I could to help teenagers and families who are still at the border, who are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. And to try to make a difference, one day at a time. I traveled with Alight to the Rio Grande Valley, a vast area encompassing the southern border of Texas and parts of Mexico. In some ways, it feels a little bit … [Read more...] about A House, a Home
Archives for August 2019
Healthy Living
Chickens, feed, water containers, cages. What more could chickens possibly need to maintain their health?? Being a city girl, I wasn’t too familiar with the ins and outs of raising healthy chickens. But our team and families in Ispalal were quick to tell us that to raise really healthy chickens, they needed the full health package. Part of that package is vaccinations. “There were chickens in the community before, but many of them also contracted illnesses," said Tahir from Ispalal. "It’s a big problem here that we’re not able to address.” Not only were vaccinated chickens not easily found, they were also more expensive, which of course made sense. What was pleasantly surprising was that we ended up finding them nearby, and from a women-owned collective! These women understood the importance of vaccinating chickens for longevity and were on a mission to bring this awareness to those around them as well. “The chickens are really healthy and happy here in Ispalal," said … [Read more...] about Healthy Living
A Breath of Fresh Air
One of the first things I noticed about Ispalal, aside from the radiating warmth of the community, was the ample open space surrounding the small houses. It was incredibly beautiful – lots of fields upon fields, owned by local landowners, spaces for children to run and play, and for animals like goats to roam! It was so different from the places I had lived, which were mostly in cities. With this vast space came clean air and beauty, but also stray animals looking for their next meal, usually at night. And chickens seem to be the highlight of their menu. “I used to have a few chickens before but they either got eaten by animals or were stolen,” said our friend Fauzia. "While people tried to find alternative ways of keeping their chickens secure, most of them didn’t contribute to them being raised in a healthy way." Wanting to foster an environment where chickens could thrive (and not be lunch for the odd coyote or two), we took the help of a local nearby carpenter to make some … [Read more...] about A Breath of Fresh Air
A Little Feed Goes a Long Way
I’m taking you back to Ispalal today, a community right outside of Islamabad. It holds a special place in our team’s hearts - my teammate Fatima decision to take us to visit immediately after we arrived! As soon as we got there, I felt I was meant to be there to meet the bright and dedicated children attending our non-formal school and experience the love and hospitality of the families that live in the area! Through our initial conversations, we found that the women of Ispalal were interested in raising chickens right alongside their beautiful fruit and vegetable gardens. And they were on board with ensuring that the majority of eggs laid were shared with the children attending the non-formal school. “Our children go to school hungry sometimes. If we start raising more chickens, sharing the eggs is the right thing to do. This way, the children can eat and study more and more!” Fauzia told me. Through additional deeper conversations, we quickly found out that in order to … [Read more...] about A Little Feed Goes a Long Way
JOIN US – A YEAR OF ALIGHT
Becoming Alight is a journey we've been on for several years...a journey that will continue for the next year and beyond...and a journey we hope you'll join us on. Over the next year, we're exploring our Alight values one-by-one - talking about what they mean and convening to put them into action in our work. Every two months we'll be focusing on a new value (December is Spark Joy!), and there will be opportunities for us to get together, connect and get that value out into the world. Those opportunities include: Meet Alight Thursdays - ZOOM ZOOM! Join us for a special virtual edition of Meet Alight! This is an introduction to Alight, our partners, the work we do, and our vision for making change in the world. It’s an opportunity to ask all of your questions and make connections with Alight. The Next Meet Alight Thursday --> May 14, 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT on ZOOM RSVP: Action@wearealight.org Zoom 101*: ⁻ You can join via video so we can see your smiling face! … [Read more...] about JOIN US – A YEAR OF ALIGHT
At the Border
Seeing people, not politics - and doing the doable for families. Families are struggling on the U.S. - Mexico border. You’ve heard the stories. People are fleeing gang and drug violence at home, and they want nothing more than to build a meaningful life for themselves and their children. Put simply, they want a chance at a future. … [Read more...] about At the Border
A Few of Our Favorite Foods
During the last couple days, I've shared stories of our healthy eating and nutrition classes in Islamabad. While we totally understand the importance of integrating nutritious meals in our daily lives, we thought it would be fun to also spark a bit of joy, asking children to share their favorite meal with us - and then making it happen! Children usually don’t eat lunch at the informal schools right now, so this was a special treat. When we asked them what their favorite foods were, biryani came out as a solid winner, with chicken sandwiches as a close second. But to tell you the truth, I’m not surprised. I have yet to meet a person from South Asia that doesn’t love biryani, my own family included! Biryani is a traditional spiced rice dish made with a type of meat and sometimes vegetables, many times eaten on special occasions. Just thinking about it makes me hungry! So biryani it was! We had a local small business owner, known for her scrumptious food across town, make … [Read more...] about A Few of Our Favorite Foods
Eat Your Veggies!
Following Zara’s well-received nutrition classes, the class filled with women received a surprise bag of healthy goodies for their families! Each bag included fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, squash, and carrots, as well as 16 different types of vegetable seeds - plus some fruit tree seedlings to encourage them to put their newfound knowledge to use. Zara had emphasized the importance of not overcooking vegetables to prevent the nutrients from cooking away, and also said it was okay for children to eat certain vegetables raw, like carrots. This must have resonated with the women in Ispalal - a few of them washed the carrots from their bag of goodies right away and handed them to their children to munch on! While the nutrition class for their mothers was going on in the school, the kids had worked very hard with us to divvy up the colorful fruits and vegetables in the courtyard, showing us their balancing skills or counting skills in English! “We … [Read more...] about Eat Your Veggies!
Full Bellies, Strong Minds
Hi! My name is Shamaila, and I normally work out of the Minneapolis office. But this week I'll be taking over for our last series of Pakistan posts (for now, of course!) in Islamabad and Gilgit. I'm so excited to share what we've been up to and all the change that been taking place! Today we're in Islamabad, continuing to work on food and nutrition related projects in the non-formal schools we run. As we enroll 1 million more children into school, we’re also working to make sure they have full bellies so they can concentrate on their studies - rather than when their next meal might come. Pakistan has one of the highest rates of stunting in children in the world: between 38%-44% of children experience stunting, meaning approximately 1/3 of the world's stunted children live in Pakistan. And this was quite apparent when we visited our informal schools around Islamabad. Wearing my public health hat - and through discussions with the Islamabad team - we decided to hire Zara, a … [Read more...] about Full Bellies, Strong Minds
Generosity Grows
The school in Ishpitdas is surrounded by land, but it wasn't the school's property - until now. Its next door neighbor, Saddam and his father, have generously donated the land to the school. They're devoted to providing education to the children of the community, and are willing to give over their own property to support the cause. Chatting with Saddam, we realized that this land could be used for a kitchen garden, a place for kids to access fruits and vegetables, if seeds and equipment could be provided to set it up. Saddam is a building contractor by profession, and he has his own farm where he grows fruit, vegetables and crops. He also has a few cows and goats for his family. "Almost all of the community here grows their own food since they can't afford to spend a lot on buying food from the market," he said. "I am glad that the land surrounding the school can be used to grow food for the schoolchildren! It's difficult for children to study when they are not fully … [Read more...] about Generosity Grows