Nshungezi Health Centre is a maternity ward in Nakivale Refugee settlement. They look after expectant mothers and make sure their health and safety are taken care of. But like the school from yesterday, this maternity ward has a problem: there are no lights! Babies aren’t known for waiting to be born until the conditions are perfect. When babies are born after dark, the midwives face many challenges. But our quick-thinking team thought of the perfect solution: solar lamps for the midwives to use during the night births! These solar lamps can be moved around easily and light the way wherever they may go! “Sometimes we receive patients at night when the generator is switched off, so we have been moving in darkness to attend to them. But with this lamp, I will have light at night,” said Doreen, a midwife. “This lamp is going to help get the medicine from the drug store at night, thank you ARC for this support,” said Hope, the woman in-charge of the maternity. Now … [Read more...] about Keeping the Lights On
Archives for January 2020
A Spotlight On Teachers
All over the world, teachers have similar evening responsibilities. Whether grading papers, making lesson plans, and preparing for 8 hours of educating students, a teacher’s job is rarely over when the bell rings. The teachers of Rubondo primary school work so hard to teach their students valuable lessons and to set them on track for success. However, each day these teachers run into a roadblock. They have no lights in the school building! This leaves little time for all those nightly duties. But we had just the thing to shed some light: a solar panel and lighting system! “Most of my female teachers in this school are mothers with babies. They have been sleeping in the darkness. Also, they are required to get home early before they finalize their daily activities. This lighting system will help both the mothers and the babies, making happier lives for the teachers,” said Mrs. Gonza, assistant commandant at Rubondo. Thank you to the amazing teachers of Rubondo for your … [Read more...] about A Spotlight On Teachers
No Fire, No Problem
The kitchen. It’s a place people gravitate towards. Whether gathering for a meal or having a conversation over a warm cup of coffee, life in many homes happens in the kitchen. But for Aliyena and her family, who live in Nakivale refugee settlement, there’s no kitchen to gather in. In their one-bedroom house, they cook and live all in one small, unventilated room. This is a huge problem for two reasons. First, the lack of airflow is unhealthy for the family to be breathing in all the time. Second, an open fire in this setting can easily burn down a house. But we have an easy fix that will make a huge impact in this family’s life! We got to work building a separate area where the kitchen could be. It’s ventilated, and much safer to have a separate room next door. Aliyena, the mother, was so happy with the new space. “I appreciate Alight for this support of constructing for me a kitchen,” she explained. “During the rainy season, I always cook in the house which puts my … [Read more...] about No Fire, No Problem
From Soap to Spaghetti
Welcome back! It’s our final day in Garowe, Somalia before we head off to our next location. We started yesterday with Fatima H., a small business owner, who operates a small shop out of her house. She earns most of her income as a part-time butcher, and she usually sells a goat or sheep each day. Yesterday, we helped her pick out a goat that she would be able to sell the next day. Today, we’re helping her stock up on some basic items that in her store! We're helping her refill items that she already sells—from soap to spaghetti—and pick out some items she hasn’t been able to offer her customer base yet! With all these fresh offerings, Fatima H. is set up keep doing great business. If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund Changemakers 365. Meet Sam! Sam developed an interest in forced displacement, food insecurity, and identity while working on her master's degree. She’s now using this … [Read more...] about From Soap to Spaghetti
Market Ready
Hello, hello! It’s our second-to-last day in Garowe, Somalia. We’ve decided to spend these two days with another Fatima, let’s call her Fatima H! Fatima H. supports 15 children—13 are her own biological children, and two others are adopted. Her husband is around, but unfortunately, he has a brain tumor that prohibits him from working much. Most of the time, he works basic jobs on a limited basis. To earn money, Fatima H. is a part time butcher, and each morning she sells a goat or sheep in the market. She keeps plenty busy the rest of the day, and usually spends her afternoons managing a shop that she runs out of her home. There, she sells vegetables and other basic goods like soap, all while taking care of her children. We decided to help Fatima H. with a portion of her work, so went with her to pick out a goat. Now, she’s ready for her next morning at the market! If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund … [Read more...] about Market Ready
Chilling Out
Hello again from Garowe, a city in the Northeastern region of Somalia. We’re spending a few days here, helping small shop owners around the city stretch their resources further to grow their businesses! We’ve so far met Halimo, Hamdi and Fatima, who have expressed some similar needs, especially when it comes to diversifying their shop offerings. As a part of this, both Fatima and Hamdi mentioned wanting a refrigerator that would make it possible to offer chilled foods and beverages to their customers. This is a big step up, and offers a competitive edge in a place where many shops don’t have this luxury. So we decided to take both Fatima and Hamdi out to pick out fridges! After evaluating the options, they both settled on the same one. Right away, they each took their fridges back to their shops to get this new era of their businesses started. If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund Changemakers 365. … [Read more...] about Chilling Out
Customer Comfort
When it comes to shopping, there’s nothing quite like great customer service. So today in Garowe, we’re helping one small business owner provide her customers a better way to buy. We’re spending today getting to know Fatima. She runs a shop like Halimo’s, where she sells basic items in a small stand to support her family. These days, she’s the sole provider, as her husband recently passed away. Still, she works hard to look after for her 12 children, both young and old. Fatima had lots of similar ideas for improving her business as Halimo and Hamdi, but she also had one specific wish: plastic chairs. Though plastic chairs might not be the most obvious store improvement, they’re crucial for upping customer service on long, hot days. Now, Fatima is free to sit and visit with her customers while everyone stays cool and comfortable. So, we purchased some chairs and other staples that will help give Fatima’s shop a boost! Now that everyone can sit easily, the business will … [Read more...] about Customer Comfort
Stock Options
Business is booming in Garowe, so we’re back spending the day with another small business owner! Today, we're with Hamdi, a shop owner who sells used clothing. Hamdi he has a big family--ten children, plus herself and her husband. After an injury during the war, Hamdi’s husband was left paralyzed, so now Hamdi is the family’s sole breadwinner. When we spoke with Hamdi, she expressed a desire to expand her store’s offerings beyond clothing. Right now, she sells a lot of used clothing, but she isn’t able to make much money this way. She knows that there are larger profit margins with other basics, like food, in her neighborhood. So, we decided to take Hamdi out to a store where she could buy food items in bulk! Right away, she brought them back to her neighborhood to sell, and business has never been better! If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund Changemakers 365. Meet Sam! Sam … [Read more...] about Stock Options
Good Things in Store
We’ve finished up with the farmers in Garowe, but we’re sticking around town to work with some small business owners. Our first stop is at a shop owned by a woman named Halimo. The business is small yet mighty, and she carries all the basics like gum, band aids, and laundry detergent packets. Halimo works long, hard days, but thankfully her stand is close to a few others, each owned by women who keep her company during the day. Halimo moved to Garowe from Mogadishu about 20 years ago after the war broke out. She doesn’t have any family up here, no children of her own, and she’s divorced. But with her shop, she’s found herself a community that looks out for each other. When we spoke with Halimo about her needs, she mentioned all the basics. She wanted some food and clothing for herself, and then expressed a desire to bolster her store stock. So, we took Halimo out shopping for some clothes and some food items. Now, she’s feeling a little more financially secure in her … [Read more...] about Good Things in Store
All the Right Tools
Welcome back to another day in Garowe, Somalia, where we’re busy working with a local farming association. Yesterday, we started our time with the farmers by identifying some of their major needs, focusing mostly on the need for water. Today, we’re building on this! After fixing up the water systems, the need that came up most was simply the need for basic tools—wheelbarrows, shovels, hoes, axes, shears, plastic sheeting. So that’s exactly what we focused on! We took two of the association’s elders to the market, and found the best tools that our money could buy, knowing that these two men would know the best place to get the items that would really meet the needs of these farmers. If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund Changemakers 365. Meet Sam! Sam developed an interest in forced displacement, food insecurity, and identity while working on her master's degree. She’s now using this … [Read more...] about All the Right Tools