We’re back at Casa de Luz today working with our partner ORAM in the amazing LGBTIQ shelter in Tijuana. After spending some time in the shelter, we became aware that many of the residents had some minor health problems and were in need of a quick check-up with a medical professional. Good oral and eye health is important for overall health and well-being while they wait to cross the border. Access to LGBTIQ-sensitive health care and dental services becomes particularly challenging for LGBTIQ asylum seekers during their journey to safety. Many either choose not to visit medical care or to conceal their sexual orientation and gender identity for the fear they might be targeted and marginalized. For some, they had never sought care for oral and eye health issues. While recognizing the specific medical needs of LGBTIQ asylum-seekers, CM365 and ORAM decided it was crucial to offer and provide these residents a place to go with verified LGBTIQ friendly health services. Five … [Read more...] about Smiles all around in Tijuana
Archives for March 2020
It’s In Our Hands
Stopping the Spread of COVID-19 in 44 Countries and Counting COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in nearly every country in the world. The novel coronavirus has overwhelmed even the world’s best health systems. We wonder: how can such a microscopic virus have such gargantuan might? We remember: our might is stronger still, especially when we act as one. … [Read more...] about It’s In Our Hands
Connecting with the outside world
We’re back in Tijuana at Casa de Luz, working with our partner ORAM to do the doable. Caza de Luz is a growing vibrant LGBTIQ collective of LGBTIQ asylum seekers who are waiting to claim asylum in the U.S. After brainstorming with the community, we soon became aware that the house was in desperate need of a computer and printer so they can stay connected with the outside world. So we jumped straight to it and created a printing station, installing a new computer and printer. This solved three main issues in the shelter. Number one, the residents have been able to print important documents for their asylum cases and partake in ORAM’s weekly legal assistance services, so they can be the best prepared for their asylum cases. Number two, the residents can now regularly stay in contact with their friends who have already crossed over to the U.S. through video calling. This allows them to continue checking in on one another, share information and support one another on their … [Read more...] about Connecting with the outside world
Splashing Around
It’s our final day with Aanne in Ethiopia, and let’s just say we’re going big before we go home. Aanne wanted to do another fun activity with the youth she got new clothes for and had a delicious dinner with. It wasn’t hard for her to figure out what this final day should look like together. The community lives next to a nice water park that is too expensive for them to be able to visit. Aanne said that “they can see the park from afar, but its untouchable, unreachable for them.” Today, that would change, as the 70 kids all piled into buses that would end at the water park. This was such a different experience for so many of them! It was a totally new experience, and they were even excited to just touch and wear the bright orange lifejackets. The group covered the water park, going down slides, swimming through the pools, and feeling happy living in the moment. It was such a nice way for Aanne to finish her visit with the group, and she was pulled left and right by … [Read more...] about Splashing Around
French Fried Felicity
Hello, hello! It’s day four in Ethiopia, and with Aanne as our lead, we’ve got another day to focus on youth. Ethiopia has over two million internally displaced persons, or people who have been forced to leave their home but remain in their home country. Many of these people are children, and many often don’t get to experience the same things that others their age do. Aanne wanted to change that and spark some joy with a group of youth in Bishoftu. She set out to get a group of 3-15 year-olds a new set of clothes — sports jerseys and shorts — and take them out for dinner. At dinner, sitting in a fresh new set of clothes, all 70 of them tasted French fries for the very first time, and many of them had their first sip of soda. “Being served like this was something special for them,” Aanne said after the meal. “People feel like a ghost in their own country, so bringing joy to them even for just a day meant a lot.” … [Read more...] about French Fried Felicity
Get A Kick Out Of This
Welcome back to another day of change making in Ethiopia with Aanne Atomssa! As we’ve seen over the last couple of days, items like menstrual pads and water filters can be absolutely necessary to live a safe and productive life. But we also believe life is more than just the basics, and living a dignified life also means promoting joy and fulfillment. Before leaving on her trip, Aanne knew exactly what would be able to spark joy amongst the youth that she met. As in many places in the world, children in Ethiopia love soccer with a passion. So Aanne’s kids in Minnesota helped her pick out some balls, and she was able to bring over 40 soccer balls that she could share with the communities she visited during her trip. People were ecstatic. “Just to get the chance to touch a ball—the smiles—it was amazing,” Aanne told us. “And I made sure they knew that soccer wasn’t just for boys. I told them that my daughter played soccer, and that she was excited they would get to as well.” … [Read more...] about Get A Kick Out Of This
Getting Kids In The Classroom
Alight Enrolls 637,000 Children in School in Pakistan In 2019, Alight and its partners in Pakistan enrolled 637,000 children – previously not in school – into Pakistan’s formal education system. And we're on track to put one million Pakistani children into school before the end of 2020. … [Read more...] about Getting Kids In The Classroom
Do The Doable
It’s one of our guiding values that unites us, that drives how we work and how we interact with the people we serve. At Alight, we have a set of values that act as guiding stars … [Read more...] about Do The Doable
Humanitarian Code to Private Sector
Mobile money agent training on the humanitarian code of conduct This past summer, our Alight team (formerly American Refugee Committee) in Rwanda conducted a training with MTN mobile money agents on the humanitarian code of conduct … [Read more...] about Humanitarian Code to Private Sector
Water Water Everywhere
Hello, hello! It’s our second day with Aanne in Ethiopia. She has arrived and started some of her projects — like distributing reusable menstrual pads provided by the organization Days for Girls. Today, she’s focusing on water. For many of us, clean water is a normal part of our lives that we so often take for granted. We turn on the tap and assume what is coming out will be potable. But this isn’t the case for everyone. In the Rift Valley region, Aanne visited a community whose water was coming from a salty lake that was also expanding uncontrollably, meaning that the communities around it often did not have access to safe drinking water. To help make the water safer, Aanne purchased water filters to purify the water and buckets that could be used to store the water. The community was so surprised. They’d had visitors come again and again to take photos and ask the people about their experiences living in the Rift Valley region, but no one had actually provided something that … [Read more...] about Water Water Everywhere