Today, we’ve left Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda and traveled south to the Democratic Republic of Congo! That’s where our very first social enterprise – Asili – is taking root. Asili takes business principles and applies them to some of the toughest problems in Congo. Problems like access to quality healthcare, clean water, and a fruitful livelihood. Asili offers world-class services, at prices that Congolese families can afford. Designed hand-in-hand with Congolese mothers and communities, patients have remarked on how - after decades of war - Asili stands out as a beacon of hope and of change. So what does world-class quality mean? At the Asili health clinics, it means always having medicines stocked in the pharmacy. It means warm, welcoming staff. It means an accurate diagnosis and follow-up. It means an environment where all are treated fairly, with respect and kindness. It also means thinking about the experience for all of your patients – including kids. … [Read more...] about Welcome to Asili
Rebuilding Together
On our last day in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement – at least for the time being – one of our team members in the camp showed us what doing the doable is all about. Hildah works for ARC’s protection team in Bidi Bidi. She looks out for the most vulnerable refugees, offering them resources, counseling, and connection to services. And on Day 34, she found herself with a little extra food. The team had purchased sodas and snacks for the community during the maternity ward renovation. And with leftover supplies in the car, Hildah was out driving through the settlement. She came across a group of women walking down the road. “They were out cutting grass for their houses,” Hidlah explained. Right now, during the dry season, families harvest grass to thatch their roofs, which insulates the home in the extreme heat that can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. “I stopped the vehicle and talked to them. I asked how they were feeling and one started crying, saying, ‘We are moving long … [Read more...] about Rebuilding Together
A Little Fun
The Protection Centers in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement are a focal point for the community, where ARC volunteers talk to those living nearby about what they need and how they’re dong. “Our team goes to talk to the community every day,” said Hildah, ARC’s Protection Manager in Bidi Bidi. “Many times the youth, they ask us for footballs.” The ARC team helps kids like Edson. Edson made his football (soccer ball to those from the U.S.) from garbage he found blowing through this neighborhood. Layers and layers of dusty plastic make up his football, but it’s still a treasured part of his daily life. Hildah saw straight away how one simple change could build relationships and lift morale in the new refugee settlement – get these kids some brand new footballs. It didn’t take long for Hildah to find a way to get the footballs her team needed. She reached out to the ARC team in Minneapolis, who connected with the St. Croix Soccer Club from Stillwater, Minnesota. The soccer club … [Read more...] about A Little Fun
The Road to Recovery
The road to Bidi Bidi is long. It takes days of travel to get there from South Sudan, weeks and months for some. And for women, the journey is much more treacherous - the threat of assault and harassment a reality for almost all. Many reach Bidi Bidi after this kind of trauma and don’t know where to go for support. That's where the ARC team steps in. The team is trained to find these women and help them as quickly as possible. This might mean rushing a woman to the hospital or to the police. It may also mean simply listening to their stories or offering counseling. And, on days like Day 32 of this challenge, it means offering a few simple items that can make a world of difference. “Today we’re taking kits to the community,” said Hildah, who spearheads the effort to protect vulnerable women and girls as ARC’s Protection Manager in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlmenet. “The kit contains a knicker, sanitary towels, wipes, soap and lotion.” These items can be hard to find in … [Read more...] about The Road to Recovery
A Second Shirt
When refugees leave their homes, they often don’t have much time - if any - to prepare. They run with just the clothes on their back, not knowing exactly where they’ll end up. Or where their next meal will come from. “When I ran, I had only this one piece of clothing,” said one young boy to Hildah, ARC’s Protection Manager in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement. “And that was one child with a mother,” Hildah said. “The children who come without mothers and fathers, it is the neighbor who comes to us and says, ‘You see this one child? She is alone. She doesn’t even have clothes to wear.'” Clothes are not hard to find in Uganda - unless you’re a newly arrived refugee in Bidi Bidi. And it’s especially hard for those children who reach Bidi Bidi completely alone, as hundreds of them have. One of our jobs in Bidi Bidi is to place these kids with foster families - but foster families are refugees themselves. They often have a difficult time providing the extra support that the child … [Read more...] about A Second Shirt
A Place to Sit
After our team built a brand new Protection Center in Bidi Bidi, Vivienne was looking for a place to sit inside. Vivienne is a Protection volunteer for ARC in Bidi Bidi, and it’s her job to help refugees connect to resources available in the camp. “I collect information from them. They tell me what their needs are, and I pass it over to teams who can help,” she said. But despite the new work space, we had yet to designate a comfortable spot for Vivienne to sit and talk with her community. So on Day 29, we decided to ensure that Vivienne and her colleagues have that place to sit. A place to talk with refugees seeking support. The ARC team purchased chairs and desks, with a simple notebook and pen. Pencils and pens are at the ready, and plants kept neatly on top of the desk make visitors feel at home. We also bought some toys and games for the kids, who often come along with their parents. “We have toys now, so the moms can let their children play,” Vivienne added. … [Read more...] about A Place to Sit
With a Hammer and Nails
Part of what makes Changemakers 365 so powerful is the ability to do something amazing for someone else - in the moment. As soon as an idea comes to mind. That’s what this project is all about. And that’s just what happened with Lomoro, who we first met on Day 17. So we decided to make Day 28 all about him – about making his dream just a little closer to reality. Lomoro is a carpenter. He’s also a refugee from South Sudan who fled to Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. “Us South Sudanese refugees, we’ve been everywhere running up and down,” he said. “This is now my second time coming back to Uganda as a refugee. With my knowledge of carpentry, I was planning to build my business in South Sudan, but we had to run to the bush. What I planned I failed completely because of these rebels in South Sudan.” When the ARC team first saw the holes in the roof at the Ariwa Health Center, they asked if there was a carpenter nearby. Before long, Lomoro was there with his tape measure … [Read more...] about With a Hammer and Nails
A Place for Everyone
The Health Center in Ariwa has seen some major changes over the past few days. From a new ceiling, to a fresh coat of paint, to new sheets and pillows for the post-natal ward, this clinic is looking and serving patients better than ever. So for our final day at the Health Center, we decided to share this big change with the community. Opening the doors of the Health Center to nearby leaders, key partners, and the community at large, we celebrated this new beginning together. Speakers from the local government, the District Health Office, and officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) joined along with the leaders of the refugee villages of Ariwa. Those gathered were excited to see the changes. “These women have been delivering at home,” said Katherine, a refugee leader for her neighborhood in Ariwa. “Now we will tell them there is a better place.” Grace, another refugee leader, echoed Katherine. “For me I feel very nice because this … [Read more...] about A Place for Everyone
A Little Help From a Friend
ARC’s number one job in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement is looking out for the most vulnerable among the already at-risk men, women, and children who have arrived there. So when we set off to work at Ariwa Health Center, in the middle of Bidi Bidi, one need was simple – determining who exactly would look out for those patients who need a little extra help. “Some people come alone to the health center with no people to sit with them, to help them get water, to help them find food,” said Hildah, the Protection Manager for ARC in Bidi Bidi. The solution? Hire a caretaker for the health center, whose job it is to look after those folks. So on Day 25 ARC staff set out to find the perfect person, someone who would lend a caring, supportive hand to those going through some of the toughest times in their lives. And because of the extensive network ARC has already built in the new settlement, finding Suzan was easy. “I want to help my people," Suzan said. “I want to help them … [Read more...] about A Little Help From a Friend
Moving Freely
Alfred has been in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement for weeks. And in Bidi Bidi, which is vast with almost no means of transportation, you have to walk everywhere. But for someone like Alfred, whose legs are injured from a previous accident, even the walk to water is a challenge. When it rains and the dirt becomes slippery, slick mud, Alfred finds himself falling. When he first arrived in Bidi Bidi he found a piece of wood and whittled a cane. “I made it,” he said, “but it doesn’t help me much.” “We just want to enable them to have more freedom,” said Hildah, ARC’s Protection Manager in Bidi Bidi told us. Hildah and her team meet people like Alfred everyday. Many of them were injured as they ran, while some were already physically challenged and were carried the long journey to Bidi Bidi by their families. So on Day 24 the team found a quick solution – crutches. The ARC team traveled through the communities where they work, meeting with men and women in need of an easier way … [Read more...] about Moving Freely