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 distances, and we are very tired and hungry.’” Hildah sat with them in the shade of their bundles of grass. She opened the sodas and biscuits and shared these with the women.
This is where Hildah and her team excel. Introductions like these give Hildah the time she needs to form relationships, which can help vulnerable women get to the services they need. Hildah arranged to meet them again. And in the meantime, she’ll work with the team to find other resources they can connect with.
At another meeting just like this, Hildah met with a group of women who were settling into life at Bidi Bidi. One woman in the group called to her and pointed to her shirt, which had an ARC logo in the corner.
It turned out to be Lilian Dawa, who came to Bidi Bidi from South Sudan where she was a midwife on the ARC team.
It was such a profound moment of connection – two women from different countries, brought together in times of great difficulty but united under a common purpose. Lilian was forced from her home, but she’s connected with ARC again. With friends who will look out for her.
Organic and impromptu, moments like this happen at the settlement. And with just a few resources, connections are sparked that will help these women build their future.
There is so much need at Bidi Bidi. But we’re learning that a few small changes, an extra dose of generosity, and some thoughtful and hardworking team members can go a long way toward making real, impactful change.
Tomorrow, we’re taking Changemakers 365 to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where our first-ever social enterprise – Asili – is changing lives from the ground up. Stay tuned for how doing the doable in the DRC is making all the difference.
