Inside ARC - Innovation & More

Hi jay, Here’s the latest on what’s been happening around ARC lately. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *ARC Named Top Ten Finalist for National Innovation Award* We have been named a top ten finalist for the Peter Drucker Innovation Award for our Somalia/I AM A STAR program. In the notification letter we received from the Drucker Institute, they wrote:  “This award consistently attracts a remarkably large and impressive group of applicants, and this year was no exception. In all, the Drucker Institute received 612 applications from nonprofits in 49 states and the District of Columbia…Your organization should be proud to stand out as one of the most innovative nonprofits in America.” Prizes will be awarded to the top three candidates in September. “Getting down to 10 finalists was no easy feat; the quality of the pool was especially strong this year,” said Rick Wartzman, executive director of the Institute.  You can read more about the award here: http://www.druckerinstitute.com/link/drucker-award-finalists-2012/. This top ten distinction is a real tribute to the incredible work of our Somali team that helps people in one of the world’s most difficult operating environments and to the global Somali diaspora who have come to support this effort in so many ways. We will keep you updated as we hear more. *World Refugee Day in Uganda*   The Uganda team recently led the World Refugee Day activities at Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. The day’s theme was “One Family Torn Apart by War is Too Many,” and the events drew more than 2,000 people. We had a mobile clinic onsite to provide information on support and referrals for violence survivors. We also organized awareness and sports activities: Pool Tournament: To help educate men on equal power relations and conflict resolution, our team hosted a discussion on power use and then hosted a pool competition. The first place winner was awarded a goat, second place a turkey, and third a chicken. All participants received a T-shirt and a dozen books. Sports Gala: A combined sports gala and football match featured competition among the Congolese and Sudanese who live in Kyangwali. The game ended on a 2/2 draw, and the teams received a goat for their participation. *Helping Migrants in Remote Thai Villages* In partnership with district and community hospitals, our health teams in Thailand provide mobile health care to three remote island villages that are home to many migrants. Each island can only be accessed by boat. Due to the remoteness of the villages and the lack of local health facilities (the nearest facility is two hours away from the islands), villagers face challenges in accessing health care.  Through our staff’s efforts, the villages receive basic health services, with a focus on preventing and treating tuberculosis. Patients with symptoms of tuberculosis are screened and tested. We also set up a community referral mechanism, patient care and a support system within the villages by recruiting migrant health volunteers. *Basketball Court in Rwanda*   Our Rwanda team recently partnered with refugees to build a basketball court in one of the camps we manage to provide a space for engaging the camp youth population. The “construction crew” poured cement, and then repaired and replaced hoops and backboards. *Giving*    At the request of readers, I always include these links so they’re easy to find when you need them. Thanks so much. Become a Monthly Donor: http://www.ARCrelief.org/givemonthly Donate Online: http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate Give Us a Call: (800) 875-7060 Send in a gift: American Refugee Committee Donor Service Center P.O. Box 1002 Minneapolis, MN 55480-1002 USA

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Inside ARC - Somalia & South Sudan Update

Hi jay, It’s feeling very festive around ARC’s headquarters office lately. Rows and rows of paper chains are hanging from the ceilings in our office. It’s all part of our I AM A STAR campaign to support Somalia. You can read about the chain and the latest news about our programs below. Check out a photo of the chain: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=332726596819557&set=a.135563133202572.29312.134596023299283&type=1&theater . Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Dire Situation in Somalia* Somalia is suffering one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world – and one of the most complex. More than 2.5 million people are currently in urgent need. About 28 percent of people need food aid to survive. One in five children is malnourished. And nearly 100,000 people have died in the last 12 months because of the food crisis. We are one of the only humanitarian aid organizations working in Mogadishu providing critical aid like health care, medicine, clean water and latrines. Our team recently distributed food to 3,598 internally displaced families in Mogadishu. Each family received rice, pulses (the edible seeds of legumes) and vegetable oil. This is the first in a series of food distributions that are planned. In partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, we will distribute a total of 1,995 metric tons of food aid to more than 100,000 people in Mogadishu. In addition, we’re currently employing 300 workers – mostly women – to clean up trash and debris in an area of Mogadishu. They receive $4 a day that they use to feed their families and provide for their basic needs. We’re also working to build four wells and 500 latrines at camps for displaced people to ensure they have access to the sanitation they need. *Responding in Maban, South Sudan*   Since fall 2011, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting in Blue Nile State, which lies along the border between Sudan and South Sudan. To date, more than 107,000 refugees have sought safety across the border in Maban County, South Sudan. The United Nations’ refugee agency anticipates the number of refugees will likely increase and that many people will remain in the area for several years due to the ongoing conflict, the lack of food sources back home and the high level of trauma the refugees experienced on their journey.  The death rate is well above emergency levels, and the malnutrition of children is around 40 percent. In June 2012, our country director and key staff travelled to Maban to assess the emergency situation. Since then, there have been two more assessment missions. And staff from our Malakal office has been helping to establish an ARC office in Maban. We have already started to provide clean water and offer psychosocial support to survivors. We will keep you updated. *Facebook Campaign: 50,000 Cheers = $50,000 for Somalia* We did it! With help from our Facebook friends and Hormuud, a Somalia-based telecommunications company, we raised $50,000 for relief efforts in Somalia. Under a new global Facebook campaign, Hormuud generously agreed to donate $1 each time someone cheered for the Somali Olympic team on the I AM A STAR Facebook page. Fans were able to cheer by liking, commenting, posting or sharing information through the page. The campaign was launched to help Somalia while supporting the country’s two Somali Olympians, Zamzam Farah and Mohamed Mohamed. Their road to the Olympics was harrowing; they braved death threats, ran on dirt tracks and received little investment in pursuit of their Olympic dreams. As Zamzam and Mohamed watched the cheers come in from around the world, they were moved by the incredible support of strangers. “Now, I feel that I’m not alone,” explained Zamzam. “I never imagined that people in places like Malaysia or Taiwan are thinking about Somali people. I used to hear that the world had forgotten us.” In keeping with the Olympic rings theme, we’re building a paper chain in support of the team. For every cheer on Facebook, we’re adding one link. The chain is currently 1.5 miles long.   *Giving*    At the request of readers, I always include these links so they’re easy to find when you need them. Thanks so much. Donate Online: http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate Become a Monthly Donor: http://www.ARCrelief.org/givemonthly Give Us a Call: (800) 875-7060 Send in a gift: American Refugee Committee Donor Service Center P.O. Box 1002 Minneapolis, MN 55480-1002 USA

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A Pyramid Scheme For Good!

Hi jay - I’ve sent a couple of emails this week about the opportunity we have to cheer on the Somali Olympic team while raising $50,000 for relief in Somalia. We’re about one-third of the way towards the goal.  The cheering has been amazing. Our office staff actually built a human pyramid a couple of days ago to cheer on Olympians Zamzam Farah and Mohamed Mohamed (see the photo below). And that got me thinking… we need a pyramid scheme to reach our goal of 50,000 cheers for Somalia!  Here is how it would work: Each of us goes to http://www.facebook.com/iamastarforsomalia and posts a cheer for Somalia  Then, we tell just two friends about the campaign and encourage them to post a cheer and share it with two friends of their own.  And on… and on…we’ll have 50,000 cheers for the Somali Olympians in no time. Will you join me and try to get this pyramid off the ground? It will mean $50,000 for much needed relief in Somalia. Get started by posting a cheer now. Best, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. If you are able, try to watch Mohamed Mohamed in his 1500m race today. His 1500m race is scheduled for 20:05 – 20:29 (London Time). Go Mohamed!

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