13 Hours To Double Your Impact!

Hi jay, We're halfway there! Supporters have stepped forward - some giving $10, some giving $1,000 - to help us in our last-minute $27,000 matching challenge. $14,285 has been given already. But we have $12,715 left to go before Midnight. That's 13 hours! Will you join us and make a special year-end gift? If you donate now, your gift will be matched - 100%!  $10 becomes $20! $25 becomes $50! $250 becomes $500! You will be making twice the difference for refugees who desperately need our help. Will you help us meet this challenge? Donate at: http://www.arcrelief.org/december11match  If you're thinking of donating, please don't delay. Thanks for your support. Best, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. If you can think of a friend who'd be interested, please forward the challenge on: www.ARCrelief.org/december11match

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39 Hours To Make Twice the Difference!

Hi jay, I need your help! A couple of days ago I emailed you about a $27,000 matching challenge. If you donate now, your gift will be matched - you'll be making twice the difference! So far, donors like you have given $5,105. That means we have $21,895 still to go and less than 2 days to make it happen. $5 becomes $10! $50 becomes $100! $500 becomes $1000! Will you make a special year-end contribution and help us meet this challenge? Donate at: http://www.arcrelief.org/december11match  We don't want to miss out on even a dollar that will help a refugee to survive and take back control of her life. Please don't delay. Thanks for your support. Best, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. If you can't make a donation at this time, please forward the challenge to a friend: www.ARCrelief.org/december11match

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Double Your Impact!

Hi jay, You are needed! You can double the impact of your gift if you give now! A small group of donors have put together a $27,000 matching challenge. They will match your generous gift if you make it in 2011 - up to $27,000! Donate at: www.ARCrelief.org/december11match $5 becomes $10! $50 becomes $100! $500 becomes $1000! Will you help us take advantage of this opportunity? If you can, make a donation right now! Your gift will be matched 100%.  We don't want to miss out on a single penny that could help a refugee rebuild her life.  Please don't delay. On behalf of refugees around the world, please help us take advantage of this exciting opportunity to make double the impact! Best, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. If you're unable to make a donation at this time, please forward the challenge to a friend: www.ARCrelief.org/december11match

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Inside ARC - 12.16.11

Hi jay, Here’s the latest on what’s been going on here at American Refugee Committee in the past couple weeks. Thanks for everything you do to make our programs possible. Happy Holidays! -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************   *Year-End Giving*    There’s only two weeks left to get your special year-end gift in for 2011. You can help us serve families affected by wars, disasters and other emergencies in 2012. There’s no question your donation will make an important impact. We’d greatly appreciate your support. You can make a gift now at www.ARCrelief.org/donate or call us at (800) 875-7060.  *Rwanda Crafts for Sale in Resort Gift Shop*    The team at Kiziba Refugee Camp in Rwanda has inaugurated a shop in neighboring Kibuye town. Items for sale include baskets, laptop covers, necklaces and earrings – all of which are produced by Congolese refugees living in the camp. Through the shop, they expect to generate income to support mostly women associations and vulnerable families.  The shop is located in Cormoran Lodge in Kibuye, one of the most high-end resorts in the area. The new shop opened in mid-November, and the team reports that there have already been many sales. * Somalia Famine Relief* Our team in Somalia sent the following updates:  The cholera program launched in Tarabunka, Banadir, Shibisis and Cabdulcasiis districts. The team has worked with partners to gather basic information, including the current population of the sites, availability of health facilities, and NGOs operating in the area. Health records also track referrals of acute watery diarrhea cases. The team conducted preliminary assessments of four abandoned wells in Tarabunka Camp and determined that three of the four can be rehabilitated.  The team continues to staff the child-friendly spaces, offering recreational and learning opportunities to children who accompany their sick siblings to Banadir Hospital.  The construction of 10 units of communal kitchens in Badbaado Camp was funded. Water has been installed in all the units, and stoves are currently being installed. *Shop the I AM A STAR online store* Just in time for the holiday season, you can now purchase I AM A STAR merchandise online at our new I AM A STAR online store! Check it out at http://iamastar.myshopify.com/. The models on the site are staff, volunteers, friends and donors.

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Inside ARC - 12.2.11

Hi jay, An update on what's been happening the last two weeks around ARC is below. Enjoy. Thank you for your support. -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************   *Four Stars from Charity Navigator*    The American Refugee Committee has received four stars from Charity Navigator, the largest evaluator of charities in the United States. Our overall score was 67.54 out of a possible 70. According to Charity Navigator, the exceptional rating means ARC “exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.”  *Tilapia in Rwanda*     The ARC Rwanda team is exploring creative ways to fight malnutrition among refugees in the camps they manage. One solution: building a fishpond in one camp to produce tilapia. Giorgio Trombatore, ARC’s country director in Rwanda, reports that “The pond construction has been completed, and soon we expect to receive the baby fish.” * Somalia Famine Relief* Our teams on the ground in Somalia continue their good work. Adan Adar, Somalia country director, recently shared the following: - The child-friendly space at Banadir Hospital in Mogadishu is open and has been welcoming children. Forty children attend and are provided with two meals a day. The space gives siblings of sick children a place to play, participate in structured activities and begin to heal from any trauma and loss they’ve experienced. - Steps to establish the cholera treatment units have begun; sites in two camps (Badbaado and Taribunka) have been identified, and rental of ambulance and vehicle are in process. - Five communal kitchens are completed in Badbaado Camp, and the second batch of five is in progress. A contract has been signed for production of 100 energy-efficient stoves for the first five units of the kitchen. - We are constructing 50 latrines in Shibis, 50 in Abdiaziz and 20 in Shangani; these are newly liberated districts without basic water and sanitation infrastructure. *Headquarters Office Move* ARC’s headquarters staff moved to a new office in northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota – about 5 miles from the previous office. The new space is very open and has lots of public space for meetings and for volunteers. We look forward to seeing you here! For your records, our new address is: 615 1st Ave. NE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55413-2681. We're so grateful to 20 Below for all of your help with our move to the new space. And, a special thanks to Fluid Interiors and Haworth Furniture for the 85% discount on the furniture for the new space! It looks amazing! *Year-End Giving* The new year will be here before we know it. Now’s the time to think about your year-end giving. We’d greatly appreciate your continued support of refugees across the world. If you’d like to make a gift now, please visit www.ARCrelief.org/donate or call us at (612) 872-7060.

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Inside ARC - 11.17.11

Hi jay, Here's what has been happening around ARC the last two weeks. I hope you find this inside look interesting. Let us know if you have any questions.  -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ************************************************** *Somalia Funding Update* ARC was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to support our relief efforts in helping famine-affected people living in camps in Mogadishu. The grant will fund the following types of activities: purchasing and distributing relief items like water cans, soap, tarps, blankets and cooking utensils; helping restore the purchasing power and recovery of economic assets of displaced people; providing clean water by creating two new wells and treating existing water sources; constructing latrines; and promoting hygienic living conditions through campaigns on proper use of latrines and water transport and storage. We also received a $213,000 grant for Mogadishu from the UN’s Common Humanitarian Fund for cholera prevention and response. Under this grant, ARC will build cholera treatment units and oral rehydration posts, and train providers. ARC will also promote hygiene and distribute hygiene kits. Poor sanitation and limited access to safe water and latrines, combined with the rainy season, has put people at risk of cholera, a potentially deadly disease. *Planting Trees in South Sudan* Derebe Tadesse, senior health coordinator from ARC’s South Sudan program, writes: “I have been in ARC’s Kapoeta field office for the last two weeks. The ARC Kapoeta team involved themselves beyond primary health care programming...into environmental protection! The team grew seedlings and, on Nov. 6, planted 210 trees near the ARC office. UNICEF and delegates from local organizations also participated in the tree-planting ceremony.”  Check out photos of the tree planting: http://on.fb.me/vEK0lo *ARC’s Annual Gala Fundraiser* Last week, ARC hosted Band Together, our annual gala fundraiser. Attendees enjoyed: a live auction and a silent auction with art and craft items – many of which originated in ARC’s country programs worldwide; music by Kenn Wanaku, a refugee from Cameroon, and the band Cloud Cult; a hip-hop dance performance; a spoken word performance by Shirwa Hersi from Poet Nation; and a youth choir performance of the song “Wavin’ Flag” by Somali hip-hop artist K’naan. More than 475 people attended (nearly twice as many people who attended last year’s event).  The event raised more than $170,000 to support the work of the American Refugee Committee. See photos from the event: http://on.fb.me/vOTJg0 *Mural in Rwanda* I AM A STAR – a grassroots platform to take action for Somalia – has arrived in Rwanda. ARC Rwanda Country Director Giorgio Trombatore writes: “We decided to do a painting in the Kiziba Camp on Lake Kivu in Rwanda. The idea was also to put a local Rwandese saying with a positive impact for the refugees. All the staff is there as well, symbolically united with the Somalis in their struggle.” The Rwandese saying incorporated into the mural states: “Put your hands together. The dance will start.” For more information about I AM A STAR, check out Facebook.com/iamastarforsomalia or www.IAMASTAR.org. *2011 Donations*  This year is quickly winding down - just two months left. If you'd like to make a donation that is tax deductible in 2011, you can do so on our website at: www.ARCrelief.org/donate or call us at (612) 872 7060.

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Inside ARC - 11.4.11

Dear jay, I regularly send updates about what's happening around ARC to our staff around the world. Because you’re a supporter of ARC, I wanted to start including you on these emails. I hope you’ll find this inside look interesting. -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ************************************************** *The Famine in Somalia* Famine continues to claim the lives of innocent children. Our program director in Somalia recently described the conditions there: “Fleeing for their life, many of the families have trekked for days before reaching Mogadishu. They left behind almost all of their household effects. They arrived in waves, populating spontaneously created internally displaced person (IDP) settlements within the city. They hardly come with containers to collect and store water, utensils to cook food, or spare clothes to replace the ones they’ve been wearing for days and weeks. Most of the temporary settlements still lack sanitary facilities. The IDPs who ended up in urban settings faced serious problems in finding proper open space to relieve themselves – in fact, women have to wait until sunset to venture out of the squalid settlements to answer nature’s call. Owing to shortage of water and the absence of latrines, many people are unable to bathe for extended periods of time." “After four months of sustained relief assistance by the international community, the drought and famine continues to ravage southern Somalia – and Mogadishu. Currently, there are more than 300 IDP settlements scattered all over Mogadishu. The conditions of many of these are quite squalid, crowded and with poor hygiene. The conditions are more stabilized in the major camps such as Badbaado, Rajo, and Taribunka (where ARC is working). In the latter two, many households are still without shelter, water, sanitation and food.  Many of the smaller settlements are without shelter and are not benefiting from regular food and water distributions. There is a huge gap between the resources available and the needs prevailing on the ground.” *Registration in the Democratic Republic of Congo* We recently received registration in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a huge step forward in our efforts to build cross-border programming initiatives, help refugees return home and obtain information about and communicate with home villages. It will also strengthen our ability to hire locally in Congo. The American Refugee Committee serves Congolese refugees in three countries – Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. All together, we assist about 77,000 Congolese refugees in the region. As these refugees begin to think of returning home, we want to ensure they have access to the services and essentials they need. *Addressing Violence in Uganda* The ARC team in Uganda has been building the capacity of community leaders to respond to incidences of gender-based violence. ARC is partnering with implementing agency GWED-G to work with elected and community leaders as well as representatives of the police and health facilities to address the issue. The leaders were encouraged to connect with GWED-G social workers and the gender-based violence “hotline” to promptly report cases. County leader David Ngole indicated that his county will include gender-based violence prevention in their work plan and appoint a point person to ensure this happens.  *2011 Donations* This year is quickly winding down - just two months left. If you'd like to make a donation that is tax deductible in 2011, you can do so on our website at: www.ARCrelief.org/donate or call us at (612) 872 7060.

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