Inside ARC - Congo Update

Hi jay, Here’s the latest on what’s been happening around here, including information on a briefing that took place at ARC headquarters on Wednesday. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Briefing on Congo* On Wednesday, we held a briefing for supporters and the public about the emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – and what we are doing to help. Ward Brehm, an ARC board member, spoke about his recent trip to DRC. Ward has been to Africa 35 times and was appointed by President Obama to the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) in 2010. President Bush had previously appointed him chairman of USADF in 2004. As Ward crossed the border from Rwanda into Congo, he said “it was like leaving heaven and going into hell.”  At a hospital he visited, he said his heart was broken by what he saw – teenage girls who had been raped multiple times having babies and requiring fistula surgery. “We heard stories of 3- and 4-year-old girls being raped,” Ward said. The lucky ones are the people who were able to flee the country. More than 18,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo – mostly vulnerable women and children – have crossed the border into Rwanda to escape horrific violence. Thousands have also fled to Uganda, and it’s estimated that 200,000 people have been displaced inside of Congo by the violence since April. New arrivals in Rwanda register at Nkamira Transit Center and will eventually be relocated to Kigeme Refugee Camp. About 11,000 people remain at the transit center without adequate health care, protection, clean water or latrines. We have teams on the ground putting up tents in Kigeme Camp and establishing the camp’s infrastructure. We’ve constructed emergency kitchens with stoves and firewood for cooking. And we built a temporary health post. We’ve also reinforced the terracing system that is used throughout the camp. We’ve welcomed thousands of people to the camp already. When families arrive from the transit camp, our teams provide them with an orientation of the camp and help them understand what services are available and how to access them. Ward is a strong advocate for the people of Africa – and urged others to be advocates, too. “I hope you may share a bit in the responsibility to do something about it,” he said. “Many, many lives are on the line.” *Safe Motherhood Campaign in Darfur*   The Sudan team recently conducted a five-day safe motherhood campaign in Ditto, South Darfur, Sudan. The campaign stressed the importance of seeking ante-natal care services, having babies delivered by skilled birth attendants and the benefits of child spacing. To date, we are the only organization that has conducted safe motherhood campaigns in Darfur. The topics were discussed through speeches by community leaders and staff, household visits and through the distribution of T-shirts, hats and educational leaflets. Our health providers also provided pregnant and post-natal women with iron tablets and Vitamin A supplements. *London Summit on Family Planning* On July 11, World Population Day, the U.K. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with the United Nations Population Fund and other partners, hosted a summit to provide an additional 120 million women in the world's poorest countries with lifesaving contraceptives, information and services by 2020. The London Summit on Family Planning called for unprecedented global political commitment and resources to transform the lives of millions of women and girls, which will save lives and help lift families, communities and nations out of poverty.  We worked to make sure the needs of women in crises were heard at the summit in two key ways: The Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises, of which we are a member, sent a letter to the organizers of the summit, urging stronger efforts to make family planning services available to people affected by conflict and natural disasters. You can read the letter here: http://www.arcrelief.org/site/DocServer/IAWG_Open_Letter_FP_Summit_07112012.pdf?docID=2281 We signed onto the Civil Society Declaration for the London Family Planning Summit letter to the prime minister and Mrs. Gates, which was printed in the Financial Times on July 9. You can read the letter here (to see ARC’s name you will need to click “Expand”…ARC is the seventh agency listed in the “Global” section):  http://www.ippf.org/news/press/familyplanningsummit/letter  *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

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

Inside ARC - World Refugee Day

Hi jay, Here's our latest news, including information about a developing refugee crisis. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *World Refugee Day and Crisis in DRC* A couple weeks ago, I told you about a developing refugee situation in Rwanda. Today, on World Refugee Day, I’m sad to report the situation has grown even worse. Recent violence has forced more than 10,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to cross the border into Rwanda, where they are in desperate need of help. The stories of rape and violence are absolutely horrific. The media has yet to report the story in a significant way. We’ve had a long history of helping Congolese refugees in Rwanda, where we manage the three major camps for refugees. We also assist Congolese refugees in Uganda and South Sudan and are expanding a program in DRC. We have staff working around the clock on our response. We’ll be sending more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, here are a few articles you can read: http://allafrica.com/stories/201206160124.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201206130766.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201206120053.html http://allafrica.com/stories/201206090100.html *SMS in South Sudan*   We recently partnered with Souktel, a company that develops mobile phone services to give low-income communities the information they need to improve their lives. A recent article in the Souktel corporate newsletter featured the partnership: “For years, aid agencies have been using basic mass media – like community radio – to send key messages to communities in need. But when ARC launched a campaign in South Sudan to raise awareness about gender-based violence, radio wasn’t enough: Over 60 languages are spoken across the country, making simultaneous broadcasts difficult. More importantly, measuring the impact of radio segments is tough….That’s where Souktel stepped in, partnering with ARC to create a custom mobile messaging platform that let staff send public awareness messages at scale, in multiple languages, with detailed data tracking. Working with the ARC field team in Juba, Souktel software developers built a cloud-based system which allowed staff in South Sudan – or in U.S. offices – to run SMS information campaigns: If operations on the ground became too risky, the campaign could be easily managed from outside the country, ensuring security and sustainability... A multi-language feature was added to allow for message send-out in English and Arabic script at the same time…Leveraging this mobile technology, ARC’s campaign was able to reach thousands of households across South Sudan.” *Essays for Somalia* Our I AM A STAR program has been partnering with a class at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis for the past several months. Our staff presented to the class about Somalia, and the students were moved to do more. They made and sold I AM A STAR T-shirts, and then researched and wrote essays on what people suffering through the famine need most. Five essay contest winners recently visited our headquarters to share their essays. Here are some essay excerpts: “People need to have good health care so they can be happy and not suffering. People in Somalia need clothes because they can get a sickness if they don’t change their clothes that they wear. In Somalia people need a good house where they can sleep good.” “To get the word out that famine is out there and it is killing thousands of people will motivate the person to do something about it…when people find out Somalia needs help, people and schools will start making activities to help the Somali famine be stopped once and for all! … If we have a lot of people on supporting Somalia, it will give people with high authority something to think about and how it’s affected many people’s lives.”  “If there is truly a strong government and strong people then I [guarantee] you that there will be a strong country.” You can read the essays in their entirety on the teacher’s blog, located here: http://essaysfrom141.wordpress.com. For more information about I AM A STAR, visit www.IAMASTAR.org. *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

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

Inside ARC - 6.4.12

Hi jay, Here's the latest news from our programs around the world. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Poultry Project in Rwanda* Last year, the Rwanda team worked with refugees in Gihembe Camp to build a poultry house and to launch a poultry farming project. Through the project, participants – many of whom are widowed women – learned about investment planning and how to brand and market their chickens. Participants have begun to see the fruits of their labor. There are now 120 hens laying eggs, and 1,405 eggs have been laid, with 1,081 of these already sold to the nutrition center and local markets. The women earned a solid profit and are thrilled by the results. The project is being supported by new funding we received from the Julia Taft Foundation. *Hot Sauce for Somalia*   Sadia Korad Abdi of “Sadia’s Gourmet Sauces” is a Somali entrepreneur who started her own business selling gourmet cooking sauces. The company also has a philanthropic mission: donating 10 percent of profits to support our relief efforts in Somalia.  “I want to help other people – especially children who are dying of hunger in my home country of Somalia,” Sadia said. “They need help, and they need love. I am a mother, and I know what that love feels like. I also know what it is like to struggle; I helped sell vegetables on the street when I was 8 to support my younger brothers and sisters, as my family was struggling.” Sadia hosted a “tasting” recently and was featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Sadia’s story starts at paragraph 7 in the article located here: http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=152088945). Sadia began cooking at age 7 in Mogadishu, moved to the U.S. in 1999, and started her cooking sauce business several years ago. This year, according to the article referenced above, her business expects to sell more than $1.2 million worth of wholesale products this year. To see a video about Sadia’s story, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzMoHyKqxhI. Check out her website, www.sadiassauce.com, to learn how you can purchase Sadia’s Sauces…and support Somalia! *TB Awareness in Thailand* Our Thailand team recently organized “Stop TB in my Lifetime,” a World TB Day event at Saen Tor sub-district, Thamaka District, Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand. TB is short for tuberculosis, a potentially deadly disease that usually affects the lungs. Among those who participated in the event were community leaders, government workers, health volunteers, local hospitals, nonprofit partners and hundreds of migrants. Stemming the spread of tuberculosis has been a global health success story:  the number of tuberculosis cases worldwide has been falling since 2006. *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

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

36 Hours to Double Your Impact!

Hi jay- The response to the matching challenge issued by ARC's Board of Directors has been amazing. 153 donors have stepped forward, giving $32,131! We are nearly to the goal - only $4,869 left to go. But we only have 36 more hours to make it happen! Will you make a donation and have your gift matched before tomorrow's deadline? Right now, you can double your impact for people in need. That means $50 becomes $100; $100 becomes $200; and $250 becomes $500. That’s twice as many refugees who can receive essentials like lifesaving health care, clean water and shelter. You have an opportunity to help a refugee, who has nowhere else to turn, recover and get a chance at a better life. Please, will you make a donation today?   Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. Don’t miss your chance to double your impact. Give today.

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

Inside ARC - 5.18.12

Hi jay, Here's the latest news from our programs around the world. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Further Chaos in DRC/New Arrivals in Rwanda and Uganda* Thousands of Congolese men, women, and children are fleeing from the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda and Uganda. They are escaping violence following clashes between the Congolese army and rebel groups. “There are around 3,000 refugees from the DRC at the Nkamira Transit Center at the moment, exceeding the normal capacity of the center, which is around 2,000 refugees,” Yaya Sidi Sackor, acting country director for Rwanda, reported recently. “There is a big possibility that the refugees will eventually move to Nyabiheke Camp (which we manage) in Rwanda. For now, the United Nations refugee agency alongside the World Food Programme and the Rwandan government are distributing food and other essential supplies to the new arrivals. As we currently manage the three main camps (in Rwanda), our expected role will be to host the refugees – to build shelters and help provide other essential services. I have already informed my team in Nyabiheke to be prepared.” *Soda Bottles into Light Bulbs*   Here is an excerpt from a blog post by Greg Shaw of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration about a recent trip to visit our programs in Rwanda: “An exciting technology that we have been discussing with the UN refugee agency and ARC involves the introduction of low cost ‘solar light’ bulbs crafted from empty plastic soda bottles inserted into iron sheeted roofs. On any clear day, these solar light bulbs, which cost only a few dollars each to create, refract natural light and channel the equivalent of 55 watts of electrical light into a school, health center, or residential structure. ARC intends to initiate a pilot project to install these solar bulbs in the larger structures in Kiziba refugee camp that we hope will provide low-cost illumination for school children, doctors, and patients. Our continued support to these camps in Rwanda helps improve the lives of refugees until a durable solution to their displacement can be found.”  You can read the entire blog post here:  http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/congolese_refugees_rwanda/ *Two New Programs in North Sudan* Two new programs are starting in North Sudan that will assist about 300,000 people: LIVELIHOODS:  One helps women improve their livelihoods by improving animal health and the quality of grazing lands. It will also expand livelihoods options available to pastoralist women. HEALTH CARE:  The other helps women and children improve their health. It will support safe motherhood and increase maternal and child health services, strengthen service delivery, and increase access to health and obstetric services in South Darfur. Ongoing insecurity has had a severe impact on the health of women and children in South Darfur. Data from health-care facilities we support indicate that only 21 percent of deliveries are conducted at a facility by skilled personnel, while 43 percent of deliveries are conducted at home by skilled personnel. The region also has low immunization coverage coupled with high rates of under-nutrition and vitamin A deficiency, which make children susceptible to measles. Additionally, only 34 percent of facilities in South Darfur provide routine immunization and have a functional cold chain in place, which ensures vaccines are kept at the appropriate temperature. *Board Member Honored*   American Refugee Committee Board Member Perry Witkin was recently honored as an “Alumnus of Notable Achievement” by the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Perry first connected with ARC in the wake of the 2004 Southeast Asian Tsunami, and has served as a board member since 2005. He also played a key role on the ground, assisting with relief efforts in Haiti (post-earthquake) and in Louisiana, USA (post-Hurricane Katrina). Perry says: “I owe a great deal to ARC as an organization which has embraced me, taught me so much about the importance and value of giving, and allowed me to participate in the incredibly important work that you do.” Here’s an article describing Perry’s honor:  http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cla/discoveries/2012/04/cla-recognizes-alumni-of-notab-3.html *Board of Directors Matching Gift Challenge*    A special matching gift challenge is on now - through May 22, your gift will be matched 100 percent. A generous group from our board of directors has come together and offered to match all donations up to $37,000. So far nearly $27,000 have been given. That  means we have just 5 days to raise the remaining $10,000. If you can, make a gift now! 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

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

Your Gift Matched 100%!

Hi jay- Right now, your gift can go twice as far. A group from our board of directors has come together to match your gift – dollar for dollar – up to $37,000.  That means $50 becomes $100; $100 becomes $200; and $250 becomes $500. That’s twice as many refugees who can receive essentials like lifesaving health care, clean water and shelter.   Please, will you make a donation today?   You have an opportunity to help a refugee, who has nowhere else to turn, recover and get a chance at a better life.   You also have a unique opportunity to double your gift. But hurry, your gift must be received by May 22. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth President, American Refugee Committee P.S. Don’t miss your chance to double your impact. For a limited time only, your gift will be matched 100 percent! Give today.

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software

Inside ARC - 5.1.12

Hi jay, I hope you enjoy reading the latest news from our programs around the world. Sincerely, -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************   *Thailand Camp Fire Update* The Thailand team is continuing to help Umpiem May Camp residents who were impacted by a devastating fire in February. About 3,300 refugees were left homeless. Since then, nearly 500 families have received critical relief supplies, including mats, soap, water containers and mosquito nets. Here is a summary of other vital work taking place: CONSTRUCTION/WATER/SANITATION: Main waterlines have been up and running since shortly after the fire. Staff will repair smaller waterlines and taps after house construction is completed to avoid possible construction-related damages. On March 23, staff and the community held a cleanup day, and the sanitation team continues to collect trash that families put out by the road for pick up. House construction is progressing. The supplier is making 600 cement slabs; as soon as supplies (slabs and toilets) arrive, staff will distribute them. EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS:  Staff and partners will conduct fire prevention and health education campaigns in the camp. HELP FOR MOTHERS:  Staff distributed 39 sarongs and 28 baby kits to pregnant women and mothers affected by the fire. *Liberia Team Wins Promotion of Peace Award*   Our Liberia team received the Society for the Promotion of Peace Annual Award at a ceremony in Monrovia, Liberia. The award recognized the meaningful role we play in Liberia’s national recovery program, helping support the government’s poverty reduction strategies through microfinance empowerment, training, and capacity building of adolescent girls and young women. *Honor a Mother in Your Life* Imagine what it must feel like to be a mother…and a refugee…to have your children always in harm’s way.  Please consider honoring a woman in your life by giving a gift at www.ARCrelief.org/mothers. We’ll send her a Mother’s Day card with a personal note to let her know you’re thinking of her. Your gift will help provide essentials, like basic health care, clean water, sanitary latrines and other necessities. Hurry, we must receive your gift by May 7 in order to mail the card in time for Mother’s Day.  *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                   Imagine what it must feel like to be a mother…and a refugee…to have your children always in harm’s way.    Please consider honoring a woman in your life by giving a gift at www.ARCrelief.org/mothers. We’ll send her a Mother’s Day card with a personal note to let her know you’re thinking of her. Your gift will help provide essentials, like basic health care, clean water, sanitary latrines and other necessities. Hurry, we must receive your gift by May 7 in order to mail the card by Mother’s Day.

Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.

nonprofit software