Inside ARC 8.25.16 - Celebrating World Humanitarian Day

Hello jay, Thank you for being a part of ARC. People like you make our work possible! Here's the latest update on what we're up to. Thank you so much for your continuing support.   -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  + World Humanitarian Day + Last Friday, we celebrated World Humanitarian Day with our teams around the world. Each and every day our staff work in challenging environments to bring quality service to those who need it most. From being the largest distributor of food on the streets of Aleppo, Syria to being one of the first NGOs to operate inside Mogadishu, Somalia, we are continuously amazed by the energy and empathy of our staff. They work tirelessly in ever-changing crises. We asked our teams “In three words what does humanitarianism mean to you?”  Here are some of the responses we received: “Sacrifice, passion and patience.” – Abdiqafar, Somalia “Humility in service.” – Jacques, Rwanda “Always ready to help.” – Mama Jose, DRC “Dignity. Love. Giving life.” – Arafa, Sudan We also wanted to thank YOU! As an ARC supporter, you make it possible for us to reach the most difficult places. You are our partner in this work and a true humanitarian yourself. Thank you for standing by us.  Staff in Jordan write messages of encouragement to colleagues in Syria and Sudan + Nakivale Child Protection Office Makeover + Our team in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda is finding out what is possible with a little resource and a lot of creativity. They’ve been hard at work brainstorming what can be done with just $500 and a mentality of doing the doable. Across Nakivale, you can see these small changes that are making a big difference. The ARC Child Protection Office stands out with its freshly painted exterior. Walk inside and you will see an even more colorful space, filled with toys and cartoon-painted walls. It’s all about creating an environment where kids feel safe to share and where they may even play while their parents receive information, counseling and guidance next door at the counseling center. The office now offers a refreshing change from what it once was. And, the excitement of the team is palpable. By looking beyond their limitations, they were able to bring new value to the people we serve. Harriet shows off the newly updated Child Protection Office in Nakivale + Groundbreaking on 3rd Asili Zone + Asili, our social enterprise in Eastern DRC is expanding once again! We launched the first zone in July 2014 in rural Buhanga. This past March, we launched a second zone in a semi-rural area. And now, this summer, we’ve broken ground on our third Asili zone. Each Asili location is being tested in a different economic setting. Located in Mudaka, this zone will service a busy market town that sees frequent car and foot traffic. Set to open this November, the third zone will bring a clinic, rehabilitated water system and agricultural cooperative to Mudaka.  Construction on the third Asili zone in Mudaka   + Engage + We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief Donate! --- http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate   Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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Inside ARC 8.8.16 - Former Refugee Travels to Jordan to Meet Syrian Refugees, Organic Gardening in Pakistan and 2016 Changemakers Competition

Hello jay, Thank you so much for being a part of ARC. People like you make our work possible! Here's the latest update on what we're up to. Thank you so much for your continuing support.   -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  + Lost Boy Meets Survivors of the current Global Refugee Crisis + Over the past few months, we’ve sent teams out to Uganda, Kenya, Germany, Jordan, Turkey, and Greece to talk with refugees from Syria but also refugees from around the world. We wanted to see firsthand the complexity of this crisis and listen to the stories of those who are experiencing it every day of their lives. We had a conversation with David Acuoth who joined our team in Jordan. David is a former refugee from Sudan and was resettled in the US as part of the Lost Boys and Girls Resettlement Program. He earned his master’s degree in Minnesota and now lives in Washington D.C. working as a Congressional Staffer.  When reflecting on his trip, David noted, “The biggest takeaway from this trip is that we need to rethink how we do things. How we help refugees.” He had the chance to speak to many Syrian refugees and said, “It was amazing to me that this experience that I had, when I was in a very dark place, can now help someone else get out of that dark place. This moment doesn’t have to define the rest of their lives.”  You can read more about David’s experience here.  + Organic Gardening in Pakistan + In Pakistan, students in our education program have been exercising their green thumb. They’ve been learning to use organic growing methods for fruits and vegetables on the land surrounding the school. From seed sowing through to harvesting, the students grew a hearty crop of squash. The gardening activity taught the students that using their current surroundings can earn them extra pocket money and help them provide healthy food for their family. Young students show off their success in gardening + Changemakers Idea Competition + After weeks of idea submissions, we have come to the close of this year’s Changemakers Competition. It's an ideas competition with our staff around the world. We ask one simple question and provide the platform for their ideas to pour in.  In one simple way, how can I make the people I serve feel more valued, joyful or powerful? This year, we received over 1,600 ideas from our global staff! It's been the biggest year yet with over 3 times as many ideas as last year! This year we saw more energy than ever before - teams around the world gathered for ideation sessions, shared ideas and photos via WhatsApp and encouraged each other on ARC social media. From the beaches of Kismayo to the jungles of Thailand, we were so inspired to see ideas from each and every one of our country programs. We are excited by this incredible growth and can't wait to share some of the ideas with you. Follow the action in the coming weeks as we preview the Top Ten ideas here.  ARC staff after an ideas session in Kismayo, Somalia   + Engage + We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief Donate! --- http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate   Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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Inside ARC 7.22.16 - Fighting Malaria in Myanmar, Welcoming New Head of Global Operations

Hello jay, Thank you so much for being a part of ARC. People like you make our work possible! Here's the latest update on what we're up to. Thank you so much for your continuing support.   -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  + VIDEO: Fighting Malaria in Myanmar + For many years, Myanmar was a closed country shut off from the rest of the world. As the country evolves, so too does their approach to public health. ARC has been working side by side in a unique partnership with the Myanmar government and local ethnic organizations to carry out a 5-year plan aimed to stop the spread of drug-resistant malaria.  In close collaboration with The Global Fund, ARC runs community health posts that are strategically placed to reach migrant workers along the Thai-Myanmar border. Operated by highly-skilled ARC staff, these outposts are changing the outlook for migrant workers and the surrounding communities. The number of malaria cases has drastically decreased. This means more kids in school, more migrant workers able to continue work and healthier, more resilient communities overall. Watch this short video to learn more about this life-changing collaboration: http://bit.ly/1UvpNwX + Introducing John Griffith, New Head of Global Operations + ARC is thrilled to announce our new Head of Global Operations, John Griffith. John will lead our 11 country program teams in further strengthening ARC’s value proposition to refugees and donors by ensuring high quality service delivery, increasing efficiency, and upholding ARC’s brand promise. John has joined ARC after over two decades of experience in property development at the executive level of Target and Ryan Construction. Prior to taking the position, John traveled to ARC programs in East Africa to become familiar with ARC programs. “Sitting around a table with really bright, smart people solving complicated problems is what gets me going. It’s what I enjoy most - working on complicated, multiple projects over vast areas of the globe,” John stated. During his time at Target, John has led a geographically dispersed team of over 3,000 employees. With his many years and depth of experience, we are excited to have John on our leadership team. + Engage + We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief Donate! --- http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate   Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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Inside ARC 7.7.16 - Changemakers Competition, Coming Home to Somalia, In-Camp Economies

Hello jay, Thank you so much for being a part of ARC. People like you make our work possible! Here's the latest update on what we're up to. Thank you so much for your continuing support.   -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  + Coming Home to Somalia + “Mixed thoughts of fear and hope crisscrossed my mind,” says Malyun Rashid about her return home to Somalia after nearly 20 years in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Malyun is among others who find themselves taking the step to return home after years living as a refugee in one of the world’s largest refugee camps. ARC is there alongside them to help ease the journey, providing paid skills training in the camp that link to livelihood opportunities upon their return to Kismayo. Malyun took part in a three month training where she learned how to make fishing nets and received a stipend which she saved for her move. “When I returned from Ifo camp-Dadaab I was really skeptical of the future but now with God’s grace and the help from ARC I see light at the end of the tunnel,” said Malyun. Malyun Rashid returns home to Somalia with the help of ARC + Launch of the 2016 Changemakers Competition + It's that time of year again! We have launched our fourth annual Changemakers Award Competition. It's an ideas competition with our staff around the world. We ask one simple question and provide the platform for their ideas to pour in.  In one simple way, how can I make the people I serve feel more valued, joyful or powerful? Each year, we've seen the competition grow. Last year over 500 ideas were submitted! We can't wait to see the momentum continue and share these amazing ideas with you! Stay tuned over the next months as we narrow it down to the Top Ten finalists and finally announce the 2016 Changemaker Award Winner in mid-September.   + ARC Rwanda Boosts In-Camp Economies + ARC has worked in Rwanda for more than 20 years helping communities that have lost everything rebuild resilience. So many are unable to return home and thus, creating a vibrant in-camp economy is a critical step in moving forward. ARC Rwanda’s livelihood programs are built to do just that. We offer access to grants, microloans, financial literacy coaching, small business management and co-operative saving and loan associations.  “We can really see how our approach is transforming the in-camp economy and the state of entrepreneurship and business among the refugees. More businesses pop up and our continuous support systems of coaching, guiding and training push people towards more and more self-reliance,” said Esperance Uwimana, ARC’s Technical Advisor on Livelihoods.  In Nyabiheke camp, the economic boost can be seen as you walk down the busiest street. Cooperatives and small shops line the street. The Abadacogora basket weaving cooperative sells to customers both inside and outside the camp. With support from ARC, the members of this cooperative plan to apply for a loan allowing them to increase production and fill the increasing demand for their popular products.  + Engage + We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief Donate! --- http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate   Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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"...how to overcome disappointment and fear"

Hello jay, Tharangi Cumaranatunge, ARC’s Finance Controller and Turkey team member  In honor of World Refugee Day, over the course of this week I’m sharing with you conversations I had with four of our team members who traveled across the globe to speak to refugees who are living in the reality of the Global Refugee Crisis.  The following is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Tharangi Cumaranatunge, who visited refugees in Turkey. Tharangi is the Finance Controller at ARC and is based in Minneapolis. -Daniel ******************************************************* What was the most surprising thing you learned on this trip? I was surprised at the contrasting lenses with which I saw this crisis unraveling. I didn’t anticipate the empathy and admiration that I would feel for host communities in Turkey who are trying to do the right thing by everyone. For example, we met a Turkish man in a seaside town called Bodrum whose livelihood in tourism had been badly affected by the crisis. Despite his reservations, he felt a deep empathy toward refugees and the struggles they’re going through. He, and other Turkish people we met, were stepping up and embracing the idea that regardless of the political complications, these are human beings going through great suffering, and that we can and should do what we can to help them. They were acutely aware that they were witness to something unprecedented, and how they responded in this moment in time would define their own humanity. I felt for this man and his community, and admired his resolution to retain his compassion for others. This is a complicated situation for everyone involved with often conflicting viewpoints. But, it’s less complicated if you see refugees as mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, as people with stories of their own.  Who was the most inspiring person that you met? Why? Probably the most inspiring person I met in Turkey was a young Syrian named Mahmoud, whose resilience and courage was amazing.  He’s the kind of guy who could make it anywhere. Mahmoud is the oldest of eight children – five of his siblings are with him in Turkey, and his two youngest siblings, are still with his parents, stuck inside Syria. He told me that he wakes up every morning gripped with fear of what might happen to his folks back in Syria. He is not frightened for himself he tells me. He’s tried to make it to Greece seven times by boat, each journey a treacherous one that has almost cost him his life. He persists because he feels responsible for his family, for helping them to survive. He has embraced his present life in Turkey and is busy making a living to support his family and is also actively involved with an organization that supports Syrian refugee families in Turkey, spreading hope for the future and extending goodwill to all those he comes across. He has figured out how to overcome disappointment and fear and to rise above it all, by serving others who’s needs are greater than his own. In this way he has made a life for himself. Despite all the uncertainties that the future holds, he gets back on his feet – for his family – time and time again.  Assuming no barriers, if you could do or change one thing for the refugees you met, what would it be and why?  People feel like their voices are lost – like they’re part of a nameless crowd, not individuals. Like they’re just a number. I couldn’t help thinking, how might we change that? I would love to create a way where the abundance of people who want to help – like the Turkish people we met, the international volunteers, and the global community at large - could get connected on an individual, people to people basis to help those who need it most. The child, the sister, the brother – their needs are different, so it’s difficult to have one blanket approach. In a perfect world, I would create a smart and effective way to retain the individualism and humanness of each person and still connect people in a meaningful way.    [stay tuned this week for more conversations: http://www.arcrelief.org/wrdqanda] Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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"We didn't expect to live this life..."

Hello jay, Reem Khamis, ARC’s Protection Technical Advisor and Greece team member  In honor of World Refugee Day, over the course of this week I’m sharing with you conversations I had with four of our team members who traveled across the globe to speak to refugees who are living in the reality of the Global Refugee Crisis.  The following is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Reem Khamis, who was a part of the Greece team. Reem is ARC’s Protection Technical Advisor, based at our headquarters in Minneapolis.  -Daniel ******************************************************* What is it like to be a refugee in Greece? What are the biggest obstacles that people face?  Refugees had high hopes that as soon as they reach Greece, a member of the EU, their suffering will end and they’ll be able to start a new life. The refugees we met were unanimously disappointed in how things turned out for them in Greece. “We didn’t expect to live this life in Europe” is something refugees told us quite often.  Refugees are currently hosted in transit sites across Greece with very poor humanitarian standards. In one of the refugee sites we visited, which used to be a military camp located in the middle of a forest, refugees were very afraid of snakes and wild pigs, both of which have been seen in the camp. If you could do or change one thing today for the refugees that you met, what would it be?  Refugees lack information about their status in Greece. There is much confusion around how long they will be staying in a specific transit site or in the country in general, what prospects they have in obtaining refugee status in Greece, or their ability to further continue their journey to Germany or Sweden.  If there is one thing I could change for refugees in Greece today, I would make sure that they have access to accurate, precise, and comprehensive information about their rights and options - whether it is seeking asylum in Greece, returning to their countries of origin, or being resettled in other European countries. I would also make sure that such information is provided in all refugee spoken languages including Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. How are Greeks dealing with the crisis? What kinds of responses did you see?   We had the chance to work closely with an amazing national Greek organization as well as different groups of international volunteers who were highly driven and motivated to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to refugees. Most of these individuals were responding to the needs of refugees alone, had no previous experience, and were introduced by ARC to international humanitarian principles for the first time.    [stay tuned this week for more conversations: http://www.arcrelief.org/wrdqanda] Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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"Reweaving the relationship fabric..."

Hello jay, Curt Rhodes, Founder & International Director, Questscope  In honor of World Refugee Day, over the course of this week I’m sharing with you conversations I had with four of our team members who traveled across the globe to speak to refugees who are living in the reality of the Global Refugee Crisis.  The following is an excerpt from a conversation I had with Curt Rhodes, who traveled to Germany, Greece, and Turkey. Curt is the Founder and International Director of Quetscope, ARC’s partner organization in the Middle East. ARC and Questscope underwent an official merger in 2015.  -Daniel ***************************************************************** How would you describe what you saw on this trip? Shattered is the only way I can find to describe it – shattered communities, families, and relationships. The most overwhelming casualty for people forced to become refugees is to find themselves suddenly as survivors with everything familiar ripped away. Everything gone. Changed. Total dependence on others for food, water, shelter, safety. No choices. No friends. The shock of the gut-wrenching loss of relationships is absolutely devastating. Visible effects - homelessness, friendlessness, hunger - are compounded by invisible effects - fear, helplessness, emotions - that tear at their very sense of feeling that they are human beings.  How did your past experiences with Syrians affect the goals of this trip? I have a long history of relationships in Syria dating back to 1982.  And now, hundreds of these friends are scattered across the globe. My goal was to be with them, to pick up relationship threads, and assure them that they are not forgotten. We believe in them, even if they find it hard to believe in themselves. As an organization, we're in a unique position at this time. We did not appear only in this crisis - we have been there all along. And we want to be part of reweaving the relationship fabric that will sustain Syrians in the uncertain futures each of them face. Was there anything you saw or experienced that inspired hope? In this crisis, there are countless tragic stories. But there are also countless individuals in whom we can invest. For example, we met with the most delightful Syrian refugee (a PhD from MIT) with whom we hope to design educational programs for the tens of thousands of Syrian refugee children and youth who will have no education otherwise. We've been connecting with so many individuals and groups like this. People who want to make sure everyone has water, food, and medicine. People who want to give special attention to women, girls, and boys who have lost all means of support. The more we can give support to these people and work alongside Syrians trying to rebuild - the more hopeful their future becomes.    [stay tuned this week for more conversations: http://www.arcrelief.org/wrdqanda] Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

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