sergiophilips@a...
a FORGEnow member for: about 1 year
To enhance the earning potential and job skills of Kala Camp residents through valuable computer skills.
As of December 1, 2009, FORGE is no longer working in Kala Refugee Camp. Thus, FORGE is no longer accepting funds for this project. Refugees know that during their time in refuge, the world has become more and more reliant on technology. In this, they know that the future prospects of their families and their countries may depend upon the extent to which they gain the skills of the new "tech economy". To make sure that Congo and the residents of Kala do not get left behind, the Kala Computer and Technology Center provides training in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to over 1500 refugees annually. Courses are taught in English, French, and Swahili. In a recent voyage to the Democratic Republic of Congo, FORGE found that many of the local employees who worked with computers were former FORGE computer students. These individuals credit FORGE with their success in finding work and being able to support their families.
To improve access to medical care and health education in one of the most populated refugee communities in Meheba Settlement, which has not had a working clinic for more than five years.
Geographically, Block G in Meheba Refugee Settlement finds itself at a drastic disadvantage in terms of receiving health services. Located at the back of the camp and far from any clinics, the refugees of Block G feel isolated and under-served when it comes to medical attention. When FORGE brought this community together to determine what they needed, the answer was clear: an opportunity for healthier lives. After an extensive needs assessment, the refugee project leader explains that, "the findings showed clearly that the population of all ages and classes suffered pain of lack of medical services." Thus they designed the Refugee Health Service project, which will enable patients who can’t make it to the nearest clinic to get basic medicines, allow pregnant women to get delivery assistance by trained midwives, and give children access to the care that they need. This project will help all 2,000 people in this block to live longer and healthier lives.
To develop a reliable system to deliver seeds to farmers so that they may begin cultivating at the appropriate time, and to organize a successful market for the community to buy and sell goods.
Block H in Meheba Refugee Settlement is composed mainly of farmers. In trying to support themselves and their families, these farmers depend on a reliable output from their crops. However, they have struggled in the past to obtain the seeds they need on time, resulting in disastrous losses in food supply and income. Further, even the crops they managed to produce were difficult to sell, as there has been no market near Block H. Given these challenges, the Block H community was determined to develop a project that both delivers seeds to farmers on time and ensures that they have a viable place to sell their goods. This project, one of the first planned and executed entirely by the refugees themselves, promises to increase the livelihood of Block H farmers while supplying other citizens of Block H with healthy, fresh foods to supplement their diets.
To provide early childhood and adult literacy education in a community with a high percentage of young children and low literacy rates.
Early childhood education in Block F of Meheba Refugee Settlement is practically nonexistent. With the nearest school over a two hour walk from this community, few of its children have had the opportunity to attend preschool, starting them off at an educational disadvantage very early in their lives. Because of these restrictions, the leaders of Block F have planned and proudly established the Mwangaza Education Centers, a network of services in the camp that will promote early learning through preschools and continued learning through adult education classes. As the name of the center, “Mwangaza” (“light”), suggests, this project represents hope and possibilities for a brighter future for these refugees.
