Alight Presents Virtual Workshare Series

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global humanitarian organization, Alight, is excited to announce the launch of their Virtual Workshare Series. The six part series will give an inside look at the impactful work that Alight team members are doing on a regular basis, while also highlighting a wide range of country-specific approaches that are being implemented to combat COVID-19 in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world. The series will take place every Thursday at 9 a.m. CST,  September 24 through October 29, 2020.

"As Alight's footprint continues to expand and offer more and more resources to better the lives of the displaced, the stories of those working on the frontlines and the direct impact of that work is not always known to those that are not directly involved," says Alight CEO Daniel Wordsworth. "These virtual sessions will not only be a place to learn about the incredible work that is being done all over the world, but also be a space over the next few weeks to hear uplifting stories that inspire and encourage people to take action."

Each session will take place weekly and feature a different Alight representative who will lead a virtual presentation about a specific topic, followed by a Q+A. The Virtual Workshare Series schedule includes:

• September 24: Overcoming Education Barriers for Out-of-School Children in Pakistan with Muallim Radio | Many children don't have access to TV or the internet, so the radio-based teaching platform was developed to continue reaching Pakistani children despite COVID-19. The twenty, 45-minute episodes are hosted by kids themselves, with lessons co-designed with the children.
• October 1: Community Building and Placemaking in Uganda's Nakivale Settlement | The Rubondo School is the first-ever secondary school in the outermost region of the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. These students are refugees from Burundi and Rwanda, and also from the neighboring Ugandan host community who previously had to walk 25 miles to access the nearest secondary school. Now they have all come together in Rubondo for the chance to achieve their secondary educations, and ultimately to light the way to a brighter future.
• October 8: Sisters on the Frontlines of COVID-19 | With nearly 700,000 Catholic Nuns around the world, the Sisters are in a unique position to help the most vulnerable, everywhere. Alight has been working with Catholic Sisters, sharing verified health messaging, building emergency planning strategies and getting Sisters any extra training they may need to protect the communities where they live. With fierce compassion, Sisters are distributing health information and PPEs to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
• October 15: Mental Health Care in Humanitarian Work | When COVID-19 arrived in the Somali region, Alight's Horn of Africa team member, Jamila, noticed her fellow humanitarian workers at Alight were stretched thin. Working on the frontlines of this unprecedented pandemic and living weeks away from home and loved ones, they needed support. Jamila has led the charge – making sure her Alight teammates can access counselling and creating a hotline for 24-7 mental health support. The United Nations was so impressed, they asked Jamila to do the same for all humanitarian workers in the Somali peninsula!
• October 22: Extreme Boreholes and Securing Access to Clean Water in South Sudan | At Alight, we do the doable. But we also have to find a way to do the impossible. And constructing a water system for the community in Korijo seemed pretty impossible. For years and years this extremely remote community had suffered not being able to access clean, readily available water. The odds and elements were stacked against us - other organizations had tried and failed. Alight team member, Shadrack, will share how, somehow, he and his team were able to finally bring clean water to Korijo.
• October 29: Rwanda's Nyabiheke Coding School | Alight Rwanda team member Aphrodice worked k-Lab to bring coding to refugee camp residents and host-community members in October of 2019 in the Gihembe and Nyabiheke refugee camps. Aphrodice will share how this program is not intended to just train students on coding skills, but has also provided them with mentorship and training in soft skills. Students are tasked with using logic to solve community challenges, and in addition to technical skills, coding by itself can be a tool to develop critical thinking, problem solving and communication skill sets, setting more students up for future success and opportunities.

To attend these free events, guests are able to register via Eventbrite here. Alight's Virtual Workshare Series sessions will also be available at http://wearealight.org/workshares.

ABOUT ALIGHT
Established in 1978 by founder Neal Ball, Alight, formerly known as American Refugee Committee, provides health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities to more than 3.5 million people in 19 countries each year. Alight believes in the incredible creativity, potential, and ingenuity of the displaced and works to shine a light on their humanity, the tremendous amount of good that's already happening and the possibilities to do more. The organization exists to see and help every person make meaningful change in the world – from displaced and marginalized communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas to...anyone, anywhere. Learn more about Alight at www.wearealight.org.

SOURCE Alight

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