Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee)
We build a meaningful life for and with the displaced. When we find people displaced from their homes, countries, or lives, our instinct may be to focus only on their basic needs. And that is essential. But it’s also not a life. A life is filled with joy, dignity, connection, and purpose. And that’s what we aim to build.
We are an open family of organizations that works closely with refugees, trafficked persons, and economic migrants, to co-design solutions that help them build full and fulfilling lives – lives that are Alight.
STOPPING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN 44 COUNTRIES AND COUNTING
This is the moment to join together, to keep each other safe, to protect our most vulnerable, and to spread kindness.
PAKISTAN
The Alight Pakistan team has conducted health messaging and hygiene demos in remote Afghan refugees’ villages. They are providing food support to families who can no longer work. They’ve taken to the airwaves, sharing health messages about how to prevent and protect against COVID with hundreds of thousands of children and parents on radio programs throughout the country..
RWANDA
Alight in Rwanda is the Health and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene lead in three refugee camps. The team’s role is to identify, isolate, and coordinate with the government’s three district rapid response teams for safe transport and referral to government-run isolation, management and treatment centers. Our teams have installed handwashing stations throughout camps, and set up symptom screening checkpoints at camp entrances and all service points.
SOMALIA
The Alight Somalia team provides health care in 21 different clinics across the country. The team has been rapidly working to train and equip the front-line teams. We’ve also been distributing soap and doubled our food and nutrition support, as food insecurity is increasingly a challenge in Somalia.
SUDAN
Alight Sudan is responsible for health and water services to 1.5 million people in south and east Darfur. The team is rapidly expanding hand washing facilities and training and equipping all health teams with PPEs and other vital supplies.
SOUTH-EAST ASIA
In South-East Asia, Alight runs and guides community-based health programs in five countries. Teams are trained to identify and report cases. The teams are testing a new community isolation model, and are screening people for coronavirus symptoms at 49 different regional checkpoints.
UGANDA
Alight Uganda is the Protection lead in seven settlements. Community members are constructing handwashing stations, making enough soap to sustain the settlement, and sewing face masks to distribute and keep everyone safe.
Read more at https://wearealight.org/responding-to-covid-19/
Financials
Programs
Working Alongside Everyday Syrians
The UN estimates that there are a staggering 12 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria. Half of all Syrians have fled their homes – some have crossed the border into other countries, but most remain inside Syria. 7.6 million of them, in fact. And, those who remain face massive food insecurity, the constant threat of conflict, and collapsing infrastructure - 2.6 million Syrian children are out of school and many Syrians are struggling to find ways to provide for their families. This is one of the catastrophic disasters of our time.
Volunteering + Events
Amazing People Doing Amazing Work
Alight sees and helps every person make meaningful change in the world – from displaced and marginalized communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas to…anyone, anywhere.
We want to hear from you. What is your passion? What are your ideas? What is the gift you have within you? As a volunteer, we want you to feel that your abundance is unleashed – whether by donating your professional skills, helping at an event, lending a hand for one-time project activities, setting up a new home for a refugee, or an idea we’ve yet to dream up.
We stay open to possibility, and sometimes that means it may take time to find the thing you love most here–we look forward to going on this journey with you! Let’s get started!