CLH October 2025 Newsletter

Hi CLH family,

Hope this finds you all well!

Our team at Creative Learning Haven wants to share some exciting updates!

1. You can now order CLH postcards to be delivered to you (suggested $5/postcard), featuring art created by Lemi Samuel and Meta Richard, two of our CLH artists! Each envelope will come with a special message from a youth artist! We’ve already sold out of our first round, and we’re currently re-printing for a second round of postcards :)

ORDER HERE: https://forms.gle/jGzUC9CV1rBaSKbj9

2. We showed artwork from the libraries at the reception of a documentary screening at MIT on October 3! The screening was for Design for Our Lives, a 55 minute documentary directed by CLH co-founder Lulu Tian. The film follows 4 stories of East African innovators changing their communities through design, engineering, and education.

Photos taken by CLH volunteer Bennett Y. Featuring volunteers: Isabella H., Claire Y.

This film led to the start of Creative Learning Haven, because it’s how Lulu first traveled to Imvepi and Rhino refugee camps and met Hope Rising South Sudan + YSAT, our two local partners. This screening was very full circle!

• If you or anybody you know would be interested in watching this film, please email [email protected]!
• The film sparks conversation about the role of design + engineering in different East African contexts, and what collaboration between American universities and East African organizations & community members could look like.

3. CLH is holding an event this Sunday 2PM at Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA!

• RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-activities-libraries-in-ugandas-refugee-camps-tickets-1902194728639?aff=oddtdtcreator
• Join us to learn about libraries in Uganda’s refugee camps, see art and photography by refugee youths, and create art of your own! Open to all ages, and great for kids, youths, and families!

4. Continued Impact in Imvepi and Rhino

• We’ve now reached over 1,000 unique individuals in Imvepi and Rhino!
• Our Media Team is active in creating update videos + interviewing library visitors!
  • Interview with Emma, a community leader: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmSdiAjRIl/
  • Interview with Emilly, a library visitor: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQEX8ZoDZdE/
• Activity spotlight: Women’s Group! We’ve started conducting literacy classes for the 20 mothers and out-of-school women who have been with us since March, learning to knit and craft marketable products. Look at the lovely bags they made last month!!

Harriet Yatta is our wonderful librarian who organizes the women’s group.

Make sure to check out our new website, created by volunteer Sam Lee: creativelearninghaven.org

Thank you so much for all your support!! Our impact is only possible because of you all, as we’re still 100% crowdfunded.

We’re currently at 35% of our fundraising goal, which we hope to achieve by April 2026 to sustain the libraries for the next 1-2 years: https://www.gofundme.com/f/uganda-refugee-library-project.

Every type of support helps us! — Donating, following our Instagram, ordering postcards, attending our events, and spreading the word!

• Order postcards here: https://forms.gle/jGzUC9CV1rBaSKbj9
• View our artist’s work here: https://creativelearninghaven.org/art/

Thank you all so much! Iyete and Shukran,

Lulu, Hope Rising South Sudan, and Youth Social Advocacy Team
creativelearninghaven.org
https://www.gofundme.com/f/uganda-refugee-library-project
https://www.instagram.com/creativelearninghaven/

**Reading activities at Ocea Primary School in Rhino Camp