Books & Backpacks for Unaccompanied Refugee Children

• By: REFORMA
• On: 08/21/2014 11:36:54
• In: News & Announcements

The recent arrival of over 70,000 children crossing the southern border into the United States has created an unprecedented humanitarian refugee crisis that compels REFORMA as an organization to act. Most of the children, mostly Spanish speaking, are coming from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. While recent news coverage of this event has focused on legal, medical and emergency response to services, there are few if any news stories that demonstrate the social-emotional and information needs of these children and families.

A view of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities shows children waiting in large storage like facilities with no activities to occupy the children's minds through learning and play while they are being processed. With no knowledge of where they are going or if they will reach their families in the United States, REFORMA is implementing a project, Children in Crisis, to purchase or solicit donations. Initially, we are soliciting children's books in Spanish to be delivered to the children in the detention centers in Texas. In the second phase we will be coordinating backpacks that would contain books as well as paper, pencils, erasers, crayons and a writing journal for children to use in their journey toward their destination and these would be distributed via the caregivers who are now housing these children after their processing. This second phase will be carried out through the local chapters of REFORMA around the United States.

Visit http://refugeechildren.wix.com/refugee-children for more information and how to help.