COVID-19 United States Project #47457

Relief for NYC's Refugee Families

by Children's Aid

Project Report | Jun 8, 2023
Venezuelan Asylees Find Refuge at Children's Aid

By Danny Stern | Annual Giving Officer

Frederick Douglass Community Center

Hundreds of the refugees and asylum seekers from Venezuela and nearby regions who escaped political persecution have been welcomed by our Frederick Douglass Community Center near Harlem. Most were sent here on buses by the Texas state government, and all currently live in nearby homeless shelters.

“Many are scared – they don’t share much about what happened in their home countries. At least not yet. We are slowly building up those relationships and they’re trusting us more and more as we provide critical resources and support for them,” said the center’s director Amy Hyman.

Your generosity goes directly toward Amy’s programs that the center’s refugee and asylum-seeking children and families have direct access to. When they enter the center, it feels like a home away from home, and a place where community and learning can flourish.

Amy has adjusted many of the offerings at the center to support this population:

After-school tutoring and Spanish translation support to help students with their homework
Culturally-appropriate hot meals for the families to replace the sub-par, nutritionally inadequate sandwiches at the homeless shelters, as well as nutrition education for the children
Material assistance to families who do not have school clothing or baby clothes for their children
Child care
Assistance enrolling in SNAP (food stamp) benefits or completing refugee applications
Sports and fitness activities for young people and parents
Referrals to our health clinic and other partner health clinics, which treat young people regardless of insurance status
Summer enrichment programming

Amy predicts that as more refugee waves arrive in New York City, many will enter the Frederick Douglass Community Center community — and your continued support will ensure that we can welcome them to their new home, and give young people the tools to succeed and thrive.

Please sign up for updates directly from Children’s Aid by clicking here so you can stay connected with all of our work. And thank you so much for all that you do during this critical time.

Permalink

Feb 10, 2023
As Refugees Arrive to New York City, Hope Persists

By Danny Stern | Annual Giving Officer

Nikiema Family

As large numbers of migrants seek asylum in New York City, your support of refugee families is critical now more than ever before. Acclimating to a new life thousands of miles away from home can be overwhelming, and we remain grateful for your investment in making that process easier.

Children’s Aid continues to work with many of these families to help them adjust to their new home and to set them and their children up for success and independence. One of these families, the Nikiema family, is a great example of what can happen with the right network.

The Nikiema Family’s Story

In Burkina Faso, Adeline, Panamesde, and their daughter faced religious persecution. When Adeline was expecting twins, they made a bold decision: fly to Central America, walk long distances, and wade through rivers to ask for asylum in America. They crossed into Texas and were sent to New York City.

After arriving here, the family was placed in a homeless shelter in Harlem. Their daughter enrolled in one of our preschools, and the twins began our home-based program for families with infants. The parents were enthusiastic to help their new community. While they waited for their working papers and refugee status to be approved, they volunteered at our preschool. As teachers got to know the family, they learned the Nikiemas were lacking food, clothing, and diapers, so the teachers helped with basic necessities, health insurance, and public assistance. Now, the family is thriving and is celebrating one more milestone: They secured their refugee status, thanks in part to our translation and paperwork support. The parents are looking forward to a more secure future and are excited to gain employment and give their daughters a comfortable life in Harlem.

Support like yours helped families like the Nikiema family and gives us hope that we can continue to make differences like this for other families. And in fact, the Nikiema family inspired us so much that we decided to feature them in our 2022 Annual Report. To receive the digital version of this report in a few weeks, as well as other updates directly from Children’s Aid, please click here to sign up.

Thank you for your crucial generosity during this important time.

Links:

Permalink

Jun 14, 2022
Former ICE Detainee Aspires to Defend Our Country

By Danny Stern | Annual Giving Officer

As our fiscal year draws to an end on June 30, we wanted to look back on a year of incredible impact for the protected status youth whom we serve, and spotlight one who benefited directly from your support.

Growing up in Nicaragua, Samuel* looked around and realized that poverty, political discrimination, and human rights attacks were part of daily life in his home country — one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. As an unaccompanied minor, he fled to America in search of a better life, but was caught by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. He was then transferred to New York City and later placed into Children’s Aid’s foster care program.

Samuel is doing well with his current foster family, and his social worker, Karen, describes him as a smart, intelligent, and respectful young man. He is finishing 10th grade, and his English skills and grades are strong enough for him to move up. His social workers from Children’s Aid also provide emotional support and counseling to Samuel to help with all of his transitions, the continued strain of being separated from his birth family, and anything else he needs to remain happy and cared for.

We are also working with him to secure his “special immigration juvenile” status, which would provide legal protections for him in the United States and pave a way to obtain a green card. After high school, he wants to enlist in the U.S. military to defend the country that has followed through on giving him the better life he sought.

To make all of the appointments with his immigration attorney, travel to high school, and meet with his Children’s Aid staff, Samuel encountered a roadblock that many children in foster care face: transportation costs, which often aren’t covered by the foster care system. Your support is providing him with a MetroCard so he can get to his appointments, arrive at school, and continue to receive support in his journey to achieving all of his goals.

Thank you for ensuring that Samuel, and others just like him, can take the steps necessary to have a better life.

*Since Samuel is still undocumented, we cannot share his real name or photo in order to protect his safety and security.

Permalink

1 2 3 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.