Child Protection Guatemala Project #14333

Help 10 Child Migrants Return to Guatemala Safely

by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

Project Report | Nov 25, 2014
Young leaders share experiences on migration

By Wendy Ramirez | Project Director

Young leaders at retreat

November 21, 2014

Dear KIND friends,

I recently returned from Guatemala where I participated in a youth retreat for participants from KIND’s Guatemalan Return and Reintegration Project and other youth who have been impacted by migration.

Organized by our implementing partners, Colectivo Vida Digna and Asociación Pop N’oj, at a beautiful forest preservation in Totonicapán, the retreat brought together over 25 youth. It was truly a unique opportunity to make friends, share stories, and feel solidarity with other Guatemala youth who face the same challenges that cause so many young people to migrate.

The retreat created a safe space to share and reflect on personal migration experiences. Common reasons for migration came up—necessity, extreme poverty, insecurity due to community violence, and a lack of opportunity to pursue their education. A local community group presented a moving theatrical piece, highlighting the human rights violations that both children and adults face along the migration route from Guatemala, through Mexico, and in the desert on the way to the United States. Every point depicted in the piece hit close to home for many.

The participants also learned about human rights, empowerment, and leadership. Following a video about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one youth said, “I didn’t know we all have 30 human rights!” Our group discussion and activities also explored Mayan ethnicity, what it means to be Mayan and the values of Guatemala’s cultural richness. The participants drew pictures about Guatemala and what they love most about their hometown, culture, language, and Mayan identity.

Thanks to donors like you, each participant was empowered to continue building productive lives at home. On their behalf, we thank you.

Sincerely,

Wendy Ramirez

Project Director

Guatemalan Return and Reintegration Project (GCRRP)

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Aug 6, 2014
Guatemalan girls return home - and to school

By Wendy Ramirez | Project Director

sharing stories, making plans

Dear KIND Friends,

Every day there are media reports of the thousands of children entering the US alone; almost 60,000 unaccompanied children have crossed our border with Mexico since October 2013. We are hearing a lot about what is happening at the border, in detention, and questions about what happens next.

What the American public hasn’t heard about is that, with support of friends like you, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is leading the only bi-national program helping children who return home due to deportation or voluntary departure. Through the Guatemalan Child Return and Reintegration Project (GCRRP), KIND and our local partners ensure that children who return home are not forgotten and receive the support they need for a safe family reunification. With your help, KIND has helped 120 Guatemalan children who return home start anew.

More and more, KIND and our partners are assisting girls returning home. Currently, 21 percent of our total GCRRP participants are girls, and our program is helping them overcome many barriers, which include challenging gender roles in order to be able to enroll in school and continue their education.

Mariela* made the long journey to the US alone, believing it was her only hope to get an education. Taken into custody at the border, she spent 4 months in detention before returning home. Our colleagues at Colectivo Una Vida Digna (one of KIND’s local partners) visited her and her family often, and her father finally agreed to let her attend school. Vida Digna helped her enroll and connected her to a scholarship. Since starting school, Carla’s self- esteem has grown as she has excelled in her studies. At the same time, to pay off the debt to the coyote, she is working at the tailor shop alongside her father, cutting and preparing dresses while dreaming of university studies.

When she was 12, Lucia* was forced to quit school and become a full time seamstress alongside her sisters to help feed her family. She too traveled to the US for the opportunity to go to school. When she returned home after months in detention, Colectivo Una Vida Digna helped obtain a scholarship, registered her for classes, and included her in workshops on self-esteem and life choices. Irma will hopes to complete 6^th grade next year.

The Guatemalan Child Return and Reintegration project continues to demonstrate that practical and realistic interventions, along with cultural sensitivity, can change a child’s life. Two young Guatemalan girls are home, have new confidence and real options – thanks to you.

Sincerely,

Wendy Ramirez

Project Director

*names changed to protect the children’s confidentiality

workshop in Guatemala

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Apr 3, 2014
Hope and Resilience

By Wendy Ramirez | Project Director

Luis thrives back home

Dear KIND Friends,

Every day, the young people we serve demonstrate the power of newfound hope and astounding resilience. They remind us how a helping hand can make all the difference to a child who has returned home to Guatemala following deportation from the U.S.

Luis* came to the United States when he was 14 years old. Propelled to migrate by poverty and motivated by his enormous desire to succeed, Luis hoped to join his older brother in Florida to attend school. After Luis was detained by U.S. Border Patrol, he was transferred to an Office of Refugee Resettlement (a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) shelter. After 9 months in detention, he was advised by an immigration attorney that his only choice was to request an Immigration Judge to grant him voluntary departure.

When Luis was referred to our Guatemalan Child Return and Reintegration Project (GCRRP) prior to his return to Guatemala, he expressed that his ultimate goal was to get an education so that he could one day help prevent violence in his country. Since his return, Luis has worked very hard to take advantage of every opportunity the GCRRP has provided. Luis was helped to enroll in school, and he has earned remarkable grades. To eliminate the greatest obstacle Luis faced to remain in school, our GCRRP local NGO partner paid a portion of the cost of his school supplies and uniform. Luis recently completed 9^th grade, earned a full-time scholarship to continue his studies, and is now pursuing his high school diploma with a track in Business Administration. In his spare time, Luis plays the trumpet in the school band and is learning auto mechanics from a man who lives in his village. All the hard work in school does not stop Luis from helping his father grow corn to help the family make ends meet.

Yet, for each child who succeeds in rebuilding a life at home, so many others struggle. Faced with debts or the need to support their families, they so often must set their personal goals aside and once again migrate north. We thank you for your ongoing support as we continually strive to find innovative and sustainable solutions to helping more children return and remain home safely, productively, and with real hope for the future.

With warm regards,

Wendy Ramirez

Project Director

*Name changed to protect identity

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