Bridge to Self Reliance 2000 refugees San Diego CA

"Another fifteen?  Where are these new requests coming from?  Did you get the fifteen I sent to you on Thursday?  And what about the 7 for women?  Who are they for?"

I was amazed how many requests for backpacks with appropriate school supplies we received between June and October 2017; far more than in that period in earlier years.  "Thank goodness for the 100 we had on hand especially earmarked for families who are newly arrived," I thought, "but what else is going on here?"

We had already gathered from donors who regularly help us in this way, 253 backpacks, each carefully marked for an elementary, junior high, or high school child; but each day there were more names appearing on the list.

"I took backpacks to the new family in City Heights', reported Katherine.  "I wish you could have seen the proud look on the faces of the six members of that family who are of school age.  They each put on the right sized bag and paraded past me, showing it, as if it was a king's robe.   They could not have been happier."    The larger average family size now is a factor.  Then again, many children need a bigger pack and different supplies because they are moving up into a different school.  And there are also back packs that become soiled or torn and have to be discarded.  And few refugee families can find the money for the costs involved.

Here we are at the end of January, and we had to gather another 264 packs beyond the original 253, plus the 7 that were requested by women going to English classes and to other learning experiences.  Special thanks is due to the local donors who willingly scoured the shops for rapidly disappearing backpacks, in order to make sure the children and some of their mothers could join their classes looking like real students.  And thanks to all of you who make it possible for staff to make those lists and deliver the appropriate backpacks. 

"I have never been to school before", confided one high-schooler. "Now I have the same things that other kids have.  It makes me feel not so scared."   What an important step towards his future success!