One of my biggest hopes for my children is that they will grow up to be charitable, compassionate, and kind. As a family it is a focus to help those in need, and give before we take, but how do we do that? By modeling the qualities that we want our children to learn they are able to become the humans that we want them to be and the future of tomorrow begins at home.
Family Service Projects are a way to create culturally aware children and expose them to the needs of those less fortunate. Teaching them to help and care for others first through actions starts when they are young and once embedded in their souls, they will hopefully grow to understand the need for each of us to give back.
Family Service Projects can be anything from volunteering your time, to collecting items to donate, to discussing larger worldwide issues and making a monetary donation.
Family Service Projects: How to Help Refugees
We are currently in need of helping a group of people that have no where else to turn – it is up to us to put our money where our mouth is and take action. The refugee crisis has come to the forefront of our news and while the 90 day U.S ban on refugees might be new, the REFUGEE CRISIS IS NOT.
Statistics are currently showing more than 65 million people have been displaced from home, with 21 million refugees and over half of those being under the age of 18. Since 2011, 4.1 million Syrians have fled and an estimated 7+ million additional have been displaced within their own country. In 2016, only 110,000 refugees from all over the world were admitted to the U.S.
Those statistics are pretty daunting, aren’t they? So, what actions can we take and actually DO something to help?
We can start by helping those refugees that have relocated in the U.S. – they were lucky to make it out alive but chances are they are now living in poverty, often with a large extended family sharing a one bedroom apartment. Many don’t speak english and are in need of work.
Within the U.S. the top 10 states receiving refugees were California, Texas, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Illinois – most of which have local organizations that are helping to provide clothes, food, shelter, and work.
But what about the rest of the world? The MILLIONS that remain in country? More important that anything else you can do is helping those people get an education, access to clean water, and pray that this crisis ends.
Among the top organizations that provide relief worldwide are:
Speaking to your children is also important and children’s books on refugees are a great way to introduce the topic in your home.
Will you join me in making this your family service project for the month? Let’s take action, because together, as families, we can make a difference.
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