My students need materials such as various sizes of white t-shirts and fabric markers to design, create and send t-shirts to child survivors of war and abuse in Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
$1,333 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
On paper, the students in our school are doubly burdened by the poverty in which they live and their status as English Language Learners. This is not readily apparent if you were to walk through our halls or sit in on a class. Our dedicated staff, concerned and hard-working parents and eager students have created a unique community that celebrates the individualism of each person in the building while at the same time each person's efforts and priorities are combined in order to foster a cohesive, caring and supportive community in which everyone can thrive. Our students consider themselves members of PS 1 and their local community but also have a strong empathy for children everywhere. While they themselves frequently go without, their ability to feel sympathy for, and to want to help others, is awe-inspiring.
Through conflict resolution and peer mediation, and by forming a student government (initiatives introduced in our building just last year) students have learned to work together to resolve issues. This experience has empowered them to look beyond the walls of PS 1 to the world in general. Their attention has been brought to the plight of children in Goma, where UNICEF's protection program includes "an emphasis on providing psychosocial and reintegration support to help acutely traumatized children recover from their experiences" as forcibly recruited guards, porters, cooks and spies for armed groups. (from UNICEF's report). While our students can't travel to Goma to help these children recover from their horrific ordeal, they can express their concern through t-shirts that they will design and create themselves. Their hope is that this small gesture will help restore a sense of personal value to each child their t-shirts will embrace.
With thoughtful designs, permanent markers and t-shirts, our students will create a simple gift to transcend the miles and, hopefully, lessen the trauma of children in Goma simply by letting them know they are not alone and they are not forgotten.
Your assistance will not only bring a smile to children far away both in terms of geography and experience, but will also allow us to start our school year with a profound, empowering opportunity that will channel our kids desire to help others into a concrete project that will boost their self esteem and show them that they can be proactive in finding solutions.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Reis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
