Imagine that you’re a child living with your extended family in Honduras. Your grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and parents are all part of your daily routine; that is, until one day, your father disappears. You are woken up in the dead of night by your mom, told that you have to leave now. It will only be you, your mom, and your siblings making this journey overseas. What four items would you put inside your backpack? Are they objects that remind you of home? Perhaps they’re things that bring you comfort, like your favorite toy. Most importantly, what can’t you bring? What are you leaving behind?
This was the scenario presented by Alisa Ivey, founder and executive director of PILAglobal. It is also one that is the reality of thousands of children who leave their countries in response to war, poverty, violence, and persecution. Their hardships do not end after fleeing; photographs of the Moria Refugee Camp in Greece, which was burned down in 2020, display the dismal living conditions of a shelter built for 3,000 but housed more than 20,000. Its nickname? Hell on Earth.
A similar scene can be found in Tijuana, a border city in Mexico where thousands of families remain trapped in legal limbo. Even recently, under the Biden administration, asylum seekers have been flown from Texas to San Diego, where they are deported to Tijuana, a city they do not know. As with the previous inhabitants of Moria, many have fled gang violence and political instability. They hope for a better future, one filled with freedom, security, and dignity.
There are millions of displaced children around the world who don’t have access to education. PILAglobal seeks to bridge this gap through the establishment of Nests around the world where children can safely learn, play, and participate in a space that they feel ownership of. Currently, there are Nests in Greece, D.R. Congo, and Mexico, where international volunteers and local people alike work with refugee children, inspiring collaboration, problem solving, and creativity. Children are in a critical age where their development is highly intertwined with play and exploration. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have severe ramifications for the future. In these Nests, children are given an opportunity to learn, create, and most importantly, be kids.
How to get involved
Become a nester
Work with the children for a minimum of one week
https://www.pilaglobal.org/nest-tijuana-mexico
Become a PILA ambassador
Share on social media
Website: PILAglobal.org
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Twitter: pilaglobal
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