When diocesan Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services is asked to assist refugees coming to this country, its assistance doesn’t stop with the parents.
Staff help children, who are sometimes bewildered or frightened, navigate new schools with the new faces, languages, rules and subjects.
Diocesan Catholic Charities President and CEO Stephen Carattini joined MRS School Liaison Emily Hendrickson and other staff at Potomac View Elementary School in Woodbridge April 19. They accompanied Mapendo, a refugee from the Congo who came to Virginia after living in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Mapendo was met outside by the school’s principal, Letiesa Green, who took her hand and accompanied her inside. Mapendo is now enrolled in the fourth grade.
“We’re so very blessed to be able to accompany our young friends. They are so brave and resilient,” said Carattini.
“Newcomer children bring to their new schools their many strengths, culture, resilience, and an eagerness to learn, and while there may be challenges as they start school, they provide a rich opportunity for all students to expand their understanding of other cultures and languages,” Hendrickson said.
Catholic Charities school liaisons work through the Virginia Refugee Student Achievement Project to assist newcomer families by getting them set up at their new schools. Staff help the children succeed academically and adjust to their new home and school. The liaisons work closely with local schools and aim to provide support to both families and schools through close communication.
Find out more
To learn more or find volunteer opportunities to help welcome refugee students and their families, go to volunteer.ccda.net.
