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Back to school for refugee kids in Atlanta


August 27, 2008
By The IRC
 
IRC refugee school supplies drive in Atlanta IRC photo IRC staff and volunteers in Atlanta stuffed backpacks with donated school supplies for refugee kids. Photos: Ashton Williams, Andrea Jones/The IRC
Going back to school is always an adjustment, especially for refugee children recently resettled in the United States. To help them start the school year, the IRC’s Atlanta resettlement office collected donated school supplies, stuffing 175 backpacks full of notebooks, pencils, glue, rulers and other essentials. “Volunteers played a key role in gathering supplies, stuffing the bags and distributing them, as well as in getting community support for the project,” Ellen Beattie, the IRC resettlement director in Atlanta, says. Ellen says the IRC’s goal is to give one backpack to every school-aged refugee child resettled by the IRC in Atlanta. This year the IRC expects to resettle some 250 refugee children in Atlanta. Andrea Jones, IRC volunteer coordinator, helped to organize the supply drive and says it was great seeing some of the refugee children so happy with their new backpacks. “To give a kid this full backpack, they open it up and some of the stuff, the glue they don’t really even know how to use it sometimes and it’s just so much fun to see kids excited about their education,” she told WAGA-TV, which reported on the supply drive (video). How to get involved: There are various ways you can help the IRC help refugees adjust to new lives in 24 U.S. cities. Learn more here. 
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2 comments

Comments

I really very sorry for the

Submitted by Mulugeta Bekele (not verified) on September 3, 2008 - 9:01am.

I really very sorry for the lose of 3 men and 1 lady who sacrifiesd there life at Afganistan.let god protect the rest of there beloved families and friends.i pray let there sole rest in peace!Amen. Mulugeta Bekele, Ethiopian National Studiyng in South Africa.

This is a great story, and

Submitted by Neil (not verified) on August 29, 2008 - 5:45am.

This is a great story, and the people who helped those kids should be thanked, what a good job, amazing what we can do when we all come together.

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