1. Please Remember Us: iACT's Little Ripples Helping Refugee Families during the Pandemic
- Author
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Di Santo, Aurelia and Scott, Katie-Jay
- Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerable refugee populations of the world need more support than ever before. As refugees (both children and adults) struggle to make sense of this pandemic with very few to no resources, iACT, an international nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian action to aid, empower, and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities, is working with refugee leaders, other humanitarian organizations, and volunteers to provide the necessary resources to help refugee children and families stay safe and healthy. While the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated suspension of iACT's innovative and cutting-edge early childhood education program Little Ripples (LR), iACT is nevertheless honoring LR's core values of peace, helping, and sharing by working with refugee and displaced community leaders living in Chad, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Greece to mitigate the consequences of program closures. The LR children's program is based on four fundamental program components: (1) Establishing a routine; (2) Building inner peace and outer peace within the learning environment; (3) Storytelling; and (4) Health and well-being. The aim was to create a COVID-19 resource sheet for families outlining home-based activities that relate to these components--thus, ensuring familiarity with the suggestions. This article describes how LR's fundamental programming ideas connect with home learning and well-being activities. Additionally, it describes how the LR early learning program has provided children with a safe space for learning through play and for developing tools that promote well-being, which are especially important for children living in emergency contexts.
- Published
- 2020
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