REFORMA Children in Crisis Web

REFORMA Children in Crisis - Est. 2014

The arrival of tens of thousands of children crossing the southern border into the United States created an unprecedented humanitarian refugee crisis that continues today. This has compelled REFORMA as an organization to act.The children, mostly Spanish speaking, are coming from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. While news coverage of this has focused on legal, medical and emergency response to services, there are few if any news stories that highlight the social-emotional and information needs of these children and families. More recently we have witnessed the separation of children from their families and the tragedy that this has brought. A view of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities shows children waiting in large storage like facilities with no activities to occupy the children’s minds through learning and play while they are being processed.

With no knowledge of where they are going or if they will reach their families in the United States, REFORMA implemented a project,Children in Crisis, in 2014 to solicit donations, purchase and deliver books for these children. We continue soliciting children's books in Spanish for delivery to the children in the detention centers, shelters, law offices, and group homes around the country where these children are sent after being processed. These donations and library connections will be carried out through the local chapters of REFORMA around the United States in conjunction with various social service agencies.

This task force is made up of Spanish speaking and bilingual/bicultural librarians who can help library staff and community members more effectively assist the unaccompanied refugee children who are arriving. Our mission is to get books into the hands of these children, ensure that they have access to storytime materials, and to make all the recent arrivals aware of the wealth of library resources that are available to them here in the United States.

REFORMA, (http://www.reforma.org) established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population in regards to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos.

Nationally there are twenty (20) active REFORMA chapters throughout the country. These function autonomously, working through their local library systems, state library associations, and local organizations to achieve local objectives. We warmly invite all interested persons to join us in our efforts