Families at the border: What we can do

In times of crisis, there’s rarely ever a single clear path forward. With so many different issues to address, where do we start? How can we help best, and how can we help now?

The Worldbuilders team has been asking ourselves these questions in the wake of the crisis happening on the US border. The policy of separating families and detaining children has made us heartsick, and we’ve been looking for the best way we can possibly help.

The reality is that things are moving and changing quickly. With a declared end to the policy of separating families, what comes next? How can we still help, and what most needs to be fixed now?

There’s still no single clear path forward. The Worldbuilders team is still monitoring, doing our research, looking for the best way we as an organization can help. But there’s always something we as individuals can do. There are always first steps, taken in the hope that the path will make itself known.

So what can we do, right now, to help?

Donate

There are a lot of great organizations that have thrown all their resources into helping solve this crisis, and if you can’t help in other ways, donating to these organizations is the perfect step.

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) has become one of the frontrunners here, not only working to pay bond to allow detained parents to reclaim their children, but ensure legal representation and psychological care. RAICES is collecting funds specifically for paying bonds over here, and there’s a Facebook fundraiser (with all funds still going directly to RAICES) helping to fund all the services RAICES provides.

Baby2Baby and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) partnered on a Target registry of items for the children currently held in detention. You can send diapers, toothpaste, shampoo, formula, and other necessities, all of which these kids need.

Volunteer

If you live nearby, there’s lots of good you can do in volunteering for an organization doing the much-needed boots-on-the-ground work.

RAICES is also looking for in-person assistance, for everything from normal maintenance to translation to legal services. If you’re in Texas and want to help, get in touch with RAICES.

The Texas Civil Rights Project is also looking for volunteers who speak Spanish, Mam, Q’eqchi’, or K’iche’ and have paralegal or legal assistant experience. If that sounds like you, fill out their volunteer form here.

Call your representative or go to a protest

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is working to reunite families and defend their rights. They’ve put together a resource for anyone looking to find their representative and make their voice heard, and the ACLU has started a petition that’s already gained over 200,000 signatures.

Join a march on June 30th – there are marches scheduled all across the country, and the odds are that you can find one happening near you. Join in, and help to send a message.

 

Worldbuilders is still looking into how we as an organization can best help in this time of crisis, but what’s abundantly clear is that we as humans must do something. So if you can, donate, or volunteer, or make a call. A single action can always have a huge impact, and we’ve proven that when we all come together, we can do great things.