WELCOME TO FORA!
We at FORA are so glad at the enthusiastic response that volunteers have shown in doubling down on helping newly-arrived refugees feel welcomed and empowered in The United States. Whatever your political beliefs, the one thing that we can all agree on is that we want the people who are welcomed into this country not only to survive but to thrive.
Many of the refugees whom we serve have spent years or even decades in refugee camps and have been barred from attending school in their home countries for at least the past 50 years. As a result, a large proportion of the refugees we serve are illiterate in their native language. When they come to the United States, they are able to learn to speak English very quickly, as most of the people we work with already fluently speak three to five languages. However, the children often do not do well in school because they cannot read or do basic math in any language. These are very smart children but they need the basic tools to be able to succeed in school. Without such tools, they remain academically behind and as a result they become isolated, dejected, and, often, depressed and withdrawn.
FORA breaks this cycle of despair. Led by a child developmental psychologist who specializes in academic reform, FORA provides the educational scaffolding needed for these children to succeed at school and in life.
However, we can do even more but need additional tutors and interns. Every additional tutor is another refugee child who receives either math or reading instruction! Do not be shy. Be bold and dare making a difference in a child's life.
Our vision is a world where migrants in need are welcomed and empowered.
Our mission is to ensure that refugee families are provided access to an education sufficient to prepare them to become economically self-sufficient and robustly engaged in American civic life.
Our strategy is to be located in the neighborhoods that we serve to make daily educational services easily available to newly-arrived refugees.
We value patience, kindness, wellness, intercultural connection, a passion for learning and a determined resilience... and modeling these values for others. We are not on a long, forced march. We are, instead, joyfully skipping in the rain, a sun shower subsiding, and right around the corner is a land filled with color and song.
