Hello All!
We are very excited to announce that we are shortly preparing for our second annual fundraiser. This year we will be supporting the Christie Refugee Centre (https://christiestreetrc.com/), this amazing organization works hard to welcome, support and provide safety to refugees in Canada. Each year we would like to aim to help a new centre out, while stretching our goals and aiming for more backpacks and support!
As of 2018, the UNHCR estimates that there are over 25.4 million refugees globally, and of this large and unfortunate number, more than half are children. Although this number is massive, there is also roughly 40 million internally displaced people around the world (people who have fled their home but not their country). 57% of these refugees actually come from 3 countries – Syria (6.3 million), Afghanistan (2.6 million) and South Sudan (2.4 million).
At the Christie Refugee Centre, 63% of the refugees served are women, 35% are under the age of 12, and 16% are single female parents. Some history of the centre:
“HISTORY of the CRWC
World Vision Reception Centre was established in 1989 by its parent organization World Vision Canada. It was founded to welcome some of the 750 government-assisted refugees arriving in Toronto each year. For the first 10 years, the Centre partnered with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to provide temporary accommodation, essential services, orientation to life in Canada, and housing services to refugees fleeing war and political upheaval in such countries as Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Colombia.
In 2001, it transitioned from working with government-assisted refugees (GARS) to serving refugee claimants in partnership with the City of Toronto. Refugee claimants were the third highest category of homeless people on the cities’ streets.
In 2007, the Centre became an independent organization and was renamed Christie Refugee Welcome Centre.“
After speaking with a shelter representative, our goal this year is to provide the Christie centre with at least 30 backpacks – double our goal from last year! With that said, we would like to ask any friends, family and whomever else is willing and able, to donate using our fundraising link (soon to be posted), so we can reach this goal and help spread the love and power of education!
Thanks,
Backpacks for Brainiacs Team
(Source: https://lwr.org)