International Child Advancement is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower orphans and underprivileged children through education, vocational training, livelihood provision, and mentoring. In 2020, the organization created a back to school wish list for children who have no families of their own, or whose families have no means to support the cost of education.
Now, the community is being asked to “chip in” again, to help these children in need. Community members can do this by clicking on this Amazon link, where they will find a wide range of school supplies, including backpacks, crayons, and even food rations.
International Child Advancement is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to empower orphans and underprivileged children become self-sufficient through education, vocational training, livelihood provision and mentoring.
“Our mission is to empower underprivileged children through education, vocational training, livelihood provision and mentoring,” said Evelyn Kessler, Founder and Executive Director of International Child Advancement. “We have, thus far, 128 refugee children registered whom we hope to provide school supplies, a wellness packet (masks & hand sanitizers), and a bag of groceries for each family.”
Along with the virtual shopping list, donors can also drop off supplies at the following locations:
- The W Spa | 8500 Roll Rd Ste C, Clarence Center, NY 14032
- Sasmita Batik Indonesia | 610 Main Street, Suite 102, Buffalo, NY 14202
- Daily Planet Coffee | 1862 Hertel Ave, Buffalo NY 14216
Once the collection of supplies is complete, there will be a distribution effort underway for refugee families on Saturday, August 22. This volunteer effort is in place of the originally planned social affair that was originally scheduled to be held. That event was canceled due to COVID-19.
Whether the refugee children attend school in person, or they do so virtually, they will be in need of supplies. This year is especially hard on them – not only are they living in a foreign country, they are dealing with a debilitating virus that has gripped the world. As if it could get any worse for some of these families, we are now faced with COVID-19. That means, along with a “Back to School Goodie Bag,” the children will also receive a wellness packet, including masks and bottles of hand sanitizer. Masks have been donated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
This event is in partnership with Christ is the Answer International Fellowship Church. For more information, please visit www.childadvancement.org.
Lead image: Photo by Michael Mims