Jennifer
I am a Program Coordinator at the Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants in Oakland, CA. We provide wrap around services for Cambodian families currently residing in the Bay Area of California. Our families came to the United States following the Khmer Rouge Genocide. Due to cultural, social, and language barriers, our refugee families struggle to navigate academic, health, and social service systems.
Since 2011 I have worked with first and second generation Cambodian youth, the children of the Khmer Rouge genocide survivors. Their needs are high. They live in the poorest neighborhoods of the Bay Area where they are exposed to chronic violence and susceptible to gang recruitment and sexual exploitation. Their parents were farmers and fisherman in Cambodia and more often than not, left school at the sixth grade. They are unable to assist their children with homework, and struggle to navigate complex public school systems. The parents also struggle with chronic PTSD and mental health diagnosis as a result of the genocide. If a child has special needs and requires testing for learning problems, they will likely not get the help they need. Only 53% of first generation Cambodian American children in Oakland graduate from high school. That's a dismal rate.
Many of the children I began to work with years ago were the first in their families to graduate from high school. When I post a need you will see a resilient young person who has overcome tremendous barriers to achieve their dream of attending college. Your support will play an important role in assisting a young adult to achieve an academic or professional goal, and help lift a family out of poverty.
Organization
Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants- CERI, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2005, serves underprivileged and traumatized refugees and immigrants from a range of countries, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia and Iran.
Needs validated
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$448of $600
3 supporters
Funded on 1/9/2017
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$268of $595
8 supporters
Funded on 1/9/2017
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$405of $350
6 supporters
Funded on 12/17/2016