Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories of Hardship and Hope from Kakuma Refugee Camp
By: Clare Morneau
The World According to Girls. In this inspiring book, the teenage girls of Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northwestern Kenya share what it’s like to escape from violence, build a new life, go to high school and dream big for the future. In letters to girls in high school in Canada, they show strength and courage— plus a big dose of joy and hope. Through photographs, interviews and touching personal notes, this book vividly shows that in spite of their dramatically different circumstances, the girls in the two countries share many of the same feelings about school and life.
All book proceeds will support the education of the girls of Kakuma Refugee Camp. You can earn more and buy the book at its website: kakumagirls.org/
All book proceeds will support the education of the girls of Kakuma Refugee Camp. You can earn more and buy the book at its website: kakumagirls.org/
City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp
by: Ben Rawlence
The Dadaab refugee camp is many things: to the charity workers, it’s a humanitarian crisis; to the Kenyan government, a “nursery for terrorists”; to the Western media, a dangerous no-go area. But to its half a million residents, it’s their last resort.
Situated hundreds of miles from any other settlement, deep within the inhospitable desert of northern Kenya where only thorn bushes grow, Dadaab is a city like no other. Its buildings are made from mud, sticks, or plastic. Its entire economy is grey. And its citizens survive on rations and luck. Over the course of four years, Ben Rawlence became a firsthand witness to a strange and desperate place, getting to know many of those who had come seeking sanctuary. Among them are Guled, a former child soldier who lives for football; Nisho, who scrapes an existence by pushing a wheelbarrow and dreaming of riches; Tawane, the indomitable youth leader; and Kheyro, a student whose future hangs upon her education.
In City of Thorns, Rawlence interweaves the stories of nine individuals to show what life is like in the camp, sketching the wider political forces that keep the refugees trapped. Lucid, vivid, and illuminating, City of Thorns is an urgent human story with deep international repercussions, brought to life through the people who call Dabaab home.
The book is available at the Reading Public Library and on Amazon.
Situated hundreds of miles from any other settlement, deep within the inhospitable desert of northern Kenya where only thorn bushes grow, Dadaab is a city like no other. Its buildings are made from mud, sticks, or plastic. Its entire economy is grey. And its citizens survive on rations and luck. Over the course of four years, Ben Rawlence became a firsthand witness to a strange and desperate place, getting to know many of those who had come seeking sanctuary. Among them are Guled, a former child soldier who lives for football; Nisho, who scrapes an existence by pushing a wheelbarrow and dreaming of riches; Tawane, the indomitable youth leader; and Kheyro, a student whose future hangs upon her education.
In City of Thorns, Rawlence interweaves the stories of nine individuals to show what life is like in the camp, sketching the wider political forces that keep the refugees trapped. Lucid, vivid, and illuminating, City of Thorns is an urgent human story with deep international repercussions, brought to life through the people who call Dabaab home.
The book is available at the Reading Public Library and on Amazon.
Leaving My Homeland Book Series
Description of the book series from the publisher, Crabtree Publishing Company: Supporting the C3 Framework for Social Studies, this important series is a timely examination of refugee crises around the world. Leaving My Homeland offers sensitive narratives of refugee experiences, drawn from and inspired by the accounts of many refugees. Written from a child’s perspective, each title follows the story of one child and his or her family. Clear, simple text explains the reasons why people must flee their homelands, what it means to be a refugee, and the challenges faced by refugees around the world. Statistics, maps, information about each country and its conflict, and striking images help reinforce the content, and sidebars detailing the United Nations rights of children encourage critical thinking about worldwide responsibilities to help refugees.
Available for purchase from the publisher and Amazon.
Available for purchase from the publisher and Amazon.
Links to Videos about Refugees
** To Be a Refugee – In this video from the UNHCR (the UN’s Refugee Agency), 3 young refugee children show viewers the conditions in which they live and the experiences they have had leaving home.
** The Most Shocking Second A Day (Part 1)– This video from Save the Children shows how a child’s life transforms when she becomes a refugee.
** The Most Shocking Second A Day (Part 2) - This video from Save the Children shows a refugee child fleeing a refugee camp while protecting her younger sibling and losing her parents.
** Syria’s Child Refugees – In this video from The Guardian newspaper, Syrian refugee children discuss living in refugee camps.
** The Journey – A six part documentary about the dangerous paths of Syrian asylum seekers in the E.U., directed by filmmaker Matthew Cassel in collaboration with Field of Vision.
** The Most Shocking Second A Day (Part 1)– This video from Save the Children shows how a child’s life transforms when she becomes a refugee.
** The Most Shocking Second A Day (Part 2) - This video from Save the Children shows a refugee child fleeing a refugee camp while protecting her younger sibling and losing her parents.
** Syria’s Child Refugees – In this video from The Guardian newspaper, Syrian refugee children discuss living in refugee camps.
** The Journey – A six part documentary about the dangerous paths of Syrian asylum seekers in the E.U., directed by filmmaker Matthew Cassel in collaboration with Field of Vision.
Reading POWR Press Releases - September 6, 2017
basic_press_release_9_6_17.pdf |
summary_press_release.pdf |
Reading POWR Flyer
half_size_flyer2.pdf |