2018 THE YEAR OF THE PEOPLE: SUPPORT THE CHILDREN

2018 THE YEAR OF THE PEOPLE: SUPPORT THE CHILDREN

Big goal! Help to make it happen. 

(Last week’s plank was "HEAL THE PLANET.") 

Update: 7/8/2018: The Trump administration states that it cannot match kids under five to their parents quickly enough to respond to Court Order requiring the re-linking of kids and parents. It's due to inability to process DNA comparisons quickly. A speedier, better process might be to rely on written records. I don't know that the DNA test is required by law. 

Further update: follow this link to story on 1-year-old showing up in Pheonix immigration court. The overwhelming tragedies of the current panicky administrative interference. 

Now, back to the original post, dealing with kids more generally. The good news: much support is being offered around the world to help kids. . . more than I can know, more than I can imagine. Still, more can be done, at home and at school. And more must be done where people are panicked by chaos in the community and put to flight as refugees.

Chaos in the community? Absolutely true in places like Guatemala (Central America). In many Saharan or  borderline nations north and south. In the Middle East kids are living (and dying!) in chaos, with shelling, bombing and gas attacks happening around them. Kids and young people find flight to be less bad than staying put at home. They become refugees, sometimes with their parents, sometimes on their own without parents.

UNICEF, governments, private agencies, churches and mosques and foundations are supporting kids. Let's give them a boost the active agencies and lobby the others.

Can anything be done for children in pitiful situations? Certainly, yes! The U.S. government backed down on its monstrous procedure of separating refugee children from parents. Public officials couldn’t stand the pressure they received from private, humane organizations. They changed their inhumane policies in a flash.


 
                                 

In the public domain under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;

Via Wikimedia Commons

In the book of Matthew we read of Jesus blessing the children. Historically, it wasn’t--it never was--just Jesus. In the Quran (“The Cave” chapter) Muhammad proclaimed, “Wealth and children are the adornment of the present world.” Regardless of our individual backgrounds we will benefit by translating the ancient value of blessing children by respecting children and blessing them first and foremost with family life..

In the developed world, some kids who lack stable family support become wards of the court. A long-time friend of mine works as a volunteer to help such children. He’s court-appointed to support guard the rights of  wards of the court. That's an example to the rest of us. We can do something for children!

In any political community, people should ask candidates for office, “How will you support the children?” For officials currently in office: “How are you and  your staff prioritizing children and young people, and supporting them?”

My Conclusion: Support the Children: Plank #2 in 2018: The Peoples’ Year. Not only children, but all of us, will be happier by far when more tangible support is available for kids and young people.

Please stay in touch with the “Growing Green” blog weekly. There’s more to come on "2018: The Peoples’ Year". Share today's post with your contacts. Bless you and your kids!