Friends of Living Waters

Friends of Living Waters is an organization that supports young refugees in Trinidad and the NY/NJ area. We do this by volunteering at, delivering resources to, and donating to two great organizations.

https://friendsoflivingwaters.durable.co/

Living Water Community (LWC) is an implementing partner of UNHCR in Trinidad and Tobago. UNHCR works with LWC to ensure that asylum-seekers and refugees have a dignified stay in Trinidad and Tobago. LWC provides an education to refugee children who are not allowed into the public school system.

IRC Refugee Youth Summer Academy. This year 114 students attended RYSA. RYSA aims to support the newest arrivals to acclimate them to the public school system and prepare them for the school year ahead. 97% of the 114 students in attendance had either just arrived this year or had arrived in 2022! The student population of RYSA was very diverse this summer, with 12 different countries of origin being represented. 9 different languages were spoken, with a majority of students speaking either Spanish or Arabic.

RYSA curriculum combines English Language Development (ELD) and Social Emotional Asset Development (SEAD) to meet its overall goal of school readiness. The goal is to ensure students, especially first-year arrivals, have access to a safe space and trauma-informed learning.