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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 26 aPriL 2022

Pastor-led shelters bring schooling options to migrant kids

dren to an alternative school that they don’t dare leave
that teaches everything from their Catholic-run shelter, “Education is important
math to reading to dealing she leapt at the chance for the so that they can develop as
with emotions, or bringing in children to be bused to Casa people and they’ll be able
specially accredited teachers. Kolping. to defend themselves from
whatever life will put before
While the curriculum is not “They say the teacher always them,” Lucia said as she made
religious, faith animates these takes good care of them, breakfast in the small com-
projects, as it does many oth- plays with them,” Rodas said. munal kitchen at the shelter,
er migrant relief efforts at the “They feel safe there.” where the family had lived
border. It also informs many for nine months.
of the educators, who recog- Their shelter, Casa Oscar
nize schooling as crucial to Romero, is named for a be- Her daughter Carol, 8, al-
the youths’ future, including loved Salvadoran archbishop, ready had on her mask and
their ability to socialize and known for ministering to the pink backpack, ready to run
eventually find jobs and feel poor, who was assassinated ahead of the pack as soon as
at home wherever they end during his country’s civil the school bus’s arrival was
(AP) — His completed ge- up. war and later made a saint by announced.
ometry exercise in hand Giving them access to educa- Pope Francis. Many housed
and a smile lighting up his tion is a daunting and urgent “They get integrated in the at this shelter and elsewhere About three dozen children
eyes above his face mask, challenge. educational system so they in Ciudad Juarez fled Central from Casa Oscar Romero and
Victor Rodas rushed to can keep gaining confidence,” America; growing numbers another religious-run shelter
the teacher as other stu- Just in this vast desert me- said Teresa Almada, who runs of Mexican families from ar- attend Casa Kolping. First
dents were still drawing. tropolis next to El Paso, Casa Kolping, where Victor eas engulfed in cartel warfare to third graders like Carol
Texas, thousands of migrant studies, through a local or- are arriving, too. gather in one classroom, and
“I’m winning the race!” the families have hunkered in ganization funded three de- fourth to sixth graders like
12-year-old exclaimed. “I’m shelters, waiting to cross into cades ago by lay members of For a while after the school Victor meet across the hall-
already done, teacher. I beat the United States. They’re Catholic parishes. “It’s also program started in October, way in a large room whose
everyone.” prevented from seeking asy- important … that the fami- teachers encouraged parents windows frame views of El
lum there by U.S. policies lies feel they’re not in hostile to join their children in the Paso’s mountains.
Being enrolled in a school that made some wait in Mex- territory.” classrooms to build trust.
program designed for mi- ico for their court hearings Among them was Lucia, a Across the border, Victor
grant children in Ciudad and banned others under a Victor’s oldest sister, Kath- single mother of three who imagines, schools will be
Juarez, Victor does have a leg pandemic-era order set to ex- erine Rodas, 22, fled death fled the Mexican state of Mi- “big, well-cared for,” and
up on many others like him pire May 23. threats in Honduras with choacan after a drug cartel will help him reach his goal
who, fleeing poverty and vio- him and two other siblings “took over the harvest and of becoming an architect. He
lence, lose months or even Pastor-run shelters have she raised after their mother everything” in their home. already practices drawing de-
years of schooling on their partnered with educators to died. While she and her hus- She asked to be identified by tailed houses, when he can
journeys. help — either busing chil- band are so fearful of gangs just her first name for safety. find paper.

US promises more Ukraine aid, Biden announces veteran envoy

(AP) — Secretary of State “We had an opportunity to President Vladimir Putin foreign service officer, has
Antony Blinken and De- “The first step in winning is demonstrate directly our from going “deeper into Eu- served since 2019 as ambas-
fense Secretary Lloyd believing that you can win,” strong ongoing support for rope,” then they to speed up sador to Slovakia. She pre-
Austin said Monday after Austin said. “We believe that the Ukrainian government the delivery of the weapons viously held assignments in
a secrecy-shrouded visit to they can win if they have the and the Ukrainian people,” requested by Ukraine. He Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and
Kyiv that Ukrainian Presi- right equipment, the right Blinken said. “This was, in said it takes longer for part- Uzbekistan as well as with
dent Volodomyr Zelen- support, and we’re going to our judgment, an important ner nations to decide to pro- the White House National
skyy is committed to win- do everything we can ... to moment to be there, to have vide Ukraine with the most Security Council. The post
ning his country’s fight ensure that gets to them.” face-to-face conversations in sophisticated equipment than requires confirmation by the
against Russia and that detail.” it does for the Ukrainians to U.S. Senate.
the United States will help Asked about what the U.S. learn how to use it.
him achieve that goal. sees as success, Austin said Blinken said their meeting The announcement comes
that “we want to see Ukraine with the Ukrainians lasted Meanwhile, as expected, as American diplomats pre-
“He has the mindset that they remain a sovereign country, for three hours for wide President Joe Biden an- pare to return to Ukraine this
want to win, and we have a democratic country able to ranging talks, including what nounced on Monday his coming week, although the
the mindset that we want to protect its sovereign terri- help the country needs in the nomination of Bridget Brink U.S. embassy in Kyiv will re-
help them win,” Austin told tory. We want to see Russia weeks ahead. to serve as U.S. ambassador main closed for now.a
reporters in Poland, the day weakened to the point where to Ukraine. Brink, a career
after the three-hour face-to- it can’t do things like invade Ukraine’s foreign minister,
face meeting with Zelenskyy Ukraine.” Dmytro Kuleba, praised the
in Ukraine. visit to Kyiv by Blinken and
The trip by Blinken and Lloyd and called them rep-
Austin said that the nature Austin was the highest-level resentatives of “the country
of the fight in Ukraine had American visit to the capital that did more than any other
changed now that Russia has since Russia invaded in late country in the world.” Asked
pulled away from the wooded February. whether the new announce-
northern regions to focus on ments went far enough,
the eastern industrial heart- They told Zelenskyy and his Kuleba said that “as long as
land of the Donbas. Because advisers that the U.S. would Russian soldiers put a foot
the nature of the fight has provide more than $300 mil- on Ukrainian soil, nothing is
evolved, so have Ukraine’s lion in foreign military fi- enough.”
military needs, and Zelen- nancing and had approved a
skyy is now focused on more $165 million sale of ammuni- Kuleba warned that if West-
tanks, artillery and other mu- tion. ern powers want Ukraine to
nitions. win the war and stop Russian