Page 18 - Gifts of Hope Catalog 2021

GIFTS OF HOPE MARKET
online: december 4 & 5, 2021 /18
In-person: december 5, 2021

ELCA AMMPARO

Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy,

Representation and opportunity
www.elca.org/ammparo

AMMPARO is holistic, whole church commitment by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America to accompany children today and in the future. First Lutheran Church, Lincoln,
became a member of the ELCA AMMPARO network of Welcoming Congregations in 2017.
Members of the congregation who receive training through AMMPARO’s Guardian Angel
Program can serve as observers during immigration court sessions in Omaha.

amparo (Spanish) n. “the protection of a living creature from suffering or damage.” ELCA
AMMPARO was envisioned after leaders witnessed the plight of children who were forced to
flee their communities for complex and interrelated reasons, including chronic violence,
poverty, natural disasters and lack of opportunities in El Salvador, Honduras and
Guatemala. Currently, migrants from Cuba, the Congo, Cameroon, Haiti and other countries
also journey through Mexico seeking safety and a better life.

elca ammparo develops strategies based on these commitments:

Uphold and guarantee basic human rights and the safety of migrant children and their
families
Address the root causes of migration in Central America’s Northern triangle and Mexico
and the treatment of migrants in transit
Work toward just and humane policies affecting migrants in and outside the U.S.
Engage with companions, affiliates and partners to respond to the migration situation
and its causes and to advocate for migrant children and their families