RISE UP & READ
Soothing Children on the Migrant Journey with Books
Welcome to Our Site
Across the Americas and worldwide, migrant children are forced to leave their homes due to violence, poverty, climate disruption, and instability, undertaking journeys marked by fear and uncertainty. Displacement disrupts education, limits access to healthcare and nutrition, and exposes children to chronic stress that undermines healthy brain development and emotional well-being. Without stable routines or safe spaces, many children struggle to learn, feel secure, and maintain strong emotional connections with caregivers.
Our organization delivers books directly to children along the migrant trail, placing reading resources into the hands of families. Through shared reading, books support early literacy, strengthen caregiver–child bonds, and help children process emotions in the midst of upheaval. Each story creates a brief but vital moment of calm—offering comfort, connection, and a sense of safety when it is needed most.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ease toxic stress in refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeking children by fostering literacy and emotional connection through shared reading.
Our Vision
Displaced children and caregivers will have access to reading resources along the migrant trail, creating safe, calming moments that help reduce toxic stress and promote healthy emotional development.
Our Strategies...
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Through partnerships. We work with local volunteers at encampments, other NGOs, and two graduate universities in the USA and Mexico.
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Through physical books. We support Pop-Up Libraries inside the encampments by providing books, guidance and a safe place to gather.
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Through an internet portal. We maintain a website hosting age-appropriate stories that can be accessed by a parent with a smart phone.
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Through education. We work with parents to help them understand the value of reading to their children, in terms of literacy and emotional development.
