Children & Youth
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Photo: Sean Sheridan for Mercy Corps
Teaching the next generation and keeping them healthy are essential to tomorrow's strong, vibrant societies. Mercy Corps works with communities to shelter and nurture children and youth through innovative education, sports and job training programs.
Through the power of sports, community service and vocational training, we empower young people to make smart life choices and find a productive place in the changing global economy.
Our signature Comfort for Kids program focuses on helping children process trauma after natural disasters and conflict. See our expert's recommendations for how parents and caregivers can help children through times of crisis ▸
All stories about Children & Youth
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West Bank and Gaza: Gaza Sky Geeks takes tech support to the next level June 13, 2013
In the isolated Gaza Strip, economic instability is a constant. But in the months after November's conflict, our work with tech-savvy Palestinian youth has taken a new spin.
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Somalia: Bringing youth together on and off the pitch June 10, 2013
Last month, I stood on the sidelines of a field that felt all too familiar, yet worlds apart. I was in Garowe, Somalia — more than 8,000 miles from home in Portland, Oregon — celebrating Somali Youth Day with a 10-day youth soccer tournament.
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Colombia: NPR discusses second chances for child soldiers May 30, 2013
Peace talks are in progress, but the FARC continues to recruit young people to their front lines. Our Country Director in Colombia talks about the plight of child soliders and our efforts to help those who escape build new lives.
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Jordan, Syria: Mothers coping with war: ‘I embrace them and tell them not to fear’ May 10, 2013
Over 75 percent of Syrian refugees are women and children. Find out how one mother is determined to help her children leave the trauma of war behind.
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Youth are an asset, not a threat, to peace May 1, 2013
In an interview at the annual InterAction Forum this week, our Senior Youth and Peacebuilding Advisor shares how Mercy Corps is working with young people as a powerful force for change in places like Kosovo, Kenya and Yemen.
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Jordan, Syria: Life in Zaatari: An inside look April 19, 2013
Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp is filled with uniform rows of tent upon tent now housing an estimated 140,000 Syrians. What is it like there for families who don't know when they can return home?
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Reaching out to families in Boston April 17, 2013
After Monday's tragedy, our thoughts are with our Boston community and we offer these resources for parents everywhere helping their children cope with the shocking events.
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Lebanon, Syria: Regaining the hope of childhood April 15, 2013
Ghadan, 9, shares one of her drawings in the Comfort for Kids workbook. The signature Mercy Corps program helps children process their trauma through creative expression and activities.
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Jordan, Syria: Finding joy on the playground April 11, 2013
Images from a recent visit to a Mercy Corps-built playground for refugee kids shows how their resilient spirit comes alive with a safe and happy place to play.
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Jordan, Syria: A child’s refuge from war April 10, 2013
Zeinab is a bright, wide-eyed girl I met at Dream Land, a Mercy Corps playground inside Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp. “I am happy here,” she said. “It’s better here because there is no war.”