ABOUT US
Empowering Refugee Children (ERC) , a nonprofit organization that started in Cary, North Carolina, focuses on empowering young refugees who have been displaced by providing them with access to educational opportunities. Our mission is to connect refugee youth with resources that will enable them to achieve their academic and professional goals. We work closely with sponsors and donors to provide scholarships to students impacted by the Global Refugee Crisis, allowing them to pursue higher education without financial burden.
In addition to providing financial support, we aim to amplify the voices of refugee youth in communities and raise awareness about the Global Refugee Crisis. Through our advocacy efforts, we hope to build a more inclusive and empathetic society that supports the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our ultimate goal is to help refugees build brighter futures for themselves and their communities by empowering them through education.
In addition to providing financial support, we aim to amplify the voices of refugee youth in communities and raise awareness about the Global Refugee Crisis. Through our advocacy efforts, we hope to build a more inclusive and empathetic society that supports the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our ultimate goal is to help refugees build brighter futures for themselves and their communities by empowering them through education.
Empowering Refugee Children was named in order to reflect our organization's mission and values. To empower means to make someone stronger and confident to claim their rights and control their life. Our name also highlights the importance of focusing on the needs of children and youth who have been affected by forced displacement. Half of the world's refugees are children, making them among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to forced displacement.
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UNHCR states that more than half of world's refugee children "do not get an education."
As of 2018, there were 4 million refugee children who are out of school out of 7.4 million refugees that were school-aged. “School is where refugees are given a second chance...We are failing refugees by not giving them the opportunity to build the skills and knowledge they need to invest in their futures.” -- Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. |
Our goal is to empower young refugees by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed. We believe that education is key to unlocking opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty and displacement that many refugees face. We believe that by empowering refugee children, we can help to build a better future for them and for their communities.
Who Are We? |
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Tanya Sachdev, a high school student, is the founder and leader of Empowering Refugee Children (ERC). Her passion for making a positive impact in the world began when she heard an NPR report on the Afghan Refugee Crisis in 2021. It was then that she realized how little she knew about the Global Refugee Crisis and the struggles that refugees face.
To address this, Tanya created the STAR (Students Together Assisting Refugees) club at her high school with the goal of spreading awareness about the Global Refugee Crisis in her own community. STAR quickly became successful, organizing donation drives and fundraisers that raised up to 1k.
As Tanya continued to volunteer with high school refugees at local organizations, she discovered that many young refugees faced challenges in pursuing higher education due to familial, monetary, and accessibility reasons. In response, Tanya founded ERC to empower young refugees by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed. ERC believes that education is key to unlocking opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty and displacement that many refugees face
To address this, Tanya created the STAR (Students Together Assisting Refugees) club at her high school with the goal of spreading awareness about the Global Refugee Crisis in her own community. STAR quickly became successful, organizing donation drives and fundraisers that raised up to 1k.
As Tanya continued to volunteer with high school refugees at local organizations, she discovered that many young refugees faced challenges in pursuing higher education due to familial, monetary, and accessibility reasons. In response, Tanya founded ERC to empower young refugees by providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed. ERC believes that education is key to unlocking opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty and displacement that many refugees face
