They’ve already collected more than 20,000 coats, loads of hygiene products, clothing and cash donations to help Iraqi Christians who have been displaced from their homes and communities by Islamic State.
Now, a group of mostly Chaldean educators in metro Detroit is turning its attention to needs even closer to the members’ hearts and professions: collecting supplies and raising money to boost literacy efforts for the children.
“Most have been without schooling for months,” said teacher Melody Arabo of West Bloomfield, Mich., an instructional coach for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools and the current Michigan Teacher of the Year.
Arabo is one of the founding members of Teachers Educating and Creating Hope (TEACH), created in September through the Chaldean Catholic Diocese. It’s part of heightened efforts in recent months by the diocese to provide aid to Iraqi Christians. Arabo has highlighted the work of the TEACH group at recent meetings of the Michigan Board of Education, where she gets to provide input on education issues and deliver a monthly report as teacher of the year. Arabo was named the state’s top teacher in May.
Now, the group is partnering with the Michigan Reading Association, which has selected the TEACH effort as its international project for the school year. Together, they want to collect paper, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, coloring books, puzzles, non-battery-operated toys and books — preferably books in Arabic.
Metro Detroit is home to a sizable Chaldean population — about 121,000, according to the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. Many involved in the TEACH group have ties to Iraq, either through distant family relations or immediate family. And they’ve watched with grave concern as events unfold in Iraq. ISIL, a militant Islamic group, has been advancing across Iraq, forcing minorities in the country to flee.
“There’s such a loyalty in our community and everyone is so interconnected,” Arabo said. “Everyone is really deeply impacted by what’s going on there. It’s a horrifying situation…Read More
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