Coming to a new country as a child is not something most people talk about. You are learning a new language, adjusting to a new school, trying to make friends who grew up completely differently than you, and figuring out who you are in a place that does not yet feel like home. For refugee children, this happens on top of everything they have already experienced on their journey to get here. 

I started Gifted Birthdays for Refugee Families because I wanted to give these children one day that felt like it was just for them. A birthday should feel special and happy no matter where you come from, what you have had to leave behind, or when you are at your lowest. So we put together birthday boxes filled with a journal to document their experiences, celebratory decorations, small gifts, a personal note and send them to children.

Although a box will not fix the hardships and unimaginable times these children endure, my hope is that for one day, it gives a child a reason to smile, to feel celebrated, and to know that someone out there is thinking of them.