May 11, 2020
As KIND embarks on its second decade, we face serious and daunting challenges that put unaccompanied children crossing the U.S. southern border and those on the move around the world at risk. They are in peril and, in response, KIND is leading a strategic, smart, and robust effort to protect their legal rights and care for their many needs.
In 2019, we expanded our portfolio of work to better address current challenges head-on and provide an increasingly holistic approach. From doubling the number of social service providers located in our offices across the nation to standing up a top-notch impact litigation team – and everything in between – KIND is better positioned today than at any time in our organization’s history.
Against the backdrop of the current Administration’s efforts to needlessly separate families and effectively close U.S. borders to vulnerable refugees, including children, KIND spent 2019 deploying legal staff to the border to help children in harm’s way, directly representing children in U.S. custody, growing our pro bono attorney partnerships, ensuring our clients have access to fair legal proceedings, and actively cultivating community partners to help meet the medical, educational, and social services needs of our clients. We also led efforts to secure more government funding to address the root causes of migration and to provide improved conditions and services once children arrive in the United States.
Beyond our laser focus on the plight of unaccompanied children here at home, KIND knows the problems they face are not unique to the United States. Therefore, we worked to export our successful pro bono model to locations around the world that serve as destinations for children fleeing violence and persecution. From those fleeing Central America to children migrating from the Middle East, kids need legal and social services, as well as advocates to protect their rights and ensure their proper treatment wherever they are in their migration journey. KIND’s expertise on children alone has allowed us to reach these children through innovative partnerships with law firms, corporate legal departments, local nongovernmental organizations, and compassionate supporters united in the belief that children deserve protection regardless of borders.
This next decade will bring new challenges and opportunities for KIND. Thanks to the dynamic and strong foundation we have laid over the past eleven years, we will continue to thrive regardless of what lies ahead. Our unwavering mission is to ensure that children who are alone and on the move have every chance for a safe and productive future.
Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer Microsoft Corporation, Co-Founder and Board Chair of KIND
Wendy Young, KIND President