President and Founder of the RapidFire Kidz Foundation, Kevin Ratiram, is calling on the nation to confront its prejudices and embrace a more compassionate approach towards migrant children.
At the Foundation’s Annual Gala Dinner on Saturday, he shed light on what he called a growing crisis caused by worldwide geopolitical tensions – the marginalisation of migrant children.
He said that while people may have their qualms about migrants, their children are still just children.
“There’s something about the world today where migrants feel marginalised and under threat. I want to make a special call today for Trinidad and Tobago to look after our migrant children.”
Mr. Ratiram highlighted the continuing issue of xenophobia, which he said occurs especially locally.
“Because what I told you about that neighbour saying ‘We don’t want no Spanish here”, that’s not an isolated thing. Whether here or in other countries, it’s called xenophobia. Xenophobia. Hatred of migrants.”
He recounted a painful moment during the renovation of a new learning centre for migrant youth, noting that although a home was donated anonymously for that centre, it was opposed by people in the area.
“Neighbours started saying, we don’t want no Spanish here. We don’t want no Spanish here. That’s what they were saying. And it hurt me to know that people, because of the nationality of someone else, could even bear ill-will in their heart toward children.”
Mr Ratiram pointed out the hardships faced by migrant families, who are sometimes even unable to afford to pay $100 per week for transportation to send their children to the centre.
“$400 a month, it will cost you. And you know what? Some people think that you could only change the world if you could do that for 20, 30, 40 kids. If you could change the life of one person, you change the world.”
He also drew on spiritual teachings to frame the Foundation’s mission as a moral responsibility.
“I always think when Jesus Christ walked this earth, he didn’t walk with kings and queens. He walked with fishermen. He walked with peasants. He walked, he sought out the beggars.”
The Foundation’s President challenged the audience to rethink what it means to be inclusive.
“That migrant children are not migrant children, they are just children. And all children want the same thing. They want to run and jump and write and colour and read.”
The RapidFire Kidz Foundation Annual Gala Dinner was an event dedicated to celebrating the Foundation’s achievements and rallying support for its mission to uplift vulnerable children across Trinidad and Tobago.