Lessons of resilience provided by refugee children

Abstract

As the number of families seeking refuge has skyrocketed, questions have been raised throughout the world community about what it means to grant refuge and resettlement and how this can affect the communities that become the new homes for resettled families. Arguably, something that is missing from the public discourse is a discussion about how refugee families may truly and deeply benefit Americans. As providers working in the Hasbro Children's Hospital Refugee Health Clinic in Providence, Rhode Island, we have had the privilege to experience firsthand the ways that refugee families can enrich and teach the larger communities where they are resettled. In this commentary, we want to share perspectives that we have found that our refugee families bring to their daily lives — perspectives we believe can be enriching to the communities where they are resettled.