Project Children

Description

Project Children has become a well-known national charity that brings nearly 800 children to the United States each year. The children, who are 10 - 14 years of age, stay with American host families of all backgrounds for a six-week summer holiday. They come from Catholic and Protestant communities where the Troubles have taken an especially heavy toll--Belfast, Armagh, Newry, Derry, and Strabane. Many of their parents are unemployed. Some have been killed, and others have served time in prison for participation in acts of violence or membership in extremist political groups. Project Children allows the children to step outside their daily lives and experience a summertime of relaxed fun in the United States. Project Children has no political agenda. Problems in Northern Ireland are deeply rooted in history. Nevertheless, we hope that it may be possible, one child at a time, to have some impact on the way people relate to one another. The lack of a political agenda has made it possible for Project Children to receive acceptance and support in both the Protestant and Catholic communities.