by Tom Iacuzio

For an immigrant child, the journey from the home they’ve known to the United States can be long and filled with uncertainty. Many have reported not knowing where they’ll sleep, not knowing who to trust, and oftentimes not even knowing if they’ll have another meal.

"People just don’t realize how hard these children’s lives are in their own countries," said Rhaisa Lopez, a medical coordinator with enCircle’s Transitional Foster Care team, a group that works to provide a safe environment for immigrant children as they await placement with a relative already living in the U.S. or a foster family. "For these young children, their situation has to be severe enough that it’s worth taking the risk."

That was the case for one little boy who arrived at the Richmond facility from South America at the age of seven.

While most children stay at the center for about a week, this young one stayed for a little more than a month which gave the foster care team plenty of time to get to know him. But the process had a rocky beginning.

"At first, it was hard," said teaching assistant, Meybelin Galdamez. He refused to eat, hid under tables and wouldn’t cooperate with a medical examination. "It can be frustrating, but you just have to work with them and realize you’re working on their time."

Lopez remembers taking the boy to that first medical appointment, a routine examination that all children in the program undergo to ensure they’re healthy.

"I took him to the medical facility, and he just shut down completely," she said, adding that for many children, access to healthcare can be difficult and in many cases the intake exam is the first time some have ever seen a doctor. "He hid under a chair. The doctors tried to examine him and did the best they could. But he was just so scared."

In addition to the medical examination, the children are also provided mental health services and an educational program each day where they’re taught English and other academic subjects. Cultural lessons are also part of the program to help them navigate their new home here in the U.S.

But while it started off as a struggle, over time, a certain level of trust began to develop, and the young boy began to flourish.

"He was just such a sweet little boy who enjoyed listening to music and would sing along with every song he knew," said Galdamez. "It amazed me how fast he would learn lyrics."

Within weeks, his attitude progressed, and he began to learn everyone’s name as well as things like "please and thank you," "good morning," and "see you later!"

"I think he just learned that he could be a little boy," said enCircle Clinician Roxana Amundsen. "For this little boy, he’d been through a lot in his short life, and it took some time for him to realize he was in a safe place where he could just be himself."

As for his teachers, the progress provided an even bigger sense of accomplishment.

"It’s a great feeling to see those changes because it lets you know that what you’re doing is working," said Galdamez. "Seeing him improve, we were all able to look at it and say 'We did that!'"