Amal Alliance

Deeply concerned about intergenerational trauma and the plight that child refugees face, Danielle De La Fuente launched the Amal Alliance in 2018 to empower displaced children through programs that teach the principles of yoga and mindfulness in a fun, kid-friendly way. Their first program, Rainbow of Education, teaches foundational social skills and emotional competencies to child refugees in Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.

When the pandemic hit in March, all Rainbow of Education classes were shut down. Not wanting to abandon their mission, the small Amal Alliance team decided to create alternatives to the in-person classes – programming for delivery straight to children’s homes. Working with partner organizations, Amal Alliance quickly produced a podcast series with games and activities that caregivers could play with children. Amal Alliance then developed the “Superhero Academy,” a set of age-tailored short courses that parents or caregivers could teach their children at home. The courses adapted social and emotional learning curriculum directly from the Rainbow of Education program.

Most recently, Amal Alliance developed “Colors of Kindness” in response to a COVID-19 Challenge posed by the Humanitarian Education Accelerator of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The program guides community members – often mothers – acting as teachers for small groups of children, with a customized mobile application. Colors of Kindness was piloted in Bangladesh, both in Dhaka and among Rohingya refugees.