Facebook fund-raiser helping immigrant children

A Silicon Valley couple has raised millions of dollars from hundreds of people to reunite immigrant parents with their children. As of Sunday, more than 500,000 fund-raisers had pushed the total over $20 million, which is more than Charlotte and Dave Willner’s goal when they set up the Facebook fundraiser to help immigrants to reunite again. These efforts have led to viral movement on Facebook to fund a non-profit in Texas. Organisers say donations are from all over the country and the world. For hours on Wednesday, Dave Willner says the donations were pouring $10,000 into this organisation.

‘My son is safe in my arms. I don’t worry about him being taken from me,’ wrote one donor on the fundraiser’s Facebook page. ‘I donate with a hope and prayer that I never have to.’

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg joined this movement, urging people to contribute even more money to organisations on the front lines in the escalating border crisis. And the viral nature of the giant social network has fuelled successful mega fundraising campaigns such as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Zuckerberg called for donations to organisations such as the Texas Civil Rights Project and RAICES, a Texas non-profit that helps families with legal advice and translation services.

‘These families will need legal representation, counseling and other crucial services that RAICES will be able to provide to more people and at a greater and faster scale than ever before because of these funds,’ Dave said.

Charlotte and Dave Willner were early Facebook employees who now work at Pinterest and Airbnb. Alarmed by reports that more than 2,000 children had been separated from their parents, Willner set up the fund-raiser Saturday morning.

A seven-minute tape obtained by ProPublica, in which children separated from their parents and held at a detention centre wail and call for ‘Mami’ or ‘Papi’, fuelled the public outcry Monday.

‘The funding we are receiving will save lives. It will keep people from being deported to unsafe countries,’ she said.

 

Adapted from USA Today Website.