The role of spirituality in building up the resilience of migrant children in Central America: bridging the gap between needs and responses^*

^*This source of this article is the author's MA dissertation at King's College London. The full dissertation can be found at: https://www.academia.edu/30446157/The_role_of_spirituality_in_building_the_resilience_of_migrant_children_in_Central_America.

Abstract

Academic research across different disciplines has evidenced that spirituality contributes significantly to the building up of resilience. Little research, however, exists on the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced children. Enquiring into this particular area is urgent not only because of the increasing numbers of displaced children in the world today but also because of the insufficiency of current responses, which fail to address children’s deep questions about life, themselves, the world and God. This paper argues that spirituality has the potential to answer these deep existential needs, and, by doing so, can constitute a key resilience factor for migrant children. Furthermore, it argues for the value of using interdisciplinary approaches to explore these issues. Through a qualitative investigation involving adult professionals working with migrant children and adult faith leaders and/or experts in spirituality, this paper provides new insights into how to understand the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced populations, and how to nurture migrant children’s spirituality in multi-faith and non-faith settings.

Keywords:

• Spirituality
• children
• migrant
• resilience
• adversity

Notes

^* This source of this article is the author's MA dissertation at King's College London. The full dissertation can be found at: https://www.academia.edu/30446157/The_role_of_spirituality_in_building_the_resilience_of_migrant_children_in_Central_America.

1. Although international law differentiates ‘migrants’, ‘refugees’ and ‘asylum seekers’ on the basis of their reasons for travelling, this paper will use these terms interchangeably, as, despite the special protection refugees are supposedly entitled to, the reality shows that refugee and migrant children are exposed to similar situations of vulnerability in transit and in their destination countries (UNHCR 2014, 8).