Our family has taken up the hobby of raising monarch butterflies. It’s a way to connect with nature and learn about science and bugs. And we have read that it’s also a way of helping Monarch populations, as their numbers are declining and they are vulnerable in the wild.
We thought we would create a book on monarch raising and sell downloads in exchange for donations of $35. You can learn about our efforts, where your donations go, and who we are currently working to sponsor on the homepage of this site.
I think there is a parallel to be drawn between these beautiful, at risk, creatures, who may travel more than 4,000 km on their annual migration to Mexico,* and the world’s more than 80 million displaced and at risk people, forced to travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres to safety. One of the first refugees I ever met told me that he walked from Eritrea to Sudan, a distance of about 1,000 km, to escape violence. I have since met people who have traveled thousands of km by boat, by car, by plane, and on foot. The common theme is that they keep moving until they are safe. The butterfly too will die if it doesn’t find a warm place for the winter. And its journey is a perilous and incredible one.
My daughter, Kismet, is 7 years , and she is the artist who illustrated the book and told us what to write. She’s worried that nobody is going to want a copy – which will break her little heart. Please prove her wrong! Get your download of How to Raise Monarchs for a donation of $35 to Walk Like a Refugee.
Thank you! We hope you try out this cool hobby, maybe next summer. Let us know how it goes. xox
Current fundraisers
Qayoum - Born and raised in a refugee camp
Qayoum and his sisters live with their mother in a refugee camp in Pakistan. They dream of careers in medicine, like their father, so they can help others.
Javed - Nowhere to go
Javed lives in basic UNHCR housing, on $121CAD a month, not legally permitted to work, leave the city, or stay out past curfew.