It’s that time of year again where I once again reach out to you all for another Second Tree campaign! (You know you love it). As you know, I’ve been with Second Tree for six years now, and this year, I want to share a story that gets to the heart of what we do: building community and connection.

This year’s World Refugee Day is all about solidarity, growing together, and building a shared future. There are a few people who I know in the refugee community who help demonstrate what we mean by this, one of which being my good friend Laye. I met Laye Guruma from Guinea during one of our community market trips – standing at 6ft 4 he looked comically tall next to all the tiny, excited children he was teaching basketball to. It wasn’t long before his relentless positivity and calming energy made him a good friend to many of us at Second Tree – myself included. 

Laye has what he calls a ‘fighting spirit,’ which he uses to motivate everyone around him, especially through his passion for basketball. He dreams of becoming a basketball coach for kids, a goal that perfectly matches his philosophy of using positivity to make the world a better place—a lesson he learned from his very sweet mother. At Second Tree, he gets to put this into practice, whether he’s sharing his enthusiasm on the court, rallying the refugee kids for a game of basketball, or encouraging his friends through a challenging English course. He became the unofficial hype-man for all his friends while completing the English Language Certification course we offer in camp. When, perhaps cheekily, we asked who scored the highest in the exam, he refused to answer and instead said “I was happy also for them because everyone did his best during the exam”. Maybe he felt that having previously studied to be a journalist gave him an unfair advantage over his friends… Either way I think it goes to show how much he cares for his community and those around him.

For so many, life in a refugee camp is incredibly isolating. But it’s through our community engagement spaces that people like Laye can forge connections and shape the future they want to see: He believes that when “everyone can put hands together… we can achieve a lot of things.” 

This World Refugee Day, would you consider donating to Second Tree? Your contribution will directly support our community engagement events, ensuring that people like Laye continue to have spaces where they can connect, motivate others, and grow. Any amount truly makes a difference.

If you’re not in a position to donate, the best way to help is by sharing our campaign with your friends and family. Thank you for helping us create a world where everyone has the chance to build their community and share their light.

As always, lots of love,

Ciara