Loyalty Foundation - Partner Spotlight, Human Rights First

Questions and Answers – August 20, 2020

Interview with Diana Diaz, Social Worker, Human Rights First, Los Angeles

The Loyalty Foundation’s Devices4All™ program distributed computers to Ms. Diaz’s clients.  

LF: What is your role at Human Rights First?

DD: I am a social worker and began here at HRF in October 2019 setting up a framework to link clients with appropriate services. Prior to my joining, HRF did not have a social worker in this office. LF: Tell us about your background and how you became interested in social work?

DD: Professionally, I am a psychotherapist and have a background in providing trauma education to patients.  On a personal level, I was an immigrant myself although not a refugee. I landed in the midwest, in Indiana, at 16 years old.  My parents and family still live in Ecuador which is where I am from. Throughout my journey here in the US and in the various communities I lived and worked, I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people who supported and helped my transition, offering me a place to stay when I needed it, or an invite and a meal during a holiday.  I know what it is like to need and not have. “I always knew I had an interest in helping other people. I knew I always wanted to do that.” 

LF: What communities do you currently work with? How has the pandemic impacted the children and families in your area?

DD: Mostly I work with the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County communities linking clients with services such as psychoeducation, teletherapy, food partners, and other resources.

HRF clients are represented by pro bono legal representation from within our LA, DC and NYC offices.  Our clients are refugees seeking asylum from South and Central America and Africa. Once an attorney represents their case legally, the family is referred to social work to address the social service aspects of their cases.  The attorney usually receives the case once the family is in detention. I have over 40 case clients and in total there are approximately 270 legal cases for the LA office.

The pandemic has affected my clients in several ways.  Most of my clients have been laid off or furloughed.  Many of my clients couldn’t sustain their employment due to childcare issues and none of my clients have cars so they rely on public transportation to get to everything - food, education and work. With the pandemic they are at risk due to the threat of Covid-19.

LF: As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the Los Angeles area, how is this impacting the digital divide and the urgent need for devices related to distance learning and children anticipating a return to school in the Fall?    

DD: Many of my clients are living in one room apartments or homes, and have suffered trauma, often they have even been tortured within their past country of origin. This is the reason they have come to the United States seeking asylum.  As a result of the pandemic, families are forced to lock down and this acts as a trigger for many parents and children as they are once again, confined and restricted.  These are the psychological repercussions that are particularly challenging for them.  The kids I work with are largely K-6th grade and the computer provides a link to the outside world. The outside world of education, connection and therapy.  Many families struggle with the additional problems such as their environment - no air-conditioning, noisy spaces and too many in a confined space – these factors make it not ideal for e-learning in general.

The need for tutoring is also important as many parents cannot assist their children. They may not even speak English.  Most of my clients are single parents and the computers are so important for the children to have continuity and communication. 

Other areas that would be impactful for my clients would be mentoring, gaming or coding and even access to bi-lingual teachers offering lessons for parents on how to use the computer.  My clients speak Spanish, English and French.     

LF: Talk to us about your relationship with the Loyalty Foundation and what they have done?  Are there additional needs to speak of related to underserved populations that you are seeing in which Loyalty could add value? 

DD:  I work with special needs families. One, in particular, includes an 18 year old boy who is deaf and was bullied back in his home country of Guatemala.  He never learned sign language. Particularly, it was for him that I reached out to the Loyalty Foundation as his needs were so difficult and challenging.  The Loyalty Foundation delivered computers to Human Rights First (HRF) and when I distributed the computer, gift wrapped, to this boy he was so excited. He now has the ability to pursue and seek classes to learn sign language. He is now doing this and I am so grateful to the Loyalty Foundation for the positive impact their help has had on this boy.

About HRF

Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the global struggle for human rights, so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they fail, we step in to demand reform, accountability and justice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.

We know it is not enough to expose and protest injustice, so we create the political environment and policy solutions necessary to ensure consistent respect for human rights. Whether we are protecting refugees, combating torture, or defending persecuted minorities, we focus not on making a point, but on making a difference. For almost 40 years, we’ve built bipartisan coalitions and teamed up with frontline activists and lawyers to tackle global challenges that demand American leadership.

Human Rights First is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York, Washington D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles.