- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
In New York, over-enrolled school offers hope to migrant children
Last year siblings Eliezer, 10, and Elaiza, 12 traveled by bus and foot through eight countries from Venezuela to the United States.
Today they proudly hold graduation certificates from a New York school that has welcomed more than 100 migrant children but is now running out of space.
"I'm so proud," their mother, Yeisy Sira, 33, tells AFP, after the traditional ceremony that marks the end of the academic year at their elementary public school in Manhattan.
"After two months he learnt to read and now he can make sentences in English," she adds, her eyes glinting with emotion as she talks about youngest child Eliezer who will start middle school in September.
"It wasn't easy to get here, but we got here. School is the beginning of many good things that can happen to all of us," Sira adds.
Sira, her husband and three children are among tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in New York City this year after fleeing poverty, political instability and violence in Latin America, mainly from Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua and Honduras.
The unprecedented arrivals -- 80,000 asylum seekers since the spring of 2022, according to officials -- have stretched resources in the metropolis, where dozens of hotels have been converted into emergency accommodation centers.
They have also posed a challenge for the public school system, the largest in the country with one million pupils, 72 percent of whom are economically disadvantaged and eligible for social assistance, according to the city's education department.
PS 145 The Bloomingdale School, where Eliezer and Elaiza attend, seems well-equipped to deal with its new students.
Located in a predominantly Hispanic area of the Upper West Side it boasts bilingual English-Spanish and English-Russian teaching programs, meaning it can also welcome children from families fleeing the war in Ukraine.
"Some of our own children that are sitting right in front of you, many of them have seen things that you and I can never imagine," says principal Natalia Garcia during her end-of-year speech, between the raising of the United States flag and the presentation of the diplomas.
More than 18,000 students living in temporary accommodation have enrolled in New York's public schools since last summer, according to the city, which has released additional funds of $2,000 per child.
The number of pupils at PS 145 soared to more than 530 in 2022-2023 from around 400 the previous year.
Most of the new arrivals did not speak any English. Many of their families arrived in New York without any resources, including winter clothes, and sleep in hotel rooms where cooking hot meals is impossible.
- 'More support' -
"Many of these students who are refugees and asylum seekers were already displaced for years sometimes. Some of the students have never been to school," said Naveed Hasan, chairman of a parents' committee and a member of the city's education board.
The school, teachers, and parents have rallied round.
"We're just trying to make sure that we can help all of these students as much as possible," Hasan added.
Sira said her family arrived with nothing and started from scratch and that the school organized the paperwork to get her children enrolled.
"They took care of everything. As soon as we arrived, the children started their schooling," Sira recalls.
Hasan, who himself arrived from Pakistan in the early 1980s, said the school was glad to help but it is now "significantly over-enrolled."
"There is a huge issue with availability of classroom space for the kids," he told AFP.
"All of the spaces that were not classrooms: the music room, the science room, the art room, the library, the TV studio, have all been converted into other uses, mostly more small classes to be able to help the kids," Hasan added.
The school has asked for more space from the city which says it is working "to ensure that newcomer students have what they need in our public schools."
"We need more support from the city to make sure that we can continue to do this work over the next year," concluded Hasan.
M.Fischer--AMWN