Aryad, 16, had fled conflict in Africa and reached the Polish border alone. He had just completed a dangerous journey and was traumatised. Unfamiliar with the asylum procedure, he was at risk of being returned to danger. His future looked uncertain.
This is the kind of case Kids in Need of Defense, known as KIND, was established to address. According to the organisation, a lawyer from its network stepped in, helped establish that the boy was an unaccompanied child and secured his placement in foster care. The lawyer stayed with the child throughout the asylum process. "Aryad is now rebuilding his life and pursuing vocational training," the NGO said in its July 2026 report.
“At KIND, we do this work for kids who made their dangerous journey to safety alone in hopes of one day living a more secure future filled with promise,” Wendy Young, KIND’s president, said.
Angelina Jolie joined hands with Microsoft
In 2008, Microsoft and Angelina Jolie, who is now listed as the organisation’s co-founder and patron, established KIND, an NGO devoted to protecting unaccompanied and separated children.
Children who arrived in the United States without a parent often faced immigration court proceedings alone, in a language they barely spoke, with no one to explain what was happening to them.
KIND connects children with pro bono attorneys from law firms, corporations, law schools and bar associations. During its first year, KIND opened offices in seven US cities, including Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and Washington, D.C.
Since its founding in 2008, KIND has provided legal representation to more than 17,000 children in the US and educated over 78,000 children about their legal rights in the US and Mexico. Legal representation is only part of its work. KIND also runs psychosocial support programmes that connect children with support services. It has provided psychological support to more than 30,000 children and family members across the two countries. Medical care, mental health services, schooling and crisis support are also part of the organisation’s work. Many of the children it serves have lived through violence, and a lawyer alone cannot undo that.
“Through a holistic approach, we combine legal services, advocacy, and partnerships across the private sector, philanthropy, government, and civil society to protect unaccompanied and separated children. We work to ensure that migration systems recognize these children first and foremost as children—supporting their rights through high-quality legal representation and services, child by child,” the organisation says.
For children who arrive alone or have been separated from their parents, a lawyer can make the difference between being sent away and being heard. KIND’s website carries a testimonial from a former client, Erica, who describes her experience. “When we went to court, I never felt alone because I had a KIND representative by my side to help me with my case.” Erica’s words pretty much sum up what the organisation’s work is meant to achieve. Immigration court can be intimidating for adults, and it is far harder for a child who does not speak the language and has no family in the room.