Remove poverty from the household,
don't remove children from the household.
Stephen Uscembe, Care Leaver and Coordinator of Transform African Alliance
don't remove children from the household.
Stephen Uscembe, Care Leaver and Coordinator of Transform African Alliance
Helping Children Worldwide is committed to the belief that every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving family. As of July 2018, the residential program of the Child Reintegration Centre (formerly Child Rescue Centre) was officially ended and children in residential care were reintegrated with their families, following careful preparation for both caregivers and children.
Moving forward, the CRC's focus will continue to be the support and encouragement of extremely vulnerable families, as well as locating families for unsupervised children in Sierra Leone. The CRC is in the forefront of the international movement to move children out of institutional care, as UNICEF and other child-focused organizations across the globe recognize that caring families are far better at raising emotionally and mentally healthy children than institutions. Learn more about this process and the movement to end the institutionalization of children.
Moving forward, the CRC's focus will continue to be the support and encouragement of extremely vulnerable families, as well as locating families for unsupervised children in Sierra Leone. The CRC is in the forefront of the international movement to move children out of institutional care, as UNICEF and other child-focused organizations across the globe recognize that caring families are far better at raising emotionally and mentally healthy children than institutions. Learn more about this process and the movement to end the institutionalization of children.
HCW holds information session on transformation
|
Helping Children Worldwide held an information meeting on the CRC Transformation on Sunday, January 28, 2017. This first meeting provided Partnership Church Representatives and Goodwill Ambassadors to hear updates on current CRC Programs as well as learn more about the role of the CRC Transformation Task Force in researching community needs and explore options for CRC programs and facility use once the remaining 20 residential children are transitioned to family-based care in June of this year.
The Task Force is led by the CRC Director Mohamed Nabieu. Its task is to make recommendations to the Bishop and CRC Board sometime in late spring or early summer. This spring, CRC staff will be trained by One Village Partners in how to conduct interviews and focus groups with the local community to solicit needs. This data will be shared with the Task Force to aid in their discussions, which will be ongoing through the spring as well. Other members of the Task Force include; Ann Koroma (UMC-SLAC Lay Leader), Aruna Stevens (CRC Alumnae Association Chair), Olivia Fonnie (UMC-SLAC Director of Christian Education), Patty Morell (Osterville Partnership Representative), Laura Horvath (HCW Program Development Specialist), and Cynthia Grant (HCW Program Financial Specialist). Participants were able to collaborate on an "elevator speech" that can be shared with congregations and donors to share information about current CRC Programs and their impacts. Additional information sessions are being planned to allow all interested parties to hear more about the CRC's exciting plans for the future. |
Back row: Darlene Armendariz and Tina DeBoeser (Ebenezer UMC), Mohamed Nabieu (CRC Director), Kim Nabieu (HCW staff), Karen Hall (Ebenezer UMC), Melody Curtiss (HCW director).
Seated in front: Dr. Cynthia Horner (HCW board) and Janie Williams (Ebenezer UMC.)
|
