CRC collaborating to rescue street children, coach orphanages on family reintegration

David Musa, newly appointed De-Institutionalization Manager, shares the joy of a reunited family.

1MILLIONHOME/HCW Family Reunification Workshop

HCW, 1MILLIONHOME and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA) are collaborating to hold a reintegration/transition workshop for orphanage directors, child welfare program leaders, and government officials from West Africa.  

The workshop will be held in Freetown in Fall 2020.  Program Development Director Laura Horvath describes the event as a hands-on workshop designed to equip participants with the tools they need to begin their own transition  from institutional to family-based care, as recommended by the United Nations. (Read more about family reintegration here.)

MSWGCA Minister Mabinty Tarawallie will host a nationwide meeting with all registered child protection organizations to encourage attendance at the 1MILLIONHOME/HCW workshop.  The CRC will be highlighted as a trailblazer in the movement to reintegrate children with their family of birth or a foster family.

Collaboration with Street Child to rescue abandoned children

The CRC staff have been collaborating with Street Child to provide interim care for abandoned children while their families are traced and prepared for reintegration.  Street Child has a long history in Sierra Leone providing short term and emergency care to homeless children.  ​​ "I am very excited about the CRC taking the lead to work side by side to get children off the streets, Child Welfare Programs Liaison Mohamed Nabieu says.  "The MSW Minister's goal is to take 1,000 kids off the streets by the end of this year, and she would be working with the CRC to support her goal."   

​The CRC continues to build a robust case management system, hiring additional case managers to effectively and efficiently monitor the welfare of children and families.

CRC mentors orphanages transitioning to family care

The CRC is launching a Deinstitutionalization department focused on helping orphanages transition from residential to family care.  Led by long time CRC team member David Musa, the DI Department will assess an organization's readiness for transition, teach the organization how to develop a transition plan, and coach their staff through the process.  The DI Department will coach orphanages on safe, collaborative, and sustainable family reintegration, as well as family strengthening and sustainability.  ​