Childcare Provision
As World Orphan Week draws to an end, we look at how provision for orphans and vulnerable children has changed over the past few years.
Caring for orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda has evolved greatly over the past 5 or so years. Initially it consisted of residential care – healthy diet, healthcare and education, etc – but has now changed to better reflect the needs of each child, and the focus at all times is to provide family-based care whenever possible.
This is a huge shift from the initial provision, and so now we work in partnership with Victory Child Care Project (VCCP) to provide:-
Residential Care at the Children’s Home in Namugongo – this caters for orphans and vulnerable children needing medium to long-term care.
Temporary Care at the Children’s Home in Namugongo – this caters for the short term needs of children who may have been lost, abandoned or trafficked. It provides a safe place for the children to stay until family members are traced. Once family members are located, VCCP social workers work with the police to reunify these children with their families.
Resettlement – when children are reunited with family members. Most of these children continue to have their education supported by Tŷ Cariad Africa, and they are regularly visited by social workers from VCCP to ensure that their resettlement is successful. Many children in Uganda are abandoned due to poverty, but with the right support, many of these children can be supported within their families.
Foster Care – we are so pleased that two children have been fostered so far this year, and we hope that more children will be fostered as this project develops.
Adoption – this is another form of family-based care which we intend to develop over time.
Community Support – we support the education of 28 children in the local community, and provide this service as part of our community strengthening/preventative abandonment campaign. As well as school fees support, we also offer health support for emergency cases and Income Generating Projects where training, mentoring and loans are provided.
Education – as mentioned previously, we provide education for children at the home, children who have been resettled, children who have been fostered and children within the local community.
All decisions regarding the care of the children are made by the management panel in Uganda, and are advised by the Ugandan social workers. All decisions are made in the best interest of the child.