Kidsave Sierra Leone: Reuniting Orphan with Family

Mudslide? No Obstacle to Checking on Orphans Reunited with Families

A devastating mudslide in August did not deter Martin, a Kidsave intern and Sierra Leonean student, from to visiting children reunified with their biological family members or placed in host or foster care families, to check on their happiness and adjustment. Sixty-five orphaned children were placed in the past few months with families, and now 14 more have been reunified with family members through Kidsave’s Sierra Leone program.

This was the first group the Sierra Leonean government asked Kidsave to help reunify in the Bo and Kenema districts. Now Kidsave is at work to reunify the second group of 65 with family members, or find new families for them if no immediate relatives can take them in. While new placements are ongoing, we continue to monitor and report on the conditions of the 65 placed children from the first group.

Kidsave social workers met in July with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender & Children's Affairs in both Bo and Kenema districts to be sure our work is culturally suitable and keep ties and communication strong with local child welfare staff.

Kidsave’s recently launched campaign called “Empower Moms,” will empower a working mother to support her family for a year with a grant of $75. We are able to help 114 families this way. Since women are most often the primary caregivers Kidsave is creating a sustainable economic strengthening model to help them improve their livelihoods.

Kidsave is also developing training documents that address the program in totality and fit Sierra Leone’s culture and norms. The goal is to develop a model that can be used and implemented by local professionals to safely place children from institutions in stable and permanent homes. The model is intended to serve host families, trainers and local NGOs and have a significant positive impact on the lives of many orphaned youth.