Community-Based Orphan Care
The vast majority of orphaned children in Africa are cared for
within their extended families, as tradition requires. But as the
AIDS crisis deepens, some families are being overwhelmed by the
number of orphans in their care and are not able to cope. This is
when community-based orphan care (CBOC) is needed. The goal of CBOC
is to help orphans lead lives similar to other children in their
community. It is supporting families who are caring for orphans and
helping children without adequate family care to care for themselves
and meet their basic needs.
There are many
advantages to community care. Most importantly, a child is given
stability and continuity if he can be cared for in the community
where he was born. If the parents own any property, there is a
better chance of the child maintaining property rights by staying in
the community. Communities that offer support to families can exert
social pressure on the families to care properly for the children,
so they are not abused or stigmatized. Since the AIDS crisis will
produce orphans for several decades, community acceptance of orphan
care schemes is more sustainable than trying to accommodate orphans
in orphanages.
Community-based orphan care can take many
different forms. At the most basic level, it involves volunteers
making routine visits to families and orphan-headed households to
ascertain needs, lend emotional support and help with household
chores. Where there are needs to be met, community leaders can plan
how to provide, perhaps through community gardens, other income
generating schemes or donations. Communities may get more involved
by organizing day care for children not in school. This can relieve
the burden of care of adult family members who depend on teen-age
heads of households that need to return to school. There could
also be community centers open to all children where they receive
tutoring and have their homework supervised, engage in sports,
games, art activities, counseling, and health awareness activities.
The Shepherd’s Little Lambs Daycare Centers
follows these guidelines as closely as possible. Started by Elaine
Barnett, and AIM missionary, along side of an AIC pastor's wife, Jane Waniana,
Little Lambs is a daycare and school sponsorship program that helps
orphans, most of whom are living with elderly grandparents. Starting
small in one community near the Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe,
Kenya, East Africa. Little Lambs now has 5 centers in 5
communities, helping approximately 225 children. With over 2
millinos AIDS orphans in Kenya alone, many children in other communities are
waiting to join The Shepherd’s Little Lambs program as funding is
available.
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