Today sees our community kinship fostering programme underway at Moa Wharf - one of the most deprived slum communities in Sierra Leone -and in the pics below you can see the Hope team taking it in turns to distribute the monthly food support, obtain signatures from care-givers and spend time with the kids.
We've been providing a safe adult and food support to vulnerable children, orphaned by Ebola or disabled and keeping school age kids in school, since the height of the Ebola crisis back in 2015.
Our community kinship fostering programme, launched in March, supports aunties, uncles and grandmas who care for orphans of the deadly Ebola pandemic and other vulnerable children and sees the Hope team in Moa Wharf every month, meaning these children get food every month.
Mama Mayila explained: “During the Ebola crisis many of these children were shunned and at risk of becoming street children, our monthly food support means the children are not out having to make money to support their family and can go to school.”
In return for food and school support care-givers agree to some basic care standards, like never beating these children; making sure these children attend school and have time for homework, not chores all the time.
Mr Williams explained: “We take the time to talk with each of the children, as well as talking through any issues with care-givers, identified during the month by Ingham (our resident Co-ordinator) and (Moa Wharf Chief ) Pa Komeh.”
MORE HELP NEEDED - YOUR HELP NEEDED This month is rainy season and food prices of staples rocket. Our 6 x 50 kilo bags of rice cost us $50 more, so, this month it cost $350 to provide much needed food support to the 61 children in Moa Wharf.
We really need your help to extend our programme to 89 children orphaned by Ebola living in 19 child-led families in Waterloo where older brothers and sisters struggle to care for the younger ones. Help us help these children by donating to our Foster Care Fund.
