SIERRA LEONE
Kidsave works in Sierra Leone in partnership with Integrated Development Initiatives – Sierra Leone (IDI-SL) to move children out of orphanages and into families.
In Africa, it is estimated that 80 percent of children growing up in orphanages or institutions have living relatives. Many of these children were separated from their families during times of crisis, such as the 2015 Ebola epidemic or the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of limited communication between communities, relatives such as aunts and uncles or even parents may not know that the child is alive and living in an orphanage. That’s why case mining is so important.
case mining
First, our partners and local social workers identify children living in orphanages or institutions and try to determine if the child has any living relatives. They review all of the child’s records and conduct interviews with the child and locals from the child’s home village. This often requires social workers to travel hours at a time over difficult terrain to visit each child’s home community.
placement
If a relative is identified, social workers work with the family to assess whether or not they would be willing and able to care for the child. They evaluate the living situation and provide training on what they might expect when the child moves into their home.
If it is determined that the family can properly care for the child, the child and family are reunited, usually in a public ceremony that celebrates the child returning to the community.
If no living relatives can be identified for a child, the focus shifts to finding them an adoptive family. Because culture and community are so important, the search always begins in the child’s home village. Many times there are local families who may not be biologically related to the child but who have some connection to the child’s family who are willing to adopt them.
support
In both instances–reunification or adoption–social workers follow-up with the families and children on a regular basis to ensure the child’s continued well-being and address any issues or needs that may arise.
And, because poverty is such a huge issue in Sierra Leone, families are provided with supplies to help with the financial burden of taking in a child. These supplies often include a new mattress and bedding for the child, school supplies, hygiene products, and a 50kg bag of rice for the family.
Kidsave also supports a microloan program that helps families maintain financial security, develop their agricultural businesses, and contribute to economic growth in the community.
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