Empowering Foster Girls and Teens in Puerto Rico

During the past school year 2018-2019, Hogares Teresa Toda provided services to a total of 31 girls and adolescents victims of different types of abuse and the impossibility of custodial care by their own family. Of these girls and adolescents, 20 managed to complete the 2018-2019 school year as residents under our care. A total of 7 girls did not complete the year because they were returned to their biological homes, or with family resources and some relocated to other residential programs. Another 4 girls were not enrolled in schools because they entered our program at the end of the school year.

Fifteen of our residents were enrolled in private schools and 9 in public schools. In addition, a total of 3 residents benefited from private schools specializing in special/individualized education.

As part of the services provided, all the girls and adolescents served benefited from tutoring and supervised studies from Monday to Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. These services were provided in a purely educational environment with the aim of promoting effective study habits. As a result:

·       80% of the residents obtained a GPA between 2.8 and 3.5 while 100% approved all basic skills and were promoted to the next academic level.

·       An improvement in the academic performance was noted between the first academic semester and the second semester (from 84 average to 89%).

·       Four of our residents managed to be part of the Honor Roll of their respective educational centers.

·       100% of the residents who required services of the Special Education Program of the Department of Education, received the therapeutic services of; speech and language, psychological, occupational and other related services.

·       One of our residents completed high school with an average of 3.5 and was accepted at the University of Puerto Rico.

Apreciado donante por medio de GlobalGiving:

El siguiente es un informe actual (de enero a mediados de abril de 2019) sobre el progreso de nuestras clientes en relación con las terapias grupales que promueven habilidades sociales y de conducta con respecto a normas como el respeto, la colaboración, la responsabilidad y la gratitud. Deseamos compartir con usted este informe cualitativo en agradecimiento por su generosa donación y para que pueda estar seguro de que sus donaciones realmente están ayudando a curar a nuestras niñas y jóvenes vulnerables. Nuestro año programático finaliza en junio y para agosto se produce un informe de progreso de todo el año que nos complacerá compartir con usted e incluye indicadores cuantitativos y cualitativos, porcentajes, gráficos y tablas de todos los servicios y logros del programa.

Informe de Intervenciones Grupales

Durante el mes de enero, 2019 se estableció un plan de intervención grupal con las niñas de 5 a 10 años.  El objetivo de las intervenciones fue; modificar y disminuir conductas que afectan la convivencia del grupo y reforzar conductas de respeto, colaboración, responsabilidad, y gratitud.   Para alcanzar los objetivos se utilizaron estrategias de intervención acorde a la etapa de desarrollo de las niñas.  Entre las estrategias se utilizaron la narrativa de cuentos y dibujos para colorear alusivos a la historia narrada.  

Durante las sesiones grupales las niñas adquirieron destrezas sociales de comunicación asertiva, autocontrol, manejo del coraje y emociones.  En cada sesión se utilizaron refuerzos positivos donde se reconoció “la niña de la semana”.   Además, se reconoció y se elogió aquellas niñas que estaban logrando cambios en conducta.  

A través del reconocimiento de conductas adecuadas se le ofreció a las niñas  estímulos positivos,  lo cual genera ilusión  y deseos en las participantes  de actuar correctamente en todos los ambientes sociales con los cuales interactúa (escuela, vida de hogar, familiar).  Bajo el modelo conductual los refuerzos positivos promueven el desarrollo de nuevas conductas y hábitos que las participantes adoptaran como parte de su personalidad.    Así, el reconocimiento puntual y externo se verá sustituido por la propia satisfacción personal.

Al finalizar cada sesión se observaron cambios positivos en las conductas de las niñas, sobre todo el compromiso de estas durante las reuniones semanales. Las niñas valoraron y analizaron sus conductas y aprendieron técnicas de autocontrol, las cuales fueron repasadas en las siete intervenciones realizadas. En las reuniones se observó la participación de las niñas, en donde resaltó un ambiente de respeto y tolerancia. Las niñas se escuchaban y esperaban su turno para hablar. Además, tuvieron la oportunidad de compartir sus preocupaciones y sentimientos en un ambiente controlado.

Luego de las intervenciones las educadoras informaron que las conductas de acoso escolar habían disminuido, observando un ambiente de respeto entre las niñas. Del mismo modo algunas conductas de agresividad observadas entre las niñas con bastante frecuencia habían disminuido. Además, se observó entre las niñas un mejor dialogo y mayor tolerancia, por ejemplo, respetar el horario de dormir y los espacios personales.

Informe Presentado por el equipo Psico-social: 

Giselle Dávila Villanueva, Trabajadora Social, Lic. 20665

Ghislaine Rivera Jiménez, Psicóloga, Lic. 4609

Una Historia Particular:

Con respecto a nuestros servicios para nuestras egresadas viviendo en independencia apoyada, una de nuestras egresadas que está cursando segundo año de enfermería en una universidad cercana, se enfermó de un virus estomacal de esos que no se quieren sanar. Nuestro personal fue a su apartamento, la recogió y la llevó a una unidad de emergencia en un hospital local. Fue enviada a casa con medicamentos y tratamiento de seguimiento. En lugar de eso, la llevamos a nuestra casa durante tres días y le brindamos el tipo de apoyo que una madre o una hermana suele ofrecer. La llevamos a ver a un especialista y pagamos por todos sus medicamentos, tratamientos y nutrición. Después de observar un efecto curativo, la llevamos de vuelta a su apartamento y al día siguiente, reanudó sus rutinas escolares y laborales normales.

English Narratives

Dear GlobalGiving Donor:

The following is a current report (January through Mid-April, 2019) on the progress of our clients related to group therapies promoting social skills and conduct norms such as respect, collaboration, responsibility and gratitude. We wish to share with you this qualitative report in appreciation for your generous donation and so that you can rest assured your donations are truly helping to heal our young, vulnerable girls and teens. Our programmatic year ends in June and by August a full year progress report is produced which we will be very happy to share with you and it includes quantitative as well as qualitative indicators, percentages, graphs and the tables on all program services and outcomes.

Group Interventions Report

During the month of January, 2019, a group intervention plan was established with girls from 5 to 10 years old. The objective of the interventions was; modify and reduce behaviors that affect the coexistence of the group and reinforce behaviors of respect, collaboration, responsibility, and gratitude. To reach the objectives, intervention strategies were used according to the stage of development of the girls. Among the strategies, the narrative of stories and coloring drawings alluding to the narrated story were used.

 During the group sessions the girls acquired social skills of assertive communication, self-control, courage management and emotions. In each session positive reinforcements were used where "the girl of the week" was recognized. In addition, girls who were making changes in behavior were recognized and praised.

 Through the recognition of appropriate behaviors, the girls were offered positive stimuli, which generates illusion and desire in the participants to act correctly in all the social environments with which they interact (school, home life, family). Under the behavioral model, positive reinforcements promote the development of new behaviors and habits that participants adopt as part of their personality. Thus, punctual and external recognition will be replaced by personal satisfaction.

 At the end of each session positive changes were observed in the behavior of the girls, especially their commitment during the weekly meetings. The girls evaluated and analyzed their own behaviors and learned self-control techniques, which were reviewed in the seven interventions carried out. In the meetings the participation of the girls was observed, where an environment of respect and tolerance was highlighted. The girls listened and waited their turn to talk. In addition, they had the opportunity to share their concerns and feelings in a controlled environment.

After the interventions, the educators reported that the behaviors of bullying had diminished, observing an environment of respect among the girls. In the same way, some behaviors of aggressiveness observed among girls quite frequently had diminished. In addition, a better dialogue and greater tolerance was observed among the girls, for example, respecting the sleeping schedule and personal spaces.

 Report Presented by the psycho-social team: 

Giselle Dávila Villanueva, Social Worker, Lic. 20665  

Ghislaine Rivera Jiménez, Psychologist, Lic. 4609

 A Personal Story:

Regarding our services to our graduates living in supportive Independence, one of our graduates who is in her second year of nursing in a nearby college, got pretty sick from a stomach virus that wouldn’t go away. Our staff went out to her apartment, picked her up and brought her to an emergency unit at a local hospital. She was sent home with meds and follow up treatment. We took her in our house instead for three days and provided the kind of support a caring mother or sister would offer. We took her to see a specialist and paid for all her medications, treatments and nutrition. After observing a healing effect, we brought her back to her place and the day after he resumed her normal school and work routines.

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