Kidsave Sierra Leone: Reuniting Orphan with Family

After many days of diligent searching, often walking for hours to remote villages, assessing homes and then often waiting for hours for villagers to return from their farms to hold meetings, Kidsave’s Sierra Leone program reunified 12 children with their biological extended families in five communities in the Bo District in May.  Poor roads, rivers and communication are big challenges and a local boat captain was hired to transport social workers across the Sewa River to conduct communities and dialogue forums in two villages.

In the end, the villagers and the families of the children commended the social workers for their perseverance, crossing the rivers and traveling so far on foot to find families for the children. Families who were reunited with their grandsons and granddaughters assured social workers they would provide all that is needed for the children to live and grow up in the community.  Kidsave also established structures in each of the communities to monitor the children and be sure they are well cared for.

Kidsave’s social workers held community stakeholder and sensitization meeting in each of the five communities (Tailu, Bondor, Jakama, Kebbie town and Kandeh Town) to introduce the Kidsave program and children to otters. Information about the children was shared and questions from communities handled accordingly. 

Normally, the program would hold host family recruitment events to find families for children for whom no suitable family members could be found to adopt them, but this month, wonderfully, suitable family members were found for all 12 children. 

Links:

• Sierra Leone Program
• Kidsave general information
• Why Family Advocacy?