Sustaining 50 Reunified Children in Rural Ethiopia

How do you know that a  re-unified child is integrated well in the family and community?

Our car drives up to the house, our very tall social worker jumps out to meet one of the re-unified children who is in the final stages of our assistance. The purpose of the visit is to see the progress on the income generating activities and if the re-unified child is still being cared for in the right way after we have discontinued the monthly support.

The child runs away from the social worker and hides behind the caregiver. "Ehm you are not going to take me away...are you?"  Is the question asked from behind the safety of the caregiver.

That means that we are meeting a well adjusted child who trusts and feels save with the caregiver. It means that this child has adjusted well from the move of residential care to living with extended family. A child who is part of the family and also part of the surrounding community. A child who is going to a local school, who knows his identity, where he came from and what is expected from him/her. A child who truly has "come home". It is such a joy for us to see and hear the stories about these children. At first we were worried about them leaving the "safety of our residential care" but having see first hand the positive impact it has made on their lives, has been a huge encouragement and also given us the affirmation that children belong as much as possible in their birth families. This is where their identities are, where there culture is and where the family understands the way the child is behaving....

The families are happy with these well adjusted children and caring for them as their own. Most of them are also doing well in raising the additional income needed for the extra child in their care.

We can't thank you enough for your support, it has given us the opportunity to make the re-unification into a sustainable solution for the families.