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There is growing agreement that separated children are best cared for in community settings, rather than in institutions. However, even in a community setting, there is a need for standards of care that allow for monitoring of children’s well-being. This is particularly important in countries such as Sierra Leone which is recovering from a brutal civil war and suffering from poverty, malnutrition, and limited access to adequate medical care. Since the civil war ended in Sierra Leone, child fostering—whether informal or facilitated by humanitarian agencies and the government—has become the…
In light of the world’s largest Ebola epidemic, the Faith to Action Initiative has released an article on its website advising its partners on how to respond to this epidemic and its effects on children’s care. The Ebola epidemic, says the article, has claimed the lives of 5,000 people to date – leading to great numbers of parental loss among children, especially in the region of Western Africa. The article references a UNICEF report which states that 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola since the epidemic began. “These numbers,” says the…