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An estimated 6.7 million children have suffered from COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death in the past two years (as of January 15, 2022). This number is rapidly growing: every 6 seconds another child loses a parent or caregiver. This report, issued by dozens of leading international NGOs, outlines the magnitude of loss globally due to COVID-19 and presents tangible steps that the U.S. government can take to support children and families.
This collaborative-led memo proposes that the U.S. government:
- leverage the U.S.-hosted Global COVID-19 Summit this spring to…
Sleep health is a critical but under-recognized area of concern for the more than 650,000 children served by the US child welfare system each year. While sleep is vital to optimal child health and development, it is likely harmed by the multiple adversities and traumas experienced among children and youth residing in alternative care settings (ie, kinship care, nonrelative foster care, group homes). Children residing in alternative care settings have experienced, at a minimum, the trauma of removal from a biological parent's care and would benefit from holistic, comprehensive care approaches…
Kenya has embarked on a care reform process that is aimed at promoting family and community-based care options and subsequently reducing reliance on institutions (Children’s homes, Orphanages, baby centers, etc.) This booklet, along with the accompanying animations, emphasizes the importance of family based care for the care of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya, provides answers to regularly asked questions, and lists current government efforts to support OVC, including the policy and legal…
In accordance with evidence from the Lancet and UNICEF recommendations on Early Childhood Development and Nurturing Care, preventive support for caregiver health and emotional well-being is key to optimal child development. Yet there is currently very little support for caregiver emotional well-being in resource-constrained low- and middle-income countries. In order to tackle this issue, UNICEF is developing a Caring for the Caregiver (CFC) training module.
The CFC module aims to build front-line workers’ skills in strengths-based counselling to increase caregivers’ confidence and help…
This tool was designed to help those seeking to assist Christian faith-based actors involved in long-term residential care programs make the transition from institutional to non-institutional (family and community-based) child welfare programs. It was written to give some insight into what this journey called ‘deinstitutionalisation’ might look like and what steps and processes might be involved. Whilst it contains a brief overview of the technical stages, its main purpose is to provide guidance through the process of achieving buy-in and is not intended to be a technical…
The sheer number of orphaned and vulnerable children is overwhelming. Many well-meaning donors are funding orphanages as a solution to the problem. However, orphanages are expensive and can only reach small numbers of children. Research by the World Bank in Tanzania, for example, found the cost of operating orphanages to be six times higher than the cost of caring for children in the community. Most importantly, orphanages separate children from family and community life. They often fail to meet children’s developmental needs and do not prepare them for adult life in the larger society. While…
This brief report addresses the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on children and families in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region that is home to over 80% of the 15 million children under the age of 18 who have been orphaned by the pandemic worldwide. The health, education, safety, and survival of increasing numbers of children are particularly at risk in African countries that are heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty and disease. The most promising solutions to this mounting crisis look beyond orphanages and institutional care to more sustainable, cost-effective, and developmentally appropriate…
This report details the proceedings of first in a series of regional forums organized by the Consortium for Street Children. These forums aim to bring together key NGOs and government representatives from selected countries to exchange experiences and formulate recommendations for the promotion and protection of the human rights of street children within each region.
During the forum delegates from each country presented country reports outlining issues and initiatives of national concern to street children. In addition, the forum addressed specific themes affecting street children in the…