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Transforming the lives of neglected children in Belarus, Moldova, Russia & Ukraine
Seeking Mum
Christian fostering brings more than just a smile
Seeking Mum promotes the fostering of children to the Christian community, recruiting Christian parents who usually have a child of their own and then provides skills based training and on-going support.
Seeking Mum achieves this by working with local churches and the official authorities which provides a real and viable alternative to the institutionalization of orphaned children.
In Ukraine, it is estimated that there are over 60,000 children living in state institutions. Unfortunately with continuing political and economical downturn the number continuously increases.
The majority of orphans move out totally unprepared with little chance for success. According to extensive research, only 10-15% of the children brought up in "warehouse" type children's homes can fully integrate into mainstream life by finding a job and starting a family of their own. Of the remainder, one third of them become involved in crime, one third becomes homeless, 40% become alcoholics and drug abusers, and a shocking 10% commit suicide during the first year of independent life.
Fostering, as an alternative to institutional care, presents a unique opportunity for thousands of orphans to be brought up in a family environment. This significantly increases their chances of achieving something in their lives.
In spite of sufficient financial support provided by the authorities to enable fostering, the majority of the population are unaware of the scheme. Even for social services fostering is very new. They lack experience and knowledge to deal with families. There is little or no promotion of fostering, insufficient training and limited ongoing support at all.
At just 3 years of age Lena saw her mother stabbed to death by a lodger. Scared and traumatised she walked the streets and became so unwell and filthy that even her eyebrows had lice. Found by social services she was put into an institution, but Lena was fortunate and she was soon fostered into a Christian family. Now 6, she still has emotional difficulties and has hepatitus C, but feels safe and secure in a loving home and is beginning to enjoy her childhood.
Current Services
Seeking Mum is the first fostering scheme of its type in the region and we hope that it will become a model that can be adopted in other parts of Ukraine. The project concentrates its efforts on:
- bringing the problem of orphans to the attention of the Christian community
- raising awareness of fostering amongst the Christian community
- inspiring families to become foster parents
- creating a support network for foster parents
- providing advice and back-up
- enhancing child protection
Having spent a year or so building the trust and confidence of the local churches, and the local authorties, Seeking Mum is now well-established and has been been largely responsible for the fostering of over 40 orphans into Christian families since the work started in 2009.
In addition, as funds accrue we will be able to financially support new foster families through purchase of furniture, clothes and children's books and games. For example, we provided a two year, interest free, loan to one family that had part built an extension to foster 4 sisters who would otherwise have been split up and sent across the country.
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