Help 60 Vulnerable Children Stay in Their Families

It has been a little while since I visited St. Andrews baby unit and spend time with the children although I must say it gives me nostalgia whenever I plan for a visit.  This is because every time I see the children my heart is filled with happiness as there is progress made in each and every child. I must commend the work done by the matron and the house mothers who play a big role in taking good care of these children until they get to that age of learning to be independent and start school. Whenever I get an opportunity to meet the house mothers, I do not forget to thank them for serving these children as I often remind them that their work is beyond a normal occupation as they are called “mothers” with a purpose of raising a generation of children who are to become great and responsible people in future despite their background circumstances.

Raymond was brought to the St. Andrews Baby Unit when he was 7 months old. His parents separated due to domestic violence. The mother ran away and left Raymond and his two siblings with their father who is a heavy drinker. The man would leave the children on their own to look for casual work before getting drunk and spend the money he had worked for without considering the welfare of the children. This made the neighbours angry and they reported the matter to the authorities. After learning this, the father took the children to their maternal grandmother who was too old to take care of an infant. The police investigated the case and they were able to trace the mother who was apprehended for child negligence and put on probation. The children’s officer placed Raymond at the baby unit and ensured that the mother would visit him once in a while during the probation period to create the bond so that she can able to take him back at the end of probation period. The matron and social worker from the main children’s home recently visited Raymond grandmother’s and to their shock they were informed that the mother was released after probation but she took away the other two children who were living with their grandmother and went to rent a house in another town far away from her matrimonial home. We are hoping that the whereabouts of Raymond’s mother will be known and she accepts to take back her child and raise them all with a happy ending.

Other news is that all the children are making good progress and as Fidelis, John and Raymond are taught simple life skills like self-feeding and potty training. Natasha and Blessing are big girls who are able to dress themselves and use in house toilets on their own.

 As Vision Africa is looking in to ways whereby children in institutional care can be reunited with their families or placed with adoptive or foster families, St. Andrews Baby Unit will remain a safe haven to the vulnerable children who are rescued from parental negligence, orphaned or abandoned. The process will take months or even years to complete, hence Vision Africa is not taking chances with its child integration programme since its mission is to “Enable every child to realise their potential, be valued by family and community and ensure they  have dignity, opportunity and hope now and in the future through the 3Ps Protection, Provision and preparation”. Therefore we are engaging all stakeholders involved with in children’s welfare in government and County level as well other partner organizations that have successfully re-integrated children back to their families across East Africa.

St. Andrews Baby Unit also started the process of tracing parents and relatives of the children to ensure that they too are involved in the re-integration programme since some of them are not living far from the main children’s home. Although there are challenges being faced with regards to tracking down the whereabouts of families, there is hope for some children to be re-united with their families. Home visits and assessment are being carried out to ensure that before a child is reintegrated back to his or her family, all the issues that led to their vulnerability are resolved and the family is ready and willing to take them back in to their life just like in the case of Raymond.All children who have been abandoned and their families untraced have already been placed with adoptive or foster families.

We at Vision Africa appreciate your continuous support in making St Andrews Baby Unit a pleasant home for these children. We hope you find this partnership worthwhile because we believe the future of these children are in our hands as they grow up in a protected safe and loving environment where all their needs are well taken care of.

Please note that on Giving Tuesday (29^th November) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $1 million in donations on GlobalGiving with 50%. Matching begins at 00:00:01 EST and ends at 23:59:59 EST on November 29th, 2016 or when matching funds run

Vision Africa believes that children have the same value as adults. They have a right to live in a safe and child sensitive community and it is our responsibility as adults to ensure that they access holistic development and attain their full potential. For this reasons St. Andrews Baby Unit will continue to shelter and protect these children before they are taken up for either adoption or foster care. Vision Africa through its vulnerable child support program is also looking in to ways where by children placed under institutional care are able to reunite with families or placed in an alternative care through deinstitutionalization process.  Since 2007 when St. Andrews Baby Unit was establishment only 7 children have been taken up for adoption and 2 others are in foster care because their families could not be traced. But for those who were rescued from parental negligence or being orphaned, their families have been traced and they are being encouraged to visit the baby unit to ensure that they get the opportunity bond with the children like in the case of Blessing.

Blessing was brought in at St. Andrews Baby Unit at 14 months. She and her older brother Dickson who is at the main home were rescued by a children’s officer from the neighbouring village. The children were neglected by their mother who is an orphan and at the same time underage.  Their mother was a very bright student but due to lack of support for school fees, she was in and out of school as she had to involve in casual work so as to make end meets. It was at this vulnerable situation that Blessing’s mother was exploited by men who took advantage of her situation with promise of supporting her quest for education hence she became pregnant twice. According to the children officer who brought the children to Kandara Children’s Home, the mother was only sixteen when she had Blessing but she had no source of income to support herself and her children hence many are the times that she would leave her children on their own to go out and look for odd jobs to be able to feed them. This became a concern to a social worker who reported to the children’s officer. After listening to her story, the children’s officer took the children to the Kandara Children’s Home. The mother got sponsorship to continue with her education and she remains with one year to complete her high school education. During the school holidays Blessing mother comes to visit her children so as to maintain the bond as she desires to take her children back once she completes her schooling and secure a stable job.

Other news is that the number of children at the baby unit has dropped from 14 to 8. This is after six of them came of age where by they are moved to the main home. It is hard to believe that most of these children who were brought in at the baby unit while few months old have grown so much in the last few years and are now attending pre-school.  Emmanuel, Derrick, Fidelis, Cecilia, Bedan and Pricilla are now living with their siblings in the main home.  Blessing, Lewis and John have turned three and they too have joined the 6 children in pre-school whereby they attend baby class in the morning and go back to Baby Unit for break time snacks and lunch.

All the children are making good progress with Fidelis making baby conversation with house mothers while Baraka is now making baby steps on his own. We at Vision Africa appreciate your continuous support in making St Andrews Baby Unit a safe haven. We hope you find this partnership valuable and worthwhile because these children who were once in vulnerable circumstances have a home where they get the love, care and attention they desperately needed in order to grow and achieve their development milestone. We also give credit to our dedicated house mothers whom the children refer to as ‘maito’ in the local language which is a honourable name for a mother.