The Child’s i Foundation in Uganda aims to maintain or reunite children with their families or, if necessary, to find alternative family placements for them. It therefore works to prevent abandonment, provide temporary short-term residential care if required, reunite families, provide on-going support to families, promote domestic adoption and find new families.
Results achieved during its first two years of operation were positive. Thus, for example, more than 200 mothers were successfully encouraged and enabled not to abandon their children as a result of the provision of these services. Short-term care was provided for 100 children and families found for them within an average of 4 months. There were 65 children reunited with their biological families and given on-going support for a further year to ensure child safety and to ensure the family could fulfil its caretaking role.
Domestic adoption within Uganda has been promoted through television and radio advertising, leading to 150 families contacting the adoption hotline and resulting in a waiting list of prospective adopters. Within an 18 month period, 21 children were placed with adoptive parents in Uganda. Thorough assessments were carried out in line with the Children’s Act and approval by a multi-agency panel.
For more information visit www.childsifoundation.org