What is Reintegration?
Reintegration refers to the process of reuniting a deprived, disadvantaged or abandoned child in FROH’s care with their family or with their nearer relatives after certain time of their stay in the children home. This involves ensuring that the situation at home is stable and the child’s needs can be met in a caring environment.
Why it is?
We believe - “The best place for a child is to with their family or nearer relatives”
FROH is committed to the safety, health, education and happiness of the rescued children in our care. The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child indicates that the best place for their psychosocial development is with their family or community of origin. FROH shares this stance and, where possible, we strive to return these vulnerable, isolated children from short-term housing back into a network of familial support and security.
The challenges:
Reintegration is by no means a simple or uncomplicated process:
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As the majority of the homes that the children were rescued from cared little about their well-being, they kept no official records of their backgrounds. Our team tries to salvage as much information as possible from the children themselves and from whatever records we can uncover.
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Convincing parents that their child is better off within the family unit is difficult; especially when they see that they are receiving a good education and are being well cared for by us.
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We must also accurately assess the family situation and ensure that they are financially capable of taking over care of their child. When reintegration is in their best interests but there are financial constraints, Umbrella offers assistance by paying the child’s school-related costs and living expenses.
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Many FROH children are orphans, having lost at least one parent during earthquake of April 2015. In cases where the father or mother has died, the family’s financial condition is often extremely poor and too unstable to support their child. And where neither mother nor father is living, it is difficult to trace relatives and burden them with the care of an additional child. Finally, where a mother has re-married, the child is often not welcome into this new marriage.
How do we do it?
Reintegration is a long process that begins with our field officers/volunteers gathering information about the child, their village and family. These are contacted and invited to spend time together. Gradually, the family bonds are tied and, after monitoring that the situation is stable and safe, the child is brought back to their village home. FROH continues to provide financial support towards education and living expenses, and regularly visits them to monitor their progress in terms of health and education, ensuring they are socially and emotionally happy.
In the recent days, FROH Nepal worked closely with youth volunteers who are connecting with our children’s families and communities. Our volunteer team travelled the country searching villages for the children’s families, with nothing but photos, letters and scraps of information to help find them. As a dedicated FROH volunteer team who have become renowned in their own right for operating an effective and successful reintegration programmes.
This Project is going to be one of the best ever if FROH Nepal get supports from donors.
If your are interested to do something through this project for the vunerable children. Please send us message mentionting the subject.