|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Selamta Children's Home - Ethiopia
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Safe and Loving Family Environment
|
|
|
Selamta is the Human Capital Foundation's first direct project as an
approved non-governmental organization (NGO) in Ethiopia. We are committed
to helping AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children by developing group homes, medical intervention and care, and educational opportunities. Selamta is a response to the overwhelming
need for safe homes and emotional support for children without family or
hope.
|
|
No statistics can adequately capture the human tragedy that orphans are
facing in Ethiopia. For those children that have lost their parents to AIDS,
grief is only the beginning of their troubles. When AIDS takes a parent, it
often takes a childhood as well. Children who grow up without parents are
impoverished, uneducated and unprotected. Ethiopia?s Ministry of Health
estimates that 1.2 million children have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic
that is devastating Sub-Saharan Africa, and USAID estimates that this figure
will rise 43 percent by 2010.
AIDS orphans are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, illness, abuse,
child labor and sexual exploitation, as well as suffering from the stigma
and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. In fact, Ethiopia?s AIDS
orphans face open rejection, not just by their relatives and communities,
but by many health service providers and teachers as well. Many become
street children, as there are few governmental institutions for orphans, and
the traditional extended family safety nets are breaking down under the
weight of the pandemic. There are simply inadequate resources to provide for
the staggering number of orphaned children.
Selamta will provide a safe and loving environment for AIDS orphans in Addis
Ababa. For a child to truly become a happy, healthy, independent and
productive adult, they need room to grow in a stable, predictable home, with
proper nutrition, health care, educational opportunities and love. These are
our first objectives.
|
|
|
|
|
A Replicable Model for Child, Family and Community
|
|
|
The Selamta model incorporates a Children's Center for induction and
placement; programs to help children reconnect with siblings and extended
family members; an outreach to international adoption; and development of
new family homes consisting of a mother and up to ten siblings, sited within
existing neighborhoods. Our objective is to craft a replicable model that
can be extended throughout Ethiopia, Africa and to other developing regions.
|
|
Selamta Children's Center
The Selamta Children's Center opened in December, 2005 to care for up to 50
children. Special consideration is given to accepting sibling groups and
older children who may be unadoptable or turned away from traditional
orphanages. The facility also serves as Selamta's headquarters in Ethiopia,
and provides the model and staff for transitioning orphaned children to new,
permanent families who will love and care for them.
Each child entering the Selamta home is given medical care, nutritious food,
new clothes, tuition for attending local public schools, and the love and
nurturing of a trained, caring staff. After a period of discovery and
emotional stabilization, children will be reunited with relatives through
family sponsorships, or become an important member of a new family unit.
|
|
Selamta Family Reunification
Many children that have been abandoned or are in orphanages today, have
extended family nearby who are simply unable to care for them due to extreme
poverty. Selamta sponsorships will enable these families to re-integrate
nieces, nephews and grandchildren, even the children of close friends that
may have been orphaned by AIDS.
|
|
Selamta Family Homes
In neighborhoods near each children's center, Selamta will buy or build
homes that will comfortably support a family of up to ten new brothers and
sisters. Each family will be organized around a permanent, stable
Selamta-trained mother,
who will assume parental duties and provide respectful, loving care for the
children. Supported by Selamta, this model will provide the true, life-long
home, family and support network that orphaned children in developing
countries may never otherwise know
|
|
Repairing the Family and Social Fabric of Ethiopia
These new models will enable hundreds of children who become part of the
Selamta family to grow into emotionally healthy, productive adults, who in
turn will benefit their peers and society in Ethiopia.
|
|
|
|
|
Great Families Make Great Neighbors
|
|
|
Selamta aims to be a great neighbor, and to extend our financial,
educational and health care resources into the community, wherever possible.
We have identified the following objectives for care, education and
community involvement:
|
|
 | Develop facilities to meet and exceed health and hygiene standards, making Selamta a loving and inviting place for the children to live and visit |
|
| Employ and professionally train local staff to maintain quality care standards, as well as communicate love and support for the children in their care. |
|
| Make available comprehensive physical and emotional health services for Selamta children, and in the broader community, to the extent possible. |
|
| Provide education on disease prevention and control, AIDS education, personal hygiene and safety training to children, employees and the broader community. |
|
| Develop partnerships with medical clinics and health care NGO?s to support Selamnta children and surrounding community. |
|
| Ensure all children the right to primary and secondary education by placing the Selamta Home in communities that sustain schools. |
|
| Become active advocates in school, and provide additional help or tutoring to educational progress for all Selamta children. |
|
| Develop in-country educational opportunities and scholarships for deserving students with emphasis on secondary education and post-secondary education. |
|
| Develop post-secondary education scholarships with American colleges and universities for deserving students. |
|
| Create in-country technical and business training programs, and support all children who would benefit by attending them. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|