Ugandans Adopt

Categories
adoption The Adoption Panel Video

Baby Praise goes Home

Little Praise was found abandoned in Mulago, a Kampala suburb in February 2015, at one-and-a-half months and placed into emergency care. After our social workers tried in vain to trace her family, she was approved for adoption in August. Luckily for Praise, there was a loving heart waiting to receive her. Her adoptive mother had been undergoing assessment and was approved to adopt by the Government Adoption Panel on the same day! After a successful bonding arrangement with her new family, it was all joy and excitement as the sweet angel finally went home in December 2015! We found a loving family for little Praise and we will for many more, with your help!

Can you provide a loving home for an abandoned child? Contact us today. call +256 (0)776110304 or email us via [email protected]. We believe Ugandan children deserve Ugandan families.

[youtube haJcqRCZUNo]

Categories
adoption The Adoption Panel Video

LOVE TRIUMPHS

Recently James a special boy from Ekisa Ministries  went home to love and a family,  thanks to the hard work of the Ekisa Team and  his mother’s unrelenting love.   Ekisa Ministries provides those living with disabilities in Jinja, a place of understanding and assists them in their physical, mental, and spiritual growth. In Luganda, the local language of Uganda, Ekisa means “Grace.” Emily   Ekisa Ministries’s Founder and Director tells us the story below in her own words:

I remember the day we brought James to Ekisa. He was a shy, quiet little boy clearly in need of care. Over the months, we saw James come out of his shell and transform to the feisty, spunky boy he is today. During this time, Rosemary, one of our care takers at Ekisa, was by his side the whole time. She expressed interest in taking on James as her own son, and of course we were excited.

We started to prepare to bring the case to  the Adoption Panel , while Rosemary fell more and more in love with James everyday. Rosemary has a minor physical disability, and has spent much of her free time working on the community level to empower people living with special needs in Uganda. It was a natural step for her to decide to adopt James.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sCUn4xJnuts

Rosemary went to Panel in April 2014, and was approved to proceed in her adoption of James. In August 2014, James officially went to live with Rosemary!  We are so thankful for Rosemary’s heart and her willingness to open her heart and home to James. We pray she may inspire more families to come forward and adopt children with special needs!

James seated on Mum’s laps with his siblings
Categories
adoption The Adoption Panel Uncategorized

OUR LATEST PROJECT: THE POST ADOPTION/ PLACEMENT SUPPORT SERVICE

_MG_9318
Adoption and Fostering in Ugandan families.

Why the Post Placement support service?
In the past, Ugandan families looked after children from within their kinship network and sometimes these children were ‘adopted’. In other circumstances, people took on the care of non-kin children and made these their own. These children were also referred to as ‘adopted’.

As such, there are a good number of Ugandan families who have ‘adopted’ and yet the children have grown up believing they are biological children of their families. Telling a child they are adopted has majorly been considered a taboo, something one cannot and is not permitted to disclose leave alone talk about. More people are becoming aware of formal adoption and many people will or have already started considering the need to tell their child their adoption story or the story could be accidentally be let out by someone else. However, they lack the ‘knowhow’ to do this. This is where the post placement support service comes in.

In addition once a family adopts according to Ugandan law, the family is closely monitored and supported during the 3 years of fostering before adoption. During this period, a family has regular contact with their social worker and placing child care agency. However, we realized that there is a gap in support and service provision after the 3 years period has elapsed. Families will have often felt isolated, abandoned and unsupported. This is likely to create opportunities for placements to break down causing significant emotional damage for both the child and family involved.
What is the Post placement Support Service/Center about?
On behalf of the Government of Uganda (Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development) through the Ugandans Adopt campaign, The Post Placement Support Service is an initiative by  Families For Children (an umbrella of over 150 Ugandan NGOs working with vulnerable children) and Child’s i Foundation through Ugandans Adopt .It is going to be  jointly facilitated Staff members of these two child welfare organizations and the Ugandans Adopt team. Its activities will be  reported to the Ministry of Gender Labour Social Development. The Post placement support Service / Center will begin operations in August 2014

Where we are right now.

The Post Placement Team attends a training by Child Psychologist, Sarah Mirembe .
The Post Placement Team attends a training by Child Psychologist, Sarah Mirembe .

In April and May we held discussions about the service and had meeting with our partners. In June 2014 we had a number of trainings of key staff on specialist areas of support. This month we will have a Workshop with MoGLSD to create awareness and then the service will be launched in August 2014

Through this service we aim to provide ongoing free support and become a ‘one stop shop’ for both fostering and adoptive families and their children in areas of need such as;

  • What next the child is finally home
  • What support to expect from their social workers
  • What support to expect from the probation service
  • Where to go for: counseling, behavioral management, emotional health issues, legal support
  • Family does not get the social work service they deserve or don’t get along with their social workers
  • They are worried about their child
  • Where to get training
  • etc

The service will empower foster and adoptive families with the right information to manage their situation(s).

Who is the service for?

  • A national country wide service
  • Adoptive Parents- local and international
  • Adoptees
  • Relatives/friends of adopters
  • Foster carers
  • Social workers
  • Foster children.
Individual office or home visits

What services are being offered?

  • Support with adoption order application
  • Support with care orders
  • Support finding a good trusted specialist – Lawyer, child psychologist etc
  • Support with Probation Office issues
  • Independent social work support
  • Telling a child they are adopted
  • Telling families and friends about an adoption
  • Life story work and memory book/box
  • Sign posting to Counseling for adoptees
  • Sign posting to Counseling for Adoptive Parents
  • Parenting skills support
  • Behavioral management guidance for parents
  • Link for any issues relating to adoption and fostering
  • A helping hand to navigate the adoption and fostering process
  • The support when agency social work support comes to an end after fostering period
  • Resource centre for information; books; journals?, testimonies, surveys, research etc.

How do I access this service?

  • On the Ugandans Adopt campaign website and Face book page.
  • Post adoption chat room/ask a question online
  • Our hotline: + 256 (0) 776110315/07020606876
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Visit our offices at: 245 Sentema Road Mengo Bulange/ VIVA CRANE behind Namirembe Catherdral.
  • We will make Individual home or office visits upon booking of appointments.
  • Group training, discussions

How will it work?

A child or family in need will make an enquiry through the avenues listed above.

a member of the PPS team will immediately respond to the enquiry.

Our hotline is a dedicated phone line, which will be available, will be answered at any one given time.

There will be a web portal (online resource bank) accessible by all dedicated members of the PPS team for use whilst on duty.

 

Categories
adoption

RUKH-SHANA’S INTERVIEW PART 2: RUKH-SHANA ON HOW ADOPTION HAS TRANSFORMED HER AND HER FINAL MESSAGE TO FELLOW UGANDANS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES.

Below we bring you the final part of Rukh-shana’s interview in which she discusses  becoming a parent and how it has changed her life . In this part she also gives tips to Ugandan Prospective and adoptive parents.

How is your adoption experience so far? Has the experience been a good one?

3Rukh-shana: It’s been an amazing journey – not just for me and my little girl, but my family too. I have absolutely no regrets. Would we do it again? Absolutely.

How has becoming a parent changed you?

Rukh-shana: I don’t recognize myself anymore. I am more patient and tolerant, and even my family has noticed that I’m less stressed. I guess knowing that there is this little person counting on you to keep it together really helps you keep your head. And she keeps me smiling, so I am feeling – and hopefully looking -younger.

What are some of the changes you have made? 

Rukh-shana: Most were minor lifestyle-related choices, but the major one was connected to my career as a Corporate Relations Practitioner. It’s a profession with irregular working hours, so when I became a mum, I knew I needed to prioritize, and that meant making more time for bonding with my daughter. I swapped full-time formal employment for a more flexible option that gave me more time with her and it has been rewarding in many ways.

What have you learned most in this process? 

Rukh-shana: I have learned that sometimes we think we are changing someone’s life, when actually we are changing our own lives too. We become better people and often growing into our own purpose and destiny without even knowing it. There is no greater reward than that.

What would you like to share with other adoptive parents? 

Rukh-shana: Kudos to you for opening up your hearts and homes to the little ones. Never forget that children are a gift from God. Even when times are tough, stay committed to nurturing them the best way you know and God will honor you.

What would you like to tell Ugandan families or individuals who are thinking of adopting?

Rukh-shana: If you have fears, concerns or anxieties, get information, educate yourself and stop putting it off. There is a child in some home just waiting for you to welcome them into yours. I believe it’s one of the greatest acts of sacrifice, but also the most rewarding.

Finally, what are your last words to every Ugandan individual or family reading this article?

Rukh-shana: Some children come from mummy’s womb and others come from mummy’s heart. And you don’t need to be wealthy to adopt a child; all you need is a big enough heart. If you are reading this, you already want to make a difference. You can’t keep every child out of institution, but saving just one makes a huge difference to that child’s life.

To find out more on how you can adopt or become an adoptive parent like Rukh-shana, please send an email to [email protected] or call Aidah 0776110304

Categories
adoption open day open day event

Adoptive Parents Coffee Morning

Families for Children hold regular coffee mornings and training session for adoptive and prospective adoptive parents. This is usually a moment where parents who are adopting or thinking about adoption, meet together for a cup of coffee to share experiences, challenges, common issues on adoption and  gain support from each other.

 

 

Adoptive and prospective adoptive parents listen  to the main speaker of the day during the last coffee morning get together.

A big number of  Adoptive and prospective adoptive parents showed up at the last  Coffee Morning that was held  on 23rd March 2013 s at CRANE/VIVA Offices in Namirembe.We had a great time getting to know each other, sharing experiences and laughing over our cups of coffee.

Please mark  20th April 2013 on your calendars. It will be the day when   a one day adoptive and prospective adoptive parents training  will be conducted from 9:00am to 3:30pm .A contribution by each  parent attending of  20,000 shillings only  goes towards their break tea, Lunch and certificates at the end of the training.

You are also encouraged to inform other prospective and adoptive parents and fostering parents about these events or forward these dates to them and encourage them to attend as well.

For more information: Email Roger Mbazira at [email protected]