An Advocacy Tool to Increase Support of Family and Community-Based Care

The Firelight Foundation is committed to engaging in advocacy on issues that impact the lives of children. In the wake of millions of children being orphaned by HIV/AIDS, identifying the best sources of alternative care is an issue of critical importance. The vast majority of African children who have lost their parents remain in family care, taken in by their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or foster families. However, as the family safety net is stretched further and further beyond its limits, increasing numbers of children are put at risk. Who will care for these children? Are orphanages the answer?

The story of 14 year-old Lerato (a pseudonym), below, who has spent the last five years of her life in an orphanage, illustrates some of the reasons why institutional care fails to meet the developmental and emotional needs of children. Institutions often separate children from the relationships and experiences that provide them with the foundation for a healthy future. Children grow best in families, and this is why orphanages have been all but abolished from developed countries over the past 50 years. Yet, many well-meaning donors who want to help African children at risk know of no other alternative than to support orphanages. Clearly, there is a great need for information and awareness about other, more developmentally appropriate, alternatives.

In response to this need, Firelight has initiated an advocacy tool that will help inform the public, and especially faith-based donors, about the importance of investing in community-based responses that strengthen the safety net of family care. The document, to be published and widely distributed in 2005, is called The Promise of a Future: Strengthening Family and Community Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Preparation of the document has included an extensive review process involving feedback from over 30 foundations, international agencies, and grassroots organizations. This will be a joint advocacy tool, published and distributed in collaboration with American Jewish World Service, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, and the Pan African Children’s Fund, as well as other foundations engaged in grassroots grantmaking.

The Promise of a Future examines the use of institutional care as “a short-term, last resort” and underscores the importance of family and community in the life of a child. Using a variety of concrete examples drawn from effective community-based organizations, it describes the models, services, and strategies that are enabling orphans and vulnerable children to remain in families. The document goes on to highlight some of the ways that existing institutions and orphanages have transitioned into alternatives that are better suited to the needs of children. Specific suggestions for ways to support grassroots organizations serving children in Sub-Saharan Africa are offered, along with a resource list for further information.

The goal of the document is to provide donors who are eager to address the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS with a clear picture of the vital role that community-based organizations play. The Promise of a Future will be available through the Firelight Foundation office and website by the end of 2005.