Hope and Homes for Children - News feed

New research shows lifelong impact for children in institutions

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

Two recent studies into childhood development have hit the headlines this week, adding to the growing body of evidence that our early childhood experiences determine our chances of success in life.

A study published last week has shown that ‘adverse childhood experiences’ can affect the development of a part of the brain that controls our emotions. Martin Teicher of Harvard University scanned the brains of almost 200 people and found that three important areas of the hippocampus were reduced by up to 6.5% in adults who experienced early stress - such as maltreatment or abuse – in their early years. Researchers also determined that these early experiences were a major risk factor for mood, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorders in adulthood.

Meanwhile, in a study of children in Romanian institutions, Charles Nelson of Harvard Medical School has found that children who spent their early years in an institution behaved abnormally in social interactions with other children, even years after leaving the institution. The study focussed on 136 children who had spent their first two years of life in Romanian institutions and compared the development of those who remained in the system with those who were placed with families. At age eight, the effects of institutionalisation were still evident in those children who were placed with families.

Presenting his findings last week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Nelson said, “Institutional care should be considered the last resort and effort should be made to place a child as soon as possible.”

We know that institutions are most damaging for children in early childhood when the care they receive and their social interactions have an enormous influence on how their brains develop. However, Nelson’s research showed that the effects of institutionalisation were reversed when children were removed from institutions and placed in families before age two.

We have made family-based care and closing institutions for babies and young children a priority for our work. Removing children from institutions and developing and supporting services that support vulnerable new families not only gives children the best chance of overcoming the damaging effects of institutionalisation, but also closes one of the main entry points into the institutional system, where many children spend the rest of their childhood. We have seen first hand the damage that a childhood spent in an institution can cause.

The results of both these studies add to the overwhelming body of evidence that institutions damage children and impact on them even after they leave. For many, the impact can last a life time.

Read more about what we are doing to make sure all children grow up with the love of a family or donate now to support our work.

UNICEF conference puts the spotlight on closing institutions for children

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

Some of the world's leading experts in childcare reform met in Bulgaria this week to discuss plans to close down baby orphanages across the country and place the children in loving families.

Despite sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall, the 'Effects of Institutionalisation on Young Children and Post Institutionalisation Support' conference went ahead as planned in Sofia on Tuesday (February 15).

Hosted by the French Embassy and led by UNICEF, the summit focused on the thousands of Bulgarian children under the age of three who continue to be abandoned to orphanages - or institutions, as they are more commonly known in Eastern Europe.

As well as Hope and Homes for Children representatives, the conference's panel included Government representatives, institution owners, psychiatrists and pediatricians, as well as Boris Cyrulnik - the leading French Neuropsychiatrist and lecturer at Tulon University.

Much of the discussion centred on the Bulgarian Government's groundbreaking work to close its network of 24 baby institutions. Approximately 8,000 children are currently growing up in institutions across Bulgaria. An estimated 2,500 of them are under the age of three and live in 24 designated institutions for babies – the highest number in the EU. Only two per cent of these babies are actually orphans, with most having been abandoned due to poverty, parental neglect or family breakdown.

"The purpose of the conference in Sofia this week was to raise awareness of Bulgaria's pledge to roll out Deinstitutionalisation (DI) – the closure of institutions and the development of alternative family-based care services - on a national scale," said Gallia Pourcheva-Bisset, our Regional Manager for Central and Eastern Europe.

"Bulgaria's shift towards an orphanage-free childcare system makes it one of the most progressive reformers in childcare across the region."

With our help, Bulgaria closed its first baby institution in Teteven last year. All 32 infants were reunited with their birth families, fostered or adopted. The landmark project was in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and scientific research which shows how institutions are detrimental to a child's physical and cognitive well-being.

We are now working with the Bulgarian Government to plan the closure of further eight baby institutions by 2014, meaning 400 young children will be placed back into family environments.

Royal Mail delivers brighter future for children

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

Royal Mail employees have this week become Guinness World Record holders, in recognition of their payroll giving scheme and we are delighted that we are in the top 100 of the 975 charities that Royal Mail employees choose to give to.

One in four Royal Mail Group employees supports a charity by donating money directly out of their salary at the end of the month, before their tax is deducted. This means that an additional donation is deducted out of the tax they would normally pay. If an employee chooses to give £10 per month for example, they will only pay £8 from their final salary and the taxman pays the other £2!

Many of our supporters currently donate to us directly from their pay and last year they donated a total of £25,000. This is vital for the children we work with as, when we begin to support a child, we commit to supporting them until they are able to live independently of our help. A dependable income like Payroll Giving means we can make that serious commitment to more and more children.

Payroll Giving is a simple, tax-effective way to give to charity which is very easy to opt in and out of and which gives you full control of your giving. If you want to take part, it could not be simpler. If your employer already offers Payroll Giving, you simply complete a form which is usually obtained from your Payroll or Personnel Department. If your employer doesn't offer Payroll Giving yet, it is very straightforward for them to set up.

For more information about setting up Payroll Giving at your workplace contact 0845 602 6786 or visit www.payrollgiving.co.uk.

Chief Executive challenges himself for vulnerable children

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

Entry for the 2012 Herts Charity Challenge – Triathlon & Duathlon is now open and our Chief Executive, Mark Waddington, was first in queue to sign up. Since it began ten years ago, the event has raised more than £1.2 million to support our work with vulnerable children.

Here Mark tells us why he decided to take on the challenge and how he plans to train and fundraise:

The Herts Charity Challenge - the new name for the St James Place Sprint Triathlon - will take place on Sunday 14th October 2012 at Nuffield Health and Fitness Centre, St Albans. For the first time, this year's event will incorporate two races - a duathlon and a triathlon - both taking place on the same day and at the same location. Whether you're a novice or veteran, it's the perfect event to challenge your fitness and fundraising skills.

Read more or sign up today and help us to make sure that even more children have the chance to grow up in a family. You also sponsor Mark online.

Check out last year's photographs to see what's in store:

Families and children hit by worldwide austerity measures

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

As the global financial crisis deepens, the impact of austerity measures is being felt by families worldwide.

The resignation of Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc hit the news this week, in the wake of weeks of protest against austerity measures which are hitting families hard, including cuts to public workers salaries and a rise in sales tax from 19% to 24%.

Meanwhile, the UK Government is resisting attempts by a group of bishops in the House of Lords to protect children from measures to reform the welfare system as the Government seeks to impose a cap on the benefits a family can receive. The bishops had tabled an amendment excluding Child Benefit from the £26,000 per year limit which has since been overturned.

In their analysis of austerity measures in 128 developing countries, UNICEF found that over half had cut their overall expenditure by almost a third of GDP. The report notes that children and poor households are particularly vulnerable. Similar analysis of six European countries identified that, in five of the countries, austerity measures have a larger effect on households with children than those without.

In such a climate, the risk of families breaking down - one of the reasons children become institutionalised – is far greater. Many of the children we work with in institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa are not technically orphans – four out of five have at least one living parent. Often their families are battling poverty and believe they will be better off in an institution where, at least, they will be fed and sent to school. In reality, children who grow up in institutions suffer delays in their development which can affect the rest of their lives. They also have higher mortality rates and lower educational performance and are more likely to become homeless, turn to crime and prostitution or commit suicide once they leave the institution.

Ironically, as well as being damaging for children, institutions are more expensive to run compared to alternative family based services which prevent family breakdown and abandonment. Research from 2005 (Carter) showed that running institutions is six times more expensive than providing social services to vulnerable families; three times more expensive than providing professional foster care; and twice as expensive as providing small family homes.

In the countries we work in, we give vulnerable families the support they need to get back on their feet, before problems escalate and they feel their only option is to give their children up. We will continue to champion support for children and vulnerable families and better childcare systems for children throughout 2012, as developed and developing countries alike seek to reduce their expenditure further.

Read more about how we work or donate now to support our work.

Romania abandons its orphanage network

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

The Romanian Government’s pledge to create an orphanage-free childcare system by 2020 was bolstered this week with the closure of yet another harmful children’s institution.

Our Romania team officially closed the doors to the Sighet Institution, in Maramures at the end of January 2012. This project is part of an ambitious eight year partnership with the Romanian Government and Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) to move every child out of Romania’s remaining 170 orphanages (or institutions, as they are more commonly known in Eastern Europe).

The Sighet Institution warehoused 119 children and teenagers at its peak. They have all now been integrated back into society as part of a process known as Deinstitutionalisation (DI) – the closure of institutions and development of alternative family-based care services.

We have been working with the Romanian Government since 1998. Having now closed 46 institutions, our work is recognised as best practice by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO). This is in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child has the right to live in a family.

The Sighet Institution closure has seen 63 teenagers supported to live independently; 22 children moved into Small Family Type Homes; six reunited with their birth families; and one moved into a foster family. The remaining 27 children are being cared for by the local authorities. Crucially, the project established local support services and trained childcare professionals to prevent further children from the Sighet area entering institutional care. The progress of all of the children moved out of Sighet will be strictly monitored.

Dr Delia Pop, our Director of Programmes, said: “Many families which struggle to cope place their children in Romania’s network of institutions with the mistaken idea that they might have a better life.

“In reality institutions like the one we’ve closed in Sighet are overcrowded, understaffed, clinical environments which work on regimented routines. They offer little care, attention or stimulation for a child.”

As part of its ambitious 2020 goal to end institutional care in Romania, Hope and Homes for Children has just completed a full audit of the country’s current childcare system - mapping out all the remaining institutions, assessing the remaining children’s needs and checking whether the existing regional services to prevent abandonment are effective.

Read more about our work in Romania or find out more about how we work.

Influencing change for children in Ukraine

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

We are playing a key role in a breakthrough in Ukraine's childcare policy, as the country embarks on a new national strategy to reform its social care system.

This week Halyna Postoliuk, our Ukraine Country Director, was invited to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ombudsman for Children's Rights, to discuss our family-based approach to childcare and our vision for a Ukraine free from institutions.

This meeting followed a visit to one of our flagship programmes in Ukraine, the Ray of Hope Centre in the Makariv region, by the Ombudsman for Children's Rights and the Governor of the Kyiv Oblast, in which Makariv is located. The opening of the Centre in October last year marked the final stage of closing the Barvinok Institution, which shut its doors for good in 2010. While all of the children from the institution were placed in alternative, family-based care or supported to live independent lives, the reasons for children being institutionalised at such an alarming rate have not disappeared.

There is a strong history of dependency on institutions in Ukraine. The nation currently has one of the highest records in Europe for institutionalising children, with an estimated 70,000 children currently resident in 636 institutions. Over 800 babies are abandoned in Ukraine every year.

The Ray of Hope Centre provides support for highly vulnerable families to avoid them breaking apart, one of the main reasons for children being separated from their families and placed into institutions in the first place. Through the Ray of Hope Centre, we have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to totally transform childcare from a system based on institutions to one based on families. Not only have we closed down an institution housing 79 children, we have set up services in the community to make sure it is never needed again, creating lasting change for all children in Makariv.

We welcome the opportuity to shape national strategy to reform social care in Ukraine.

From care to independence - supporting vulnerable young adults

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

News coverage over the past fortnight has highlighted the challenges that many young people in care face when they reach 18 and are effectively discharged from the childcare system. While other young people will be celebrating their 18th birthdays, overnight these young adults find themselves facing life alone for the first time.

Last week care-leavers in Jordan congregated outside the Royal Court to protest at the lack of support available when they reached ‘adulthood’ and left the care system. Reflecting the situation for care-leavers across the developing and developed world, young people leaving institutions in Jordan are at increased risk of homelessness, unemployment, and poverty.

The state of California in the USA has also acknowledged the disadvantages which young adults leaving care face, highlighting that this issue is not isolated to developing countries. This month a law has taken effect in California which makes it possible for vulnerable young people to remain in foster care until they are 21 and receive housing support and extended services focussed on supporting them to become independent.

We know from experience that, for those who grow up in an institution, the route to independent life is often a difficult one. Many of these young adults will have spent their whole childhood in the system, and lack basic life skills and experience. Even if they manage to navigate through the many obstacles when they first leave, starting their own families brings its own challenges. With little or no experience of family life themselves, they often lack the most basic experience required to provide a stable environment for their own children.

In the countries where we work, we support these young adults to find housing and jobs and teach them the life skills they need to succeed. We will support them again if they face hard times when they come to have their own children, breaking a cycle which too often sees the children of care-leavers entering institutions themselves.

With just a little support, we know that these young people can go on to lead happy, independent lives and have families of their own.

Read more about our work or donate now to help us support even more children.

Meet the man who skateboarded across Australia and paddleboarded the Mississippi

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

In 2005, Dave Cornthwaite gave up his day job as a graphic designer to skateboard across Australia, breaking a world record in the process. Today Dave is a renowned British adventurer, author and motivational speaker, best know for his Expedition1000 project which will see him undertake 25 journeys of at least 1000 miles in length, using a different form of non-motorised transport and raising £1 million for charity.

On 20 February 2012, Dave will host Night of Adventure London at Vue Cinema in Leicester Square. Night of Adventure is an exciting, sell-out event where an eclectic collection of first-class adventurers, from across the spectrum of explorers, daredevils and pioneers, come together to share their experiences with a live audience.

We asked Dave to tell us more about his life as an adventurer and what he loves about Night of Adventure.

Tell us more about Expedition1000…

The idea is to undertake 25 expeditions, each at least 1000 miles in distance, each using a different form of non-motorised transport. It's a very wide-ranging project - it really keeps me out of mischief! Eventually it will take me to every continent, across major oceans, and will raise over £1 million for charity. So far I've completed four of the journeys, so we're getting there!

So what’s the next challenge you have planned?

Next up is sailing from Mexico to Hawaii in March – a distance of 3500 miles over 17 days. I am a novice sailor at best, so it will be a challenge but I think the best way to learn is to be on the job. I won’t be alone though, there will be ten fellow adventurers and thrill-seekers on board. It'll be like a Night of Adventure in the middle of the ocean!

You took quite a risk leaving your job to become an adventurer. Are there ever times you think about going back?

Never. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Of course, I've faced challenges, both during expeditions and trying to scratch a living in-between, but it's such a rewarding life. My values have changed hugely since I gave up the day job in 2005 and my number one priority now is to keep a smile on my face.

I find the creative side of planning what to do next hugely motivating. How wonderful to create an idea on a blank piece of paper and turn it into a project that encourages and inspires people to do something different.

What do you love about Night of Adventure?

Where else can you find such a varied range of speakers, in such a superb venue, each allowed to share a snapshot of their lives? It's a riveting, educational and often hilarious evening and each event is totally original. That it supports such a great cause is icing on the cake.

Being restricted to 20 slides, and 20 seconds per slide, makes it a real challenge for those presenting as well. The format takes practiced and perfected speakers out of their comfort zones. I'm a confident chap but I'm prone to a bout of nerves, especially when I have to condense my story into just 6 minutes and forty seconds in front of all my peers and an eager crowd. It's a car crash waiting to happen and everyone can sense that, which just adds to the brilliance of the night.

How did you come to be hosting Night of Adventure London?

I have been involved with Night of Adventure from the beginning; I was a guest at the first event and have spoken at two since. When the regular host Alastair Humphries decided to row the Atlantic in early 2012, he needed someone to fill his shoes. Al and I share similar colouring and occasionally get mistaken for each other so I suppose he thought he'd be missed less if I took over. He asked me to host by email with 'Body Double' in the subject line.

What can people coming to Night of Adventure for the first time expect?

An unforgettable two hours. I'm not sure anyone has ever left a Night of Adventure anything less than inspired to undertake a challenge of their own. Give me a Night of Adventure over a world class film or documentary any day. I can't wait for the 20 February!

What would you say to people out there who want to get out and do something different?

Stop talking, start planning and go for it. We're all capable of taking on something different and original, it's just a case of being brave enough to step into the unknown. I guarantee there are no regrets on the other side….

Read more about Night of Adventure London and the line up for this event. Book your tickets right away -seats always sell out fast!

Lost childhoods of war - ten years on, Sierra Leone youth take their futures into their own hands

Thu, 01 Jan 70 00:00:00 +0000

When President Kabbah declared Sierra Leone’s 11 year civil war officially over ten years ago today the country was in ruins.

As the impoverished country reflects on the tenth anniversary, our team in Sierra Leone is attempting to re-educate an entire generation in forgotten farming methods.

It was estimated 2.5 million people - more than half of the population – had been displaced and a further 50,000 had been killed during the ten year civil war.

Fast forward ten years and Sierra Leone’s infrastructure remains in tatters. More than 70 per cent of the population survives on less than £1 a day, making the impoverished West African state a permanent fixture at the bottom of the UN Human Development Index.

The civil war broke the entire country’s infrastructure. Vital farming methods which were traditionally passed from generation to generation were also lost as communities broke up amid the chaos of rebel invasions. In a country where farming is the primary occupation, the collapse in the transfer of agricultural knowledge was devastating. It has led to Sierra Leone only putting 15 per cent of its arable land to use, while more than two thirds of food is imported.

Working in collaboration with community leaders and village elders, we identify those families in greatest need. Our Active Family Support programme then kicks in by offering individually tailored support for small agricultural projects - whether it be growing cassava, or breeding livestock.

Abdulai, 17, lives in Tambaka – a remote village of mud huts amidst the palm forests of North Sierra Leone. Near the border with Guinea, it’s one of the country’s poorest communities and a treacherous two-hour drive from the nearest settlement, Kamakwie. During the rainy season, it is all but inaccessible.

Up until the civil war, Abdulai’s family survived by farming cassava and beans on a small patch of land near the river by his home. Surplus food was sold to neighbours, providing them with a modest income. When rebels invaded the village during the civil war, though, life stopped. Abdulai’s family home, plantation and tools were all destroyed and they were forced to flee to the bush.

Abdulai said: “We travelled miles that night trying to escape the rebels.

“I vividly remember seeing beams of fire over the night sky from the direction of our village.”

During the civil war the rebels were renowned for terrorising their victims with amputation and rape. Many of the soldiers were only children – often fuelled by drugs. Young Abdulai and his family spent months hiding in the bush, surviving on nothing but wild fruits and yams. Their plight culminated in Abdulai’s uncle falling ill from a mystery disease and dying.

“We had to bury him by a swamp next to where we hid,” recalled Abdulai.

“We lived in fear of being killed every day.”

When the conflict came to and end in January 2002, Abdulai and his family returned to their village. All their possessions and food were gone, their house was in ruins, and seeds for farming had gone astray. Tough times caused strain on the family and eventually led to Abdulai’s mother deserting them. To compound an already desperate situation, four years ago Abdulai’s father died. The only person who could step in and care for Abdulai’s brothers and sisters was his 66-year-old grandfather, Pa Yusufu. Having to head up a family of 21 youngsters proved almost impossible for Pa Yusufu.

When we first met the family, we initially brought the malnourished children back up to strength before sending them to school – helping to pay for school fees, uniforms, books and stationary. We then helped Pa Yusufu to set up small agricultural business in the form of a groundnut and palm oil plantation. We also provided seeds and know-how so he could attempt to grow peppers and beans.

Today Pa Yusufu sustains his young family and the surplus is sold to the local community – providing them with an income. Through the revival of traditional methods of food production, we’re also encouraging Abdulai to become an aspiring entrepreneur in agriculture.

“I have missed a lot of education, so farming is my best option,” said Abdulai, who lost a childhood to war.

“I want it to grow the family business so I can one day sell my crops further afield."

Read more about our work in Sierra Leone.