Voluntary Organization in Orissa Promotes Foster Family System for Kids

A novel project for the orphan kids of Boudh and Bolangir Districts has been launched by a voluntary organization in Orissa to enable them find alternative care by foster families in a family environment.

Under this programme orphaned children get a good foster parental care and have to be nurtured by interested families with the similar care and love as they render to their own children or other members of the family.

Youth Council for Development Alternatives (YCDA), a Baunsuni-based voluntary forum in Boudh District of Orissa, has evolved a novel scheme for the orphaned children which will encourage adoption of such kids with an assurance of family care.

Such kids, under the guidance of YCDA will be adopted by families and treat them at par with other family members as they grow up.

"Our project is for the orphan children who are school-going children and we are trying to solve their problems. We are making them much confident to handle their problems. The aim of the project is to make a foster family. The child will be exposed to a good socio economic background and the child can grow with a good environment," said Sarika Purohit, Programme Co-ordinator of the YCDA, Banusunui.

These children are adopted by such families that are willing to take good care of the children, especially of their education and health as part of their upbringing.

It is generally noticed that though orphanages provide food and shelter to such children, in the long run, such orphan kids generally crave for parental affection and domestic environs. Absence of such things, generally keep such kids constantly live with a sense of social security.

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Foster families under this project in Boudh District have adopted 50 children while another 35 orphans have been identified in the Bolangir region.

These children were initially kept with these foster families for five years. Thereafter, these children were given vocational training in some productive discipline so that they could be self-reliant.

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"We have kept Seema for the past seven years. Her mother died. She is having an uncle and an aunty but they were not ready with them to keep Seema. So all the villagers asked us to adopt Seema. We intend to keep Seema with us" said Kulamani Sahoo, foster father of an orphaned girl.

This project is yet to be approved by the Children's Welfare Committee and prescribes certain adoption guidelines for the foster family.

"Children Homes are orphanages for the orphans in the State but they are not functioning properly. This new concept of alternative care is a very good proposal. One of them is foster parental care. But the foster parents should with an issue or there should not be any small children with them. This will help the children feel like home," said Dr. K P Bohidar, former Chairman of the Child Welfare Committee in Bolangir.

If this project mooted by Youth Council for Development Alternatives gets official approval, it can benefit small children who miss the feeling of being brought up at home.

Established in 1993, Youth Council for Development Alternatives has been active in sustainable socio-economic development of disadvantaged and oppressed masses in the community. It works with a team of experienced and trained social workers in different fields. By Sharada Lahangir

Source-ANI
RAS/SK