PROJECT “TOGETHER WITH THE CHILDREN AT THE CENTER”
Ai.Bi. & Elektrovent
Half year report October 2016
Foreword
The center FED in Goma (DRC) hosts at the moment 77 children, victims of family breakdown or abandoned. These children don’t have access to hospitals, schools, basic necessities.
The project “Together with the children at the center” foresees as principal activities:
- sanitary assistance;
- alimentary assistance;
- educational support;
- psychologic and social support.
Some of the major results between May 2016and October 2016:
1. Primary sanitary assistance
Usually children in need are visited by doctors every month and receive basic medicinal products. This improved the general health. The number of children in hospitals are reduced of 93%. From April 2016 till October 2016, only 5 out of 77 children hosted have been hospitalized (6,4%). In May 2016 happened a case of typhoid fever for an 11 years old child. In this occasion we paid the bill for hospitalization in a big center. Thanks to the help received in these 6 months we realized 82 health care interventions, including typhoid fever, dermatitis, infections, gastroenteritis, bronchitis and bronco-pneumonia. All the children have been de-wormed with Medendazole.
Beside medical assistance, doctors stress the importance of personal hygiene through teaching about washing teeth, washing hands with soap and using sanitation.
2. Alimentary assistance
Every month children get alimentary help. The center receives every month about 200 kg of rice, 200 kg of beans, 40 liters of vegetal oils and 100 Kg of corn flour. The center purchases different quantities depending on the actual needs. Thanks to this there have been no more cases of malnutrition within the children in the center, apart some cases in children just arrived from outside.
3. Educational support
Even if the premier declared that the education is free in DRC, in the reality parents must pay for the school, so every contribution for the inscription of the children is fundamental.
For the scholastic year 2016-2017, 48 children out of 58 (the 90%), had an economic support in order to attend the first quarter.
The greater part of the children in the center are from the inner part of the country, where are present armed groups, so beside the educational purpose, the children are inserted in a trusty and safe environment. Furthermore children that are going to school are less subject of forced joining to these military groups. This tis the witness of a 15 years old girl that received support from the center for this scholastic year:
“I’m 15 years old, I’m attending the fifth year of social technical secondary school. Two years ago I started losing any hope to go to school. The center did not have enough resources to help everybody of us, so only the ones that were almost at the end of the school cycle could finish it. With the support of Ai.Bi. it’s 2 years that I’m studying without fear and in one year I will end the cycle. After this I will become social operator and I hope that I will help other children here at the center. Thanks to everyone for your support “
4. Psychological and social support
Children are encouraged to develop some indispensable skills for life. This lead to an increase of appreciation by the community, showing that they are able to make something good and valuable. For this, last month we organized a workshop in which children manufactured some artistic pieces, some of which have been taken to school, in order to show the ability gained.
Starting from April, 6 children have been assigned to families, thanks to the support that the center gives to the social workers involved. The center manages also some listening session with children.
Hoping to do always our best, in the name of all the children of the FED center, we wish to thank you for all your support.
May God bless you
Redacted by:
Oscar Tembo – Social worker – Referent Ai.Bi. Goma DRC
