Tracing and Placing.....

This are our two Social Workers, Elias (left) and Simon. They are doing a great job in tracing the families of children, who are abandoned or found in town. They know many people in Soroti, and often they "hear" traces..... If children are found, they hang posters around that place. They talk with people, trying to found out where the child came from. When they have a possibility of knowing where the home is, they go there and they find out the truth. They talk with neighbours and with the local counsellors. And often they "find" the relatives. But not always...... After some time they will find a foster family to care for the child and willing to adopt the child in the future. That foster family comes for interviews and also to the Probation office. After that the family will be visit in the village, to inspect the home by the probation officer and one of our Social Workers.

Simon and Elias are also going to the villages to visit the homes of children who are in Amecet. Last week they went to check on the family of Gorreti and Sam, who are both in Amecet at the moment.

 They talk with the parents, see how they live, if they have land to grow crops, they inspect the home and they try to give advice and to get more understanding about the situation of the family.

 Sometimes they meet the clan leaders and they talk about the child and how to help the child to come back home. On this picture you see them talking about Rebecca, a little girl that came to Amecet, because nobody wanted to care for her. But now, after meeting the clan, it turned out to be different and Rebecca is welcome back in the family.

 This is the family of Matthew, he is also welcomed back in his family. It takes sometimes several visits to the village. But it is so important to know that the child has a place to go back to, after he or she is stable.

Orphans are very vulnerable and sometimes people, even their own relatives, abuse them. It happens that Simon or Elias are called to the village by a concerned family member or neighbour, to help and mediate between the different people. On this picture it was about the cows of one of the orphans, who had been living in Amecet before. He was given back his two cows and Simon was involved in the process.

There are so many situation where they are involved in. They also have a important part to play with the older children in our home. They often sit with them and they talk together. They kind of play the Father role in their life. We thank God for men like Simon and Elias, who play such an important role in Amecet!!!