When we began family reunification for “Nadia,” we quickly found her grandma. Nadia’s grandma said she wanted to be part of her granddaughter’s life. They had several meetings and were developing a close bond. Our social workers completed one assessment after the next and the reunification was on track.
Then tragically, Nadia’s grandma passed away.
Nadia’s reunification was back at square one. Several other relatives were identified, and though these connections have been very important, they were not good permanent living solutions for Nadia.
In Haiti, 80% of children living in orphanages have family members who could care for them. But what about the remaining 20% of children with no family members? Or children like Nadia with families that are unable or unwilling to bring the child into their homes? Is an orphanage their only option?
Research shows that children have better outcomes when raised in families than in institutional care settings like orphanages. At Child Hope International, we are committed to finding a safe, loving family for each of the children in our orphanage, so our social workers began exploring foster care as an option.
We received approval from Haitian Social Services (IBESR) to place Nadia with a foster family. However, since Haiti does not have a formal foster care system, there was no clear path for how to find a family.
We began our search within our own staff. Nadia has a very close bond with one of the nannies – “Celeste” – who has been working at Child Hope since Nadia was a baby. Our staff prayed for Nadia and Celeste to be open to the idea of this placement. When it was discussed with them, they both were very excited!
Celeste and her husband attended training sessions hosted by Child Hope in preparation for Nadia’s transition. Child Hope also helped construct a room so Nadia would have a space of her own in the home.
Earlier this year, Nadia moved into Celeste’s home.
At a recent follow-up, Nadia beamed with excitement about being able to walk to the market with Celeste and purchase the food for the week. This is something she never was able to do in the orphanage. At the orphanage Nadia was only allowed to leave the property for school and special outings. She is a part of a family and participating in all facets of family life, even shopping for groceries.
The best part of the reunification is that Nadia’s bond with Celeste has grown stronger than it was before.
*Names changed to protect identities.