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Organization	Kidsave International
Region	Sierra Leone
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	@Twitter
ProjectLeader	Bonnie Williams

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This project finds families for children who lost their parents to war or Ebola; trains families and communities on the rights of children, monitors the children, helps with school, food and bed needs, creates supportive villagers where children are placed, and has a revolving microloan fund to increase families' income and food supply. Since Kidsave began this work in 2010, 1,092 children have been helped to find permanent families, usually kin and occasionally suitable non-kin.

Challenge

In Sierra Leone, rural orphanages have little support. Yet many children who lost or were separated from their parents could be reunited with kin if they could be located. They could grow up in families where they are properly fed, in school, healthy and happy. Many adults wrongly believe that orphans belong to the government and they have no right to them - keeping thousands of children stuck in orphanages where they are not getting the attention and care a family can give them.

Long-Term Impact

Giving a child a committed, loving family means they will have the lifelong support, security, guidance and commitment to their future that every child deserves. Strong and caring families lay the groundwork for children to feel useful, valued, worthwhile, capable, happy and able to reach their potential. This, in turn, strengthens villages, schools, the economy, society and the entire country.