This month, Village of Hope-Kitwe (the first VOH location) turns 13-years old! We’ve come a long way since then, and here are some thoughts from Executive Director Sergio Bersaglio, sharing some of the things he’s learnt over the past decade+.
The other day I attended a meeting with the house mothers and teachers of one of our villages. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the development of individual care plans for the children. Kristin Neufeld, a volunteer from Canada, was helping us to develop a template that could be used by all our villages.
As I sat and listened to the dialogue about the challenges that our house mothers and teachers face both in the homes and classrooms, I was so impressed with the level of understanding these ladies have of the challenges the children are facing. They knew about the backgrounds of the children, how they were doing at school, who was struggling with what subject, and which children had behavioural problems.
There was also discussion about how to address these problems, with great ideas coming from both house mothers and teachers. I think the best idea that came out of the meeting was that the house mothers would have bi-weekly meetings with the teachers to discuss the progress of the resident children.
We also discovered that children who attend our school who do not live in one of our children’s homes have their own unique challenges. Many have to work before coming to school causing them to be late. Most have care-givers who are illiterate and unable to help the children with their homework. Many are sent to school early because the care-giver has gone off to work. However, on a positive note, I was told that many of the community children come to the village even when school is closed. They see Village of Hope as a child-friendly place and enjoy coming to the village to play with the children who live there.
I was impressed how the house mothers were in tune with what was going on with the community children. This gives us a great opportunity to assist those who are struggling with their education during school breaks and to strive to make Village of Hope an even more child-friendly place.
At the end of our meeting I realized that we have come a long way in 13 years. Back in 1999 when we opened the first children’s home in Kitwe, Zambia we were not aware of issues such as Child Protection Policies, the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, or official care plans. Our focus was on providing shelter, nutrition and education for children in need. This was a “one size fits all” approach to care. Today we know that the needs of vulnerable children vary from child to child. Many face challenges that we cannot imagine. We have learned over time that we can help these children overcome these challenges by caring for them as individuals.
If there is one valuable lesson I have learned as a leader over the last 13 years, it is that Village of Hope is a work in progress and will always be a work in progress. As the challenges children face change, we as an organization need to be ready to adapt our programs if we expect to make a real difference in the lives of the children in our care. This is not easy, but if everyone takes on the attitude of the mothers and teachers I met with the other day, it will be possible.