Bungamati Family Community Center
March 2010 Global Family Village launches Family Community Program, with its Partner in Education, E3!
BUNGAMATI FAMILY COMMUNITY CENTER
GFV is partnering with an existing orphanage, the Central Child Welfare Board and the Bungamati Community, in Lalitpur district, Nepal to begin a Family Community Center. GFV, together with its partners, is helping to restructure the care-giving approach. "Families" are formed – each child is part of a small group (their siblings), each group has a trained "mother", and a "grandparent" from the community. Each “family” lives together in their own apartment or set of rooms on the premises. The "families" will be an integral part the community.
Additionally, GFV Bungamati Family and Community Center will offer programs for the community including childcare, preprimary education, nurition education and caregiver training. GFV will engage with the community to assess how we can best contribute to the local schools to accommodate the incoming children, and help improve their schools. E3 (Emerging, Education, Equality) is our Partner in Education for this program. They have experience in community education development in developing countries. We are fortunate that they have generously supported us, and we are proud that they will be our partners for the duration of the community education development. (www.E3world.org)
Each Center management team, and the local community is assisted by GFV in creating income-generating activities for long-term sustainability.
Follow the progress at "Project Update" (from front page)
Caregiver Training/Healthy Infant and Baby Development
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Caregiver Training – Healthy Infant and Baby Development (HIBD) HIBD is a continuation of the Caregiver Training and Baby Rooms Improvement Program that was begun with ICRI in 2004. HIBD promotes healthy and happy infant and baby development, leading to a reduction in infant mortality as well as improvements in all aspects of infant and baby development. The program, which emphasizes empowerment of the caregivers, will ultimately enhance the quality of care for infants and children aged 0-6 years.
Over a period of two years, the caregivers for the orphaned children living at Bal Mandir were matched by an equal number of caregivers from the community. They were trained in all aspects of baby and child development and current best practices; recognition of trauma in a child; and the special needs of the traumatized child. There was also esteem-building workshops for the caregivers and improvements to the facilities available for them. By the end of the two years, the caregivers were more like “mothers” and are working more confidently and cooperatively in a manner consistent with mothers caring for their own children. To help assure sustainability, there will be a three-year follow-up period.
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Due to poverty In Nepal, many suitable young students cannot attend school. Global Family Village is committed to supporting some of these deserving students by supplying funding for books, stationery, school bags, and school uniforms. GFV organizes teacher-training programs for preprimary and primary education in order to develop the teachers’ capacity and to improve the teaching-learning situation in the schools.
The current state of the Nepali health care system is inadequate to meet even the basic requirements of its people. Easily preventable diseases such as diarrhea, malnutrition, and acute respiratory infections account for 95% of all under-five mortality and morbidity.
GFV helps support children/families needing medical/dental care and preventive medicine for those who are unable to pay for themselves, in cooperation with the Chhatrapati Free Clinic in Kathmandu.