Meru Children and Adult Welfare (MECAWE), a children welfare Community-based Organisation (CBO) yesterday took Meru-based journalists through training to sensitize them on the child care reform program that entails a transition from children’s homes to family-based care.
MECAWE’s Director Ms. Mercy Bundi said their organization is one of the key implementers of the reforms in the County through the Learning for Change (L4C) program and was pleased to put journalists on board considering their role in society, especially in disseminating information.
“The main aim of the care reforms is to ensure children in Charitable Children Institutions (CCI) are reunified to their families in a safe way which will make them grow in love and independence just like other children,” said Ms Bundi.
Ms. Bundi noted that sensitizing journalists will equip them with information on the program which they will disseminate to the people giving them correct reports concerning success stories in reintegration of children by the organization.
“They will also be in a position to explain to people that the CCIs are not being closed down but we are only changing the system of giving care to these children,” said Ms Bundi.
She added: “All that we are saying is that the money they have been using to take care of children in their institutions should now be channelled to the communities and have more impact.”
She expressed her gratitude for the meeting with the journalists and promised to support them by availing detailed reports with facts and data together with the success stories.
She revealed that Meru County has a total of 31 CCIs with 30 of them being privately run and one belonging to the government.
“In these homes, we have more than 2600 children and we are grateful that since 2022, we have not admitted new children but we have released more than 30 to their families.”
“Of course, it has not been easy but slowly we are progressing and making sure the flow is only outwards without admission of new children,” said Ms Bundi.
She added that through the police stations, they have been able to support more than 70 children not to get into institutions.
“When we have cases of missing children, we trace their homes and they are reunified with their families rather than thinking of taking them to CCIs. We thank the police and other departments for this collaboration,” said Ms Bundi.
Mr Evans Muthomi, another officer from MECAWE said care reforms were generally a way of changing how children were being taken care of especially those in CCIs and those at home.
He said for Meru, the program started in 2022 and so far, they have hopes that they will end up well.
“Of course, it has not been without challenges. You will find that a child got into a children’s home at three years and the family is not known. We have such cases and to link such children to their families is a problem.”
“Some parents are there but they will tell you they cannot take back their children as the economy is very tough. But in all such cases, we try to talk to them to convince them,” said Mr Muthomi.
Evans also cited the process of transferring the children who had been in CCIs to their new schools as another impediment but despite all these, they are sure that they will eventually succeed.
“We work jointly with eight CCIs with about 400 children and so far, since 2022, we have reintegrated around 40 children who are moving on well as per our follow-ups,” said Mr Muthomi.
By Dickson Mwiti
