Training of Caregivers
Status Quo
According to the UNAIDS report of 2008, the number of Ethiopian children having lost either one or both parents to AIDS is estimated at five million. Due to this illness and the weakening of the traditional family care system caused by general poverty, the growing population of orphans in need of care has drastically increased the number of orphanages, state–run and private, to more than 250 throughout the country. Although supportive and close child–caregiver relationships would meet the orphans' basic needs for safety, affection, attachment and stimulation, children are only offered food and shelter, while the role of the caregivers is limited to overall supervision, focusing solely on children requiring urgent medical attention. These conditions generate life–long, irremediable damage to the children's emotional, linguistic, cognitive and physical development.
Despite the deplorable situation, no coordinated effort is being made in Ethiopia to promote supportive child–caregiver interaction. The majority of the caregivers lack the relevant knowledge and suitable skills to tend to the children and their developmental needs. For this reason, a proper training programme is of urgent priority.
Investing in the future
121Ethiopia is developing a pedagogical–psychological training programme for caregivers in Addis Ababa. The programme is based on principles of child development and their practical application. The educational model, including classroom studies and job training, incorporates input from children, caregivers, administrative staff, research units and relevant governmental institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Addis Ababa Woman and Children Affairs Office. By collaborating closely with local organisations, 121Ethiopia hopes to raise awareness of the importance of caregivers' education and to contribute to the establishment of a minimum standard of childcare in Ethiopia.
First steps
In the first phase of the project (April–December 2011), every two weeks four caregivers from private orphanages in Addis Ababa will attend a two–week training programme. Upon successful completion, the caregivers will have gained basic knowledge about child development and childcare; will have learned skills of interaction; and they will know the importance of early stimulation, which they will then be capable of providing. When they return to the orphanage in which they work, they will be able to share this knowledge with their colleagues, thus raising the quality of the childcare and extending the positive effects of the programme.
In the second phase (January 2012–December 2014), a total of thirty caregivers will attend a six–month comprehensive educational training programme that will enhance the caregivers' understanding of the psycho–social developmental needs of the orphan children, enabling them to provide professional care. In the same period, 121Ethiopia will work with the Ministry of Education and other relevant government structures to get accreditation for the programme. Gradually, 121Ethiopia will try to reach more personnel and expand the programme.
Partnership with local organisations
121Ethiopia believes in strong partnerships that will help develop the local community's confidence in their problem–solving capacities. The organisation strives for an increased participation of all local partners to promote a sense of ownership, thus ensuring sustainability of the project.
From 2005 to 2008, 121Ethiopia worked closely with Gert Jensen, project co–ordinator at the ELSA Foundation, to renovate the Kechene Youth Care and Rehabilitation Centre in Addis Ababa.
In it's current project, 121Ethiopia is working towards an exciting new challenge in partnership with a local institution to help and support several orphaned and vulnerable children. 121Ethiopia strives to work strongly with other organizations solidifying partnerships that seek to promote care and support for orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia with a higher level of ethical standards than what one currently finds in Ethiopia. Unlike the average national children caregiver ratio in orphanages of 62:1, 121Ethiopia firmly believes in the importance of lowering the caregiver/child ratio in Ethiopian orphanages to 3:1, which ideally leads to a psychologially healthy child/caregiver relationship and development.
121Ethiopia also collaborates with other private and governmental orphanages in Addis Ababa, as well as local children organisations and the local governmental administration. The organisation continuously aims to improve the capacity of its local partner institutions through the transfer of professional skills, information, training and appropriate technology.
