Recent program updates from Holt-supported family strengthening and orphan care programs around the world!
Colombia
In Colombia, many families struggle to escape a generational cycle of neglect and abuse, and many have been separated by crisis and conflict. But at Holt, we believe that families can change with counseling, training and support and that every child should have the opportunity to grow up in the love and care of their parents.
In Colombia, Holt sponsors and donors support the reunification program at La Casa de la Madre y el Niño, one of our partner organizations. Recently, 30 families in the program received weekly in-home counseling and support sessions that were focused on attachment-based, trauma-informed practices. The sessions were aimed at helping families adopt unique strategies that will meet the needs of their children, and provided parents with tools to handle the challenges they face after reintegration, such as resolving conflicts, promoting children’s emotional well-being and fostering secure attachment, among others.
The La Casa program also helped families establish connections with government and private organizations that can address and support their educational, health and financial needs.
India
Now that the school year has kicked off in India, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), Holt’s longstanding partner in the city of Bangalore, has sent its education support teams out to network with local schools. Through its efforts, VCT hopes to enroll more students in educational sponsorship, which helps children living in poverty to attend school — many of them girls who would otherwise drop out to help support their families. VCT also conducted meetings with parents to discuss measures they can take to ensure a quality education for their children.
Bangalore is a bustling city in southern India, with a population of more than 14 million people, many of them migrants who have traveled from rural areas in search of work. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, VCT works with many migrant families living in the city’s slum communities, providing free daycare for children as well as other essential services for migrant workers and their families.
Korea
This past July, a group of 47 travelers embarked on Holt’s two-week Korea Heritage Tour, led by Paul Kim, the director of Holt’s Korea program. Of the group, 23 were Korean adoptees, ranging in age from 15 to 70, and 24 were adoptive parents, family members and friends. Notably, nine tour participants were over the age of 60, including two adoptees. In recent years, the heritage tour has seen an increasing number of older participants, both adoptees and their respective family members. Many of these first-generation adoptees joined their families shortly after Holt pioneered the modern practice of international adoption in South Korea — 68 years ago! Since 1956, Holt has united more than 36,000 children with permanent, loving adoptive families in the U.S.
This year’s tour participants had the opportunity to travel to national and historic sites to learn about Korea’s rich cultural heritage and to visit Holt sponsor- and donor-supported programs like the Ilsan Center, a long-term care facility for children and adults with disabilities or special needs.
Many Korean adoptees also had the chance to reconnect with their past through visits facilitated by Holt’s post-adoption team. For example, three adoptees were able to meet their birth families, five met with their foster families, seven visited their birth hospitals, and every adoptee who wished to do so was able to visit their birth city. The Korea Heritage Tour is open to all Korean adoptees and adoptive families, whether or not their placing agency was Holt.
Mongolia
Nearly a third of Mongolians live in poverty, and the nation has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in all of Asia. Roughly 47% of children and 1 in 3 women have experienced violence in the home. Holt sponsors and donors directly support three domestic violence shelters for mothers and children in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, where they receive temporary housing and support until they can safely rebuild their lives.
Recently, Mongolia’s Ministry of Health and other government agencies issued a joint order to ensure that women and children living in such temporary shelters receive an adequate amount of food, and that their daily caloric needs are met.
In Mongolia, lack of food diversity and malnutrition are a major concern. The country’s high altitude, extreme temperature fluctuations, long winters and low precipitation severely limit the number of crops that can grow — causing much of the country’s food to be imported from neighboring countries. Many families struggle to afford the high cost of imported foods, limiting the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet.
Philippines
This summer, a slow-moving typhoon combined with torrential monsoon rains caused widespread flooding and landslides in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines, affecting more than 4.5 million people. Schools and government offices were closed, and many families in Holt’s programs were forced to evacuate their homes. In countries like the Philippines, where millions of people live in poverty, such natural disasters are particularly devastating.
Thankfully, our local partner, Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), was able to survey the areas where our families live and assess their needs after the flooding. In late July, Holt launched a fundraising campaign to help these families. Through the generosity of Holt donors, KBF was able to assemble 437 emergency relief packages, each containing rice, canned goods, crackers, chewable vitamin C, rubbing alcohol, a bath towel, woven mat and pillow. These items were carefully selected to keep children from going hungry, and to keep them healthy amidst the damp and unhygienic conditions in their post-flood homes and neighborhoods.
Uganda
The International Day of the African Child is celebrated each year to raise awareness about the rights and well-being of African children. This year’s theme was “Education for all children in Africa: The time is now.”
Holt Uganda participated in the event with children at all eight of its partner schools. Students received special snacks and used creative art and drama to share their views about children’s education. District authorities acknowledged Holt Uganda for its contributions toward the protection and development of vulnerable children and confirmed their commitment to collaborating with Holt to promote the right to education for all children.
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with a median age of 16.2 years. For this reason, the government has placed a special emphasis on quality education and play-based learning, viewing them as vital to the nation’s future and economic development.
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