Recent updates from Holt-supported family strengthening and orphan care programs around the world!
China
In China, Holt’s nutrition and health services team recently completed a five-day Child Nutrition Program (CNP) training for staff and caregivers at the Tianjin Orphanage, which specializes in caring for children with special needs. Children with disabilities are at a significantly higher risk of malnutrition because their caregivers simply don’t have the training to feed them properly. Children are often fed lying down, which can cause them to choke or aspirate on their food.
To address these risks, the team first worked with caregivers in Tianjin — and then in Nanning — providing hands-on training in proper feeding and positioning techniques, how to screen and monitor children’s nutrition and health status, and how to provide targeted interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition.
The nutrition and health services team also traveled to Nanning to conduct a three-day CNP and trauma-informed care training for staff at an HIV group home. Holt sponsors and donors support group homes across China that provide specialized care for children with complex medical and developmental needs, including children living with HIV, a condition so stigmatized that many children with HIV are unwelcome in schools and sometimes even orphanages. These group homes offer children a sense of family, a safe and supportive environment, and the opportunity to attend school.
Your support ensures that trainings like these reach the most vulnerable children. Join Food Every Day, Holt’s community of monthly donors dedicated to ending child hunger. Your generosity provides the consistent nutrition children need not just to survive, but to grow and thrive.
Ethiopia
Last month, Holt Ethiopia expanded girls’ resource centers to five partner schools. These centers are equipped with essential hygiene facilities and materials, along with designated female teachers and student representatives to lead girls’ resource committees.
The Menstrual Health Management initiative, led by Holt Ethiopia, aims to reduce absenteeism, school dropout and stigma affecting girls. In a community survey, Holt staff found that 94 percent of girls left school for 6-10 days per month during menstruation and 78 percent of girls reported experiencing harassment and teasing due to menstruation. Because of this stigma — combined with the impacts of poverty — many girls drop out of school and get married early, continuing the cycle of poverty and gender disparity into the next generation.
Thanks to Holt sponsors and donors, girls are given the resources to succeed — through sponsorship, school scholarships and support through community initiatives like girls’ resource centers.
Holt sponsors and donors make education and medical resources accessible to girls in vulnerable communities all around the world. Give a Gift of Hope today to help a girl overcome barriers and stay in school!
India
As part of the observance of National Girl Child Day and International Education Day, Holt’s partner organization, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), held awareness sessions on child rights at three public schools, reaching 474 students in Bangalore.
The month prior, VCT held sessions on bullying, cyberbullying and body shaming at local schools, reaching over 1,000 students. Through the support of Holt sponsors and donors, students received mental health resources for stress and healthy coping practices for distress.
Meanwhile, in the city of Pune, Holt’s partner organization, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), celebrated Makar Sankranti — the festival of harvest — with children at all four of its Holt-supported centers. The children who receive services through BSSK either live at the care center or in impoverished communities surrounding Pune. These children rarely receive anything extra, and the Makar Sankranti celebration was a special treat.
As part of the celebration, the children wore festive clothes, ate traditional sweets, and shared words of gratitude and kindness. In the city of Pune, it is common to eat tilgul — a jaggery and sesame candy coated with sesame seeds. Women also create intricate rangoli designs with colorful flowers, rice powders and chalk to celebrate Makar Sankranti and other festivals.
School protects children from dangers no child should ever face — including child labor, trafficking and exploitation. Make a difference today by giving a one‑year scholarship to a child at risk of dropping out.
Uganda
In impoverished rural communities of Uganda, Holt sponsors and donors help children stay in school — beginning in preschool and continuing all the way to graduation. For many families living in poverty, the cost of school fees, supplies and uniforms is simply too high.
To help bridge this gap, Holt began providing donor‑funded scholarships in 2018 so children could continue on to secondary school. Students who receive these scholarships also participate in life skills training, and their parents or caregivers receive counseling to help them support their child’s education through graduation.
Recently, National Primary Leaving Examination results were released — and 11 out of 13 Holt‑supported children passed and qualified for secondary education. This pass rate is nearly 10% higher than the national average — a remarkable achievement!
Education is one of the greatest tools a child has to overcome poverty. Sponsor a child today to ensure that nothing stands in the way of their bright future.
Learn more about Holt’s work and history!
At Holt International, we help children thrive in the love and stability of a family. But our services extend far beyond the adoption work we are known for.
