Recent updates from Holt-supported family strengthening and orphan care programs around the world!
Cambodia
Holt’s team in Cambodia recently organized a goal-setting workshop for sponsored high school students in Phnom Penh. With national examinations on the horizon, the workshop invited students to create educational and career goals. Students learned about different educational paths, scholarship opportunities and current job trends. With the support of Holt sponsors, students have access to opportunities that help shape their futures.
Holt’s team also held child nutrition workshops in four villages, helping parents and caregivers understand how to support their children’s health and development. To help prevent malnutrition, Holt’s team shared information about its signs, symptoms and effects. Parents and caregivers learned about the five food groups and appropriate dietary practices, as well as key hygiene practices such as handwashing with soap and drinking safe water.
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.
Uganda
Through the support of Holt sponsors and donors, children and families receive essential healthcare, from emergency medical care to preventative education. In response to the recent Ebola cases in Kampala, Holt Uganda is working with school partners, district health departments and volunteer village health teams to raise awareness and strengthen prevention in the rural communities where Holt serves children and families.
Rural areas have limited access to the prevention resources available in Kampala, where most response efforts have been focused. Authorities are enforcing containment measures city-wide, including contact tracing, mandatory handwashing stations at bus stops and temperature screenings at transport terminals.
As of late June, Uganda has reported 20 cases of Ebola — with 15 recoveries and 2 deaths.
Preventative healthcare and education are critical for families living in poverty. Your Gift of Hope will provide community hygiene training for parents and caregivers where they’ll learn about clean water, handwashing and more.
The Philippines
Recently, Holt’s local partner, Kaisahang Buhay Foundation, helped match five children with domestic adoptive families in the Philippines. All five adoption orders were finalized, giving children the opportunity to grow up in the country and culture of their birth.
Since the 1970s, Holt has advocated for local, in-country adoption in the Philippines. Today, more children in the Philippines join families in their birth country every year than they join families in the U.S. or other countries. Holt continues to support in-country adoption in the Philippines by providing the resources and support our partners need to complete homestudies and ensure a smooth, ethical process for both the child and their adoptive family.
Around the world, Holt helps children join families in their country of birth. Read more about Holt’s work to unite children with families through domestic adoption.
India
Holt’s local partner in Pune, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), recently held a vibrant summer camp for all its childcare centers. Children of all ages enjoyed a series of cooking activities that combined learning with fun. BSSK staff taught children about nutrition, hygiene, teamwork and basic culinary skills. For many children, this summer camp provided the opportunity to try cooking for the first time. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, children are learning new skills and creating joyful memories together.
Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), Holt’s partner in Bangalore, honored mothers with a heartwarming Mother’s Day celebration. Children presented handmade cards to their mothers in VCT childcare centers and partner schools. Children with single mothers gave a special thank-you to their mothers for the deep care and encouragement they provide each day.
VCT also recently organized five community workshops across migrant communities. In the summer, temperatures in Bangalore average around 85°F, with 60% humidity. Children can become dehydrated easily, especially in migrant communities without reliable access to clean water. In each workshop, VCT staff shared about the importance of personal hygiene, cleanliness, safe drinking water and healthy nutrition. Families also learned about preventing low hemoglobin and anemia with iron-rich foods.
Your support ensures that workshops like these reach the most vulnerable children and families. Join Food Every Day and help provide the consistent nutrition children need to stay healthy and grow.
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.
