Publications / Articles

CAFO Webinar Recap: Strategies and Resources for Transition to Family-Based Care

In the last Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) webinar, Strategies and Resources for Transition to Family-Based Care, experts in advocacy, research, and hands-on experience spoke about helpful information for faith-based organizations to use as they transition from residential care to care within families. Joining the discussion were Sarah Gesiriech, Executive Director of the Faith to Action Initiative; Beth Bradford, International Child Protection Consultant with Maestral International; and Tara Garcia, Co-Founder and CEO of Identity Mission. This webinar provides practical tips and highlights free resources, including Faith to Action’s newly released Transitioning to Family Care for Children: A Guidance Manual, to assist [...]

CAFO Webinar Recap: Strategies and Resources for Transition to Family-Based Care2024-01-10T14:25:26-05:00

New Better Care Network Working Paper on Gatekeeping

Published jointly with UNICEF, Better Care Network has recently released a new working paper focused on the role of gatekeeping in strengthening family-based care and reforming alternative care systems. Gatekeeping refers to systematic procedures aimed at ensuring that alternative care for children is used only when necessary, and that the type of care provided is suitable to the individual child. This Working Paper reviews different approaches to gatekeeping in five countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Moldova, and Rwanda. In each context, the working paper explores what has and has not worked, analyzes lessons learned from practice, and reflects on the implications for improving policy [...]

New Better Care Network Working Paper on Gatekeeping2024-01-17T17:24:17-05:00

New Journeys of Faith Study Series Materials Now Available!

Sunday, November 8th is Orphan Sunday, an opportunity for Christians around the world to collectively impel and activate church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan. In celebration of Orphan Sunday, Faith to Action is pleased to announce the launch of our new Journeys of Faith Study Series! This series, Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Study Guide for Journeys of Faith, provides an introduction and overview on topics related to family-based care for orphans and vulnerable children. The series was developed in response to the Journeys of Faith pilot study completed last year. [...]

New Journeys of Faith Study Series Materials Now Available!2024-03-11T11:37:40-04:00

Continuum of Care Resources Now Available!

Faith to Action is excited to announce the launch of three new resources on the continuum of care. The continuum of care provides an overview of a range of alternative care options for children who have been separated from parental care. In keeping with research and evidence-based guidance on the importance of family in the life of a child, the continuum places a high priority on family care while also recognizing the role that temporary residential care and small group homes can play in the spectrum of options to meet individual situations and needs. The continuum of care highlights [...]

Continuum of Care Resources Now Available!2024-01-17T17:50:43-05:00

OVC Resources for you!

Faith to Action is excited to share a great resource with our networks. Since the relaunch of OVCsupport.org in July of last year, there has been a rejuvenated sense of collaboration and sharing of additional resources produced by the OVC community. OVCsupport has been hard at work in their mission to make as much of it as possible easily accessible through their What’s new? blog, featuring articles, announcements, and their expanded news of the week feature, as well as through our ever-growing resource database. Sign up for the OVCsupport bulletin in order to bring some of the highlights directly [...]

OVC Resources for you!2024-01-17T19:11:53-05:00

Promoting Family Life, Not Orphanages

Today marks 5 years since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The earthquake left much of the capital and surrounding area in ruins in one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. Although the government said more than 300,000 people were killed, the exact toll is unknown because there was no systematic effort to count bodies amid the chaos and destruction. In the midst of the chaos, families were separated and children orphaned. Following the earthquake, teams poured in from around the world to try to help respond, making it one of the most complicated emergency responses to date, [...]

Promoting Family Life, Not Orphanages2024-01-17T19:04:26-05:00

Now Available for Download – Summary of Research!

Faith to Action's latest publication, "Children, Orphanages, and Families: A Summary of Research to Help Guide Faith-Based Action" is now available online for download! This exciting resource for the faith-based community regarding care for orphanages and vulnerable children includes: Current global estimates and key facts about orphans, vulnerable children, and separation from parental care; Compelling evidence demonstrating the importance of family care; Research on the limitations of orphanages (as well as residential care); and A concise overview of family-based care (reunification, kinship, foster care, and adoption) and strategies to strengthen families. Read more and download your copy here: Children, Orphanages, [...]

Now Available for Download – Summary of Research!2024-01-17T19:26:38-05:00

The Nanny State: Orphanages are Closing, but Not Quickly Enough

The Nanny State: Orphanages are Closing, but Not Quickly Enough. The Economist, August 17, 2013. This article raises the issue of the need for institutional care reform, noting that orphanages can be damaging to a child’s development, can prevent a child from living with their family, and are more costly than family care. The article references research by Faith to Action Advisory Group member, John Williamson.

The Nanny State: Orphanages are Closing, but Not Quickly Enough2024-01-17T19:19:18-05:00

National Survey of Institutions for Children in Rwanda

National Survey of Institutions for Children in Rwanda. In March 2012, the Cabinet of the Republic of Rwanda approved the National Strategy for Child Care Reform, the first phase of which aims to ensure the closure of 33 institutions and placement of all 3,323 children and young adults living in them into alternative care. Hope and Homes for Children, in partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, conducted a national survey of these institutions. Among its key results, the study found: the majority of children had entered the institutions during the first seven years of their lives, with [...]

National Survey of Institutions for Children in Rwanda2024-01-17T19:35:00-05:00

Rwanda: Closing of Orphanages on Track

Rwanda: Closing of Orphanages on Track, But 2,000 Children Still Need Families. All Africa, by Jean De La Croix Tabaro & Maria Kaitesi, July 22, 2013. This article highlights Rwanda’s efforts to close 33 registered orphanages, and the challenge to find families for more than 2,000 children leaving the institutions through reintegration, foster care, and domestic adoption.

Rwanda: Closing of Orphanages on Track2024-01-17T19:34:46-05:00
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