LEARNING FROM ONE ANOTHER: REPLICATING SUCCESSFUL MODELS

REV. JOHN YORK, SECRETARY GENERAL, INTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF LIBERIA

Sarajevo| 25 July 2015

Overview of the Problem

Liberia’s Civil War (1990-2003) and Ebola Outbreak (2014-2015) have resulted in more than 50,000 orphaned children

Orphanages have become a big “business” in Liberia and more than 200 have been established since 2003

Displacement, urbanization and extreme poverty contribute to children being placed in orphanages

Instead of being trusted to communities and extended family structures, children were sent to institutions

Problems with Institutionalization

The large increase in institutions left them highly unregulated

Child abuse occurs regularly in many institutions

Some orphanages serve as child trafficking or illegal adoption centers

IRCL Focus Area

Communities were ill-equipped to support children who lost their parents as well as parents who could not afford to keep their children

Available Assets

More than 90% of Liberia’s population subscribe to a major faith tradition

Moral: Religious leaders had the moral authority to speak out against institutionalization

Spiritual: Religious passages on supporting those in need.

Social: Community structures, such as the Shaita Women of Faith (WoF)

Assets of the Religious and Inter-religious Communities

Accessibility to radio and TV talk shows Platform to disseminate messages

against child abuse and institutionalization

Inter-religious groups (Shaita WoF) to address the prioritized driver

The Program - Objectives

O1: To decrease child abuse in the communities through religious messaging

O2: To support teen mothers and provide an alternative to institutionalization

O3: To reintegrate institutionalized children in the community

Decreasing Child Abuse and Institutionalization through Messaging

IRCL built a network of more than 2000 key religious leaders at the community level who propagated messages against child abuse through: Participating in call-in radio and TV talk

shows Providing sermons against child abuse Messaging on deinstitutionalization across

the network through the U’ Report National and local consultations of

religious leaders on de-institutionalization

Increasing the Community’s Capacity to Care for Orphans

Shaita WoF each contribute to a fund that is used to support at-risk teen mothers within the community

Shaita WoF mobilize other women’s groups to replicate the model

Women’s groups develop sustainability strategies for the program

Reintegrating Orphans

Identifying orphans and referred them to community programs

Serving on Child Welfare Committees (CWCs)

Ensuring that children receive alternative care within communities

Supporting families that care for orphans

IRCL has referred over 200 children orphaned by Ebola for support

Methods Employed

Awareness Raising- through messaging Education- through training WoF Strategic Humanitarian Assistance-

through supporting at-risk teen mothers Advocacy- through radio and TV

programs and serving on child welfare committees

Strengthened Capacity

UNICEF has trained IRCL Staff, Coordinators and Field Teams on Monitoring and Reporting Abuses, Referral Pathways for De-institutionalization, and Psychosocial Support (PSS)

Coordinators have motorbikes to reach difficult terrains for surveillance

RfP International provides technical guidelines, program inputs, etc.

IRCL has 3 functional out station offices with full physical and operational presence with local RLs.

Constructing a database on RLs in Liberia targeting an estimated 10,000 RLs

Ability to reach 2000 RLs within a minute by the IRCL U’ Report chapter which is free without charge on all phone networks in Liberia

A Note of Thanks

Our special courtesy and appreciation to the Buddhist Community of the Religions for Peace Family whose enormous contributions have made this program successful

Thank You!