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DCF Activities October 2019

Foto van schrijver: BarbaraBarbara

Dear DCF Friends, thank you for being with us again...

In this newsletter we write about the difficult and worrying situation Ecuador currently is enduring. But also about the hope and changes our programs are creating. Finally, we share with you an inspiring story of one of the children.


With warm regards,

Alex, Barbara, Helma and Nicoline - Board of Daniëlle Children's Fund Netherlands

 

ECUADOR

Since the beginning of this month, the government has introduced a new reform package that they hoped would help the country leave its deep economic crisis. Instead, this led to violent strikes in many parts of the country. Important roads have been blocked, causing the country to be paralyzed. Currently schools are closed. It is disturbing to witness how, in desperate times, people are not able to turn their anger into concrete proposals, but instead, seek to blame and harm others. Human rights are violated, disguised by the idea that everyone has the right to fight for their own rights. The alarming situation Ecuador is facing is a particular challenge for a country where the people are not used to expressing what they think, want and need through dialogue. This, however, is the only solution that will bring forth a more peaceful reality.


Unaccompanied and separated migrant children and teenagers: We would like to share the following comment from Lauren Manville who spent some time with us as a volunteer at our project aimed to help unaccompanied Venezuelan teenagers and children: “The first thing that hit me at the centre is how friendly everybody is. The sense of community there: or even greater, the sense of family; is undeniable. There is unconditional care and support between the staff and young people, from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave. The situations of the young people are complex and tragic, hard to face and even harder to imagine. Yet the team tackles them, working with the young people to find long term solutions, and making their stay there as easy as possible. We took walks into town, made bracelets and laughed over dinner, all lending a helping hand to cook and to clean. I was extremely moved by those I met and the stories I was told during my stay, emphasising the importance of the project to me even more: it is perhaps a small change in the grand scheme of things, however the difference it makes to those who pass through the house means everything”.


On the 26th of august, the Ecuadorian government announced a new set of measurements, in which everyone, including children and adolescents, needs a passport to enter the country. This has led to fewer adolescents entering via migration offices. Instead, they cross the border in an irregular way; making it harder for our team to identify them. Our team (social worker and psychologist) will therefore temporarily change its basis to Quito in order to travel to those places where adolescents need help and support.

Consultancy for the Ministry of Education and Social Inclusion: Towards the end of September we had a series of workshops, together with Red Convivencia and the Ministry. We worked together with directors, lawyers and administrative staff of children's homes. The topic was: “Organizational changes: from Institutional Care to Alternative Care.” Many of the people that took part were representatives of religious organizations that have been providing institutional care for many years. We discussed the responsibilities for organizations to adapt the way they work to guarantee the rights of the children. So far, the course has been creating plenty space for dialogue & reflection. One of the participants mentioned: “We are open to new paradigms. Institutionalization can harm children and we need to look for alternatives.”


NEPAL


One day, the parents of Rojina Chepang decided to leave behind everything they knew, in the hopes of finding a better life in Kathmandu. Together with their daughter, they got, without anybody knowing, into the back of a truck and left the Dhadhing district, in the central part of Nepal.


Both parents were able to speak Nepali, however, Rojina could not. Our CARE program has made it possible for her to join classes to prepare herself for school. It only took her a half year, until she was promoted to normal class due to her remarkable learning capacity.


When she joined the school she was extremely shy. However, she soon turned into an extroverted and social student, that likes to make friends. Her parents found work in a local meat shop and are generating sufficient income to pay for their rent and food. They are very happy Rojina can go to school every day.



SPONSORS & THANK YOUS

Finally, our sincerest thanks to you for your faithful involvement in whatever form, because together we can make the world a better place, really every little gesture matters!!


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Daniëlle Children's Fund - DCF is a Dutch foundation, registered at the Chamber of Commerce of Rotterdam under number 24328915; and recognized by the Dutch tax authorities under number 8120.75.365 as an "ANBI" which means that donations are tax deductible. 
The DCF Board consists completely of volunteers. In our Child 'N Family centers in Ecuador and Nepal the local professional teams guide children in need and their families.

Daniëlle Children’s Fund

Goudenregenstraat 6
2201 NL Noordwijk
The Netherlands

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