GHR Foundation
  • Impact Areas
    • Global Engagement >
      • Children in Families
      • Prepare The Future
      • Programs in Transition >
        • BridgeBuilder >
          • Overview
          • 2017 Top Ideas >
            • Peace Direct
            • BioCarbon Engineering
            • LIFT Chicago
            • Local Youth Corner Cameroon
            • NaTakallam
          • 2018 Top Ideas >
            • This is My Backyard
            • Found in Translation
            • Producers Direct
            • War Child Canada
            • My Choices Foundation
          • 2019 Top Ideas >
            • Top Manta
            • Five One Labs
            • SAMA for All
            • Talent Beyond Boundaries
            • FaithAction
        • Inter-Religious Action
        • Sister Support
    • Catholic Education
    • Twin Cities Racial Equity (TCRE)
    • Alzheimer's Initiative
  • News
  • About Us
    • The Foundation
    • History & Legacy
    • Team >
      • Staff
      • Committees
      • Board
    • FAQs
    • Grants & Financials
  • Contact

Results from a Children in Families National Consultation in Zambia

5/31/2016

 
Picture
GHR Foundation's Children in Families funding is currently supporting child protection interventions in Zambia, a country with an estimated 8,000 children living in 190 institutions. Program staff recently participated in a Zambia National Consultation facilitated by our partners and attended by more than 40 representatives of the Zambian government and other stakeholders in the welfare of children outside of family care.

The three-day consultation drew constructive engagement and discussion from everyone present, and concluded with the issuing of a call for action by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, titled “Accelerating Child Care Reform in Zambia.” The document encourages other ministries, cooperating partners, civil society and other stakeholders to support actions including the establishment of a national technical working group on child care reform, the development of a national alternative care framework and the undertaking of research and evidence building.
 
Other takeaways include the focus on supporting children with disabilities, which was well-addressed by the government and the call for action, and the necessity of strengthening the social welfare workforce by improving training and accreditation. In the country of more than 14 million people, there are only 274 social welfare officers—actors key to our work. The next step after the consultation will be the formation of a technical working group on alternative care. This group will incorporate expertise from the current group of GHR partners and broaden participation to a larger number of stakeholders in Zambia.
 
To learn more about how GHR is working toward a world where all children are living in a stable, positive, long-term family or family-like environment, contact us.

Progress from a Local Solutions Grantee

5/23/2016

 
Picture
GHR places high value on building the internal capacity of our partner non-profit organizations so they are well-positioned to be sustainable and meet client needs. Technology infrastructure is a critical part of this, yet non-profits often operate with outdated and ineffective systems. In recent conversations with a grantee, Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) in Plymouth, Minn., GHR staff learned how technological improvements can translate directly into enhanced impact. IOCP, an Opus Foundation grantee, provides emergency and long-term solutions to support families in achieving stability. IOCP has an annual operating budget of $5.9 million and serves eight suburbs in the west Twin Cities metro area. GHR funding helped the organization build a database aimed at more effectively tracking client progress and improving service delivery to enhance the client experience.
 
Working collaboratively throughout the process, IOCP staff met with each family served—more than 2,000—and completed new intake assessments. The process required a great deal of staff time, but offered a more comprehensive picture of the people they serve and increased personal connections among staff, clients and the community. IOCP’s approach provided a valuable pause in operations for reflection, conversation and relationship building, resulting in stronger infrastructure beyond just technology.
 
GHR’s grant strengthened the operations of a local organization serving 5,500 people and nearly 2,000 households, and afforded GHR the opportunity to learn more about the importance of funding capacity building, making time for reflection, and re-tooling systems as core grant making strategies.
 
GHR is dedicated to supporting both practical and creative solutions—each critical to strengthening the non-profit sector. To learn more about how our grantees are impacting lives in Minnesota and around the world, contact us.

Uganda Landscape Study Shows Opportunities for Change

5/11/2016

 
Picture
A Catholic sister caring for a child in Uganda
Global research demonstrates that children raised in families or family-like settings have better cognitive, emotional and social outcomes than those living outside family care. GHR Foundation’s Sister Support initiative has found that Catholic sisters are well positioned to realize the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and children living outside of family care by combining the best of the Catholic tradition of care with insights from contemporary research.
 
In Uganda—a country where an estimated 50,000 children live in institutions and more than half of the children are deemed critically or moderately vulnerable—the number of child care institutions has increased from 36 to over 500 in the last 20 years.
 
Legislation recently adopted by the Ugandan government means significant changes are in the making. The new legislation emphasizes keeping children connected with families, placing children in family-like environments and using institutional care only as a last resort. Training in social work will be expected for those responsible for children living outside of families.
 
GHR Foundation has recently partnered with the Association of Religious of Uganda to complete studies on the new requirements, educational opportunities and Catholic work with vulnerable children and children living outside of family care. The Association of Religious of Uganda is currently developing plans to help sisters build their capacity to provide the highest level of care possible for children in need.
 
For some congregations in Uganda, working with vulnerable children and children living outside of family care is the reason for their existence. By helping these congregations gain the skills necessary to succeed, there is potential for ensuring vital futures for both Catholic sisters and children outside of family care. To learn more about how GHR is working with sisters and children, contact us.

Progress for Children and Families in Cambodia

5/11/2016

 
Picture
GHR grantee Angkor Children's Hospital
GHR Foundation's Children in Families funding supports child protection organizations that strengthen families, respond to children without family care and drive further evidence of innovative, pro-family approaches. One such organization is M’lup Russey in Cambodia, which promotes best practice in alternative care and provides services to young people so they can develop as healthy individuals.

GHR's partnership with M’lup Russey began six months ago, and they are already returning impressive results. They have raised awareness of the new minimum standards of residential care for children among caregivers and government staff and built strong working relationships with caregivers who can now rely on them for further assistance.
​
In the past six months, M’Lup Russey provided training on minimum standard of residential care of children to four Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation coordinators and 33 residential care coordinators, generating interest in the community. Program directors have requested additional capacity building support in order to ensure the implementation of minimum standards

One family to which a child was reunified has benefited from the cooperation and facilitation provided by M’lup Russey and the authorities managing the reunification—the family was able to move into a new house and find jobs as vegetable sellers, and the child’s case was closed in March.

M’lup Russey has recognized that youth are key to supporting communities and vulnerable children, and are identifying activities to add to their programs that will build youth capacity by teaching skills, creating job opportunities and helping them develop into mature leaders.

The inspiring work of grantees like M’lup Russey brings us closer to a world where all children—especially those at risk of losing or without parental care—are living in a stable, positive, long-term family or family-like environment. To learn more about GHR’s investment in children and families, contact us.

    Categories

    All
    A4
    Alzheimer's
    Alzheimer's Association
    BridgeBuilder
    C2N
    Catholic Schools
    Children In Families
    COVID-19
    Develop Diagnostics
    DIAN Primary Prevention
    DIAN-TU
    Education
    Global Development
    Higher Education
    Inter-Religious Action
    La Jolla Institute
    Mayo Clinic
    Mayo Clinic Study Of Aging
    NIH-NIA
    Observational Studies
    Prepare The Future
    Prevention Trials
    Sister Support
    Twin Cities Racial Equity

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    October 2013
    December 2012

    RSS Feed

CONNECT WITH US

IMPACT AREAS  |  NEWS  |  ABOUT  |  JOBS  | ​ CONTACT  
Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
©2023 GHR FOUNDATION
All Rights Reserved.