FOSTER PARENTING PRESENTS AS A RELIABLE SOLUTION FOR ABANDONDED CHILDREN IN ARUA CITY

AIP Christine Driciru, the officer in charge of CFPU Arua City

By Sunday Amandi

Arua city

With the persistent cases of child abandonment in the community, the use of foster care has offered a reliable solution, with the child and family protection unit and the probation office in Arua city placing the affected children in the hands of foster parents for their better upbringing.

Foster care is a system where a child temporarily lives with a certified caregiver or family outside their biological home because their birth family cannot safely care for them, and such is a safe way of caring for the abandoned children,

According to Assistant Inspector of police Christine Driciru, the officer incharge of the child and family protection unit in Arua city, though the various initiatives have reduced the cases of child abandonment, the use of foster care is inevitable,

“We used to have these children very many, but of late, when we get these ones abandoned like one day old or two three, the fast thing we have to do is to rush them to the hospital before they are given out to foster parents, after two to three years, these children are supposed to be given back to the relatives with the support of the probation officer, if none of the relatives appear, the foster parent can now go on for adoption……….” Driciru said.

Arua city has about eleven children under foster care and Santos Feni, the probation officer of Arua city confirms that, the foster parents are doing well in caring for these abandoned children, with the capacity buildings they receive periodically,

“Arua city with the support of save the children trained 67 foster parents, then again, love without boundaries is also doing a lot of work preparing these foster parents to keep these children, the performance of the foster parents is above 95 percent, we visit theme after every two months to assess the growth and development of these children, every children deserves a family regardless of where the child is coming from,” said Santos.

Santos Feni, the probation officer of Arua city.

Lucy Namatovu, a foster parent says, taking care of an abandoned child is a blessing, and this must be done with full of love,

“I am actually taking care of a baby girl whom I have named Promise, I got her when she was like five months but she is making two years this month, she copped up with the family well, she is now my last born, if you foster such a child, that is a blessing, that is a child, give that love properly like you are giving to your own child,” Namatovu said.

The primary goal of foster care is to provide a safe, stable environment while working to safely reunite the child with their original family.