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Child welfare /care:
Children orphaned by HIV/AIDS are disadvantaged in numerous and often devastating ways. In addition to the trauma of watching the sickness and death of one or both parents, they are likely to be poorer and less healthy than non –orphans. They more likely suffer damage to their cognitive and emotional development, to have less access to education and to be subjected to worst forms of child abuse Over the last period, Bethesda International has used the system of both formal and informal fostering of the orphans, street children and other neglected and forgotten children in families. Foster families provide a warm family environment where children grow up holistically, being loved and getting exposed to the community life settings for self-reliant.
Most of the children supported by Bethesda International have in one way or the other gone through nasty experiences that have psychologically affected them. Some experiences are a result of the sickness and loss of their parents especially due to HIV/AIDS. Some have gone through all forms of abuse and as a result have been traumatized. Such psychosocial effects if not dealt with early enough have serious ramifications on the life of the child and the society as a whole. In fact some children end up in drug addiction, prostitutions and all forms of criminal acts either on the streets or in the community. Basically these services are extended to the general community to handle the problems faced by families, parents, children, schools and other social problems.
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Bethesda believes that
fostering of the children in family will also preserve the values of family
in this desperate and forgotten parentless generation. We treasure the value
of a family, so we place these children with loving mothers and /or fathers
who love and care for these children as their very own.