Child's Villages

Foster Parent and Child selection

The criteria established for the selection of foster parents and children is outlined below.

Foster parents

Foster parents must be from a marriage of a man and a woman
Foster parents must Christians and members of a bible believing church
Foster parents must be introduced by a letter of reference from their pastor or concerned leader.
Foster parents must have at least one income from the gainful employment of one of the spouses.
Foster parents must have at least one but not more than four biological children living in the home.
Foster parents agree to a recommended family size of between four and eight children.
Foster parents consent to cooperate with the organization in the selection of three or four vulnerable children to integrate into their family.
Foster parents must work to help these children adapt to the new family structure and reassure the children that they are loved and cared for just like the biological children.
Foster parents must be willing to foster the respective children up to a time these children are able to care for themselves (after 18 years of age).
Foster parents must consent to a continued monitoring and assessment of the living conditions of the children by AOET counselors as part of the continued support and services rendered to the family for purposes of developing a plan for the entire family.
Foster parents must be willing for both parents to work and save over 50% of their income on a saving scheme aimed at setting up a house for them.
Foster parents must be possess a willingness to work with AOET toward building their own home in a period not more than four years of acceptance into this program and resettle in their own home with all the fostered children.
Foster parents will submit appropriate, accurate and timely information to the project manager for purposes of carrying out periodic reviews.
Foster parents that own a piece of land in their home village are highly desirable.

SELECTION PROCESS

Child selection draws on existing networks of People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). PLWHA is organized with records of testing results, consistent membership and lists of deceased members with children.
Child selection also draw upon children and families that apply for assistance directly through the program management.
The AOET selection committee then carries out an independent investigation about the child and the home and findings are compared with those stated in the application and recommendations from the respected local leaders.

Services to Foster Families

Homes set up by AOET provide the training services outlined below to the foster Families:

The AOET takes into consideration the characteristics and background of both the children and the foster families.
AOET provides educational support to foster families during their four year stay. The monitory requirement will be calculated based on the individual family structure considering the school and grades of the children. The support will include provision of school fees/tuition and scholastic requirements.
AOET carries out periodic reviews in cooperation with the foster family to set goals, determine training needs, and make adjustments to the individual family’s plan.
AOET works with foster families to identify employment opportunities to increase household incomes during their stay in the fostering village.
AOET works with foster families in setting up their new home in the fourth year of their commitment.