Do's and Don'ts

DO...

DON'T...

Focus on meeting the individual needs of each child.

Don't treat all children as though they have exactly the same needs.

Build the capacity of the caregiver to be able to meet the needs of children in their care.

Don't see the children as your own, taking away responsibility from carer.

Focus your services on all the children in the home, not just the orphan child.

Don't ignore the other children in the home. If you do, you could cause the others to resent that orphan child.

Focus on the adult behaviours that have a negative impact on the children.

Don't ignore the needs of adults in the home.

Find out what other organisations are working in your community and how you can refer children/families to them.

Don't duplicate services. Acknowledge that your church cannot provide everything to the family/child.

Keep in contact with the child/family once you have referred them, and make sure they are getting the services that they need.

Don't forget about a child once you have made a referral, or think the other organisation will sort everything out.

Remember that children who have lost their parents need a lot of emotional support and love.

Don't focus only on giving children food parcels and clothing.

Help children to stay in school by empowering carers to negotiate with the school for exemption according to the law. Use your funding to buy educational equipment or uniforms.

Don't use your funding to pay school fees. Rather negotiate with the school according to the legal rights of children to access education.

Empower the carer to apply for identify documents and grants themselves.

Don't make these applications for carers, as this will create dependency.

Work with extended families and church families to provide homes for the children within their community where they have been living.

Don't think orphanages are the solution to the problem. They are usually outside the child's home community and should be for short-term care only.

Explore the possibility of God raising up foster carers from within your church.

Don't just rely on social services to find homes for orphans.

Provide physical relief that includes food (staple diet, vegetables, and perishables), clothing, educational materials and hygiene supplies.

Don't rely on giving just food. Childcare includes much more.

Help families where parents are terminally ill to make good plans for the future of the children before they die.

Don't wait until a child becomes an orphan before you get involved.

Involve all your church members

Don't just allow a few people to carry the load alone.