Projet Bien Rentré au Foyer de 2018 à 2024
With the year 2024, the funding from the 8×1000 Valdese for the « Bien Rentré au Foyer » project (Good Return to the Family) comes to an end.
The project was launched in 2018 with the aim of facilitating the departure of young children from the pouponnière and easing their reintegration into their original family, into foster families or into an adoptive family.
The children, who may be orphaned of their mother, both parents, or come from socially disadvantaged situations, are assigned to the structure by the Ivorian Ministry of Family from their first days of life and stay until around the age of 4-5 years or until the best solution is found for them. Currently, the pouponnière also hosts some children aged 10-11 years and older.
The transition from life in the structure to that of the new family can be critical both for the children and for the welcoming families.
Over these years, the 8×1000 of the Waldensian Church has supported the Agency in funding this very important project: it has been possible to guarantee psychological and economic support to the families and children who left each year, to those preparing to leave the following year, and to ensure the continuation of studies for those already out.
The project included the payment of school fees starting from preschool and all necessary study materials, as well as the hiring of a specialized educator and a social worker. The role of these key figures was to introduce the children to the world of school, support them in their educational journey, and prepare them for their return to the family, following them for a long time even after leaving the pouponnière, to ensure their well-being and the correct use of economic support by the families.
In the first year, a study classroom was specifically created in the pouponnière, and in the following years, some areas were adapted to better accommodate the older children nearing their departure.
The specialized educator followed the group through their educational path and provided specific psycho-pedagogical support when necessary.
In the last years of the project, repeated missions by Italian volunteer educators contributed to the training of the staff and to updating the educator on Italian educational methodologies.
Thanks to these efforts, the Ayamé pouponnière was recognized as the best Ivorian structure for child protection in 2021.
The social worker took care of gradually introducing the children to the host families, ensuring their smooth integration into the family group and the new social context, and activating corrective actions in case of difficulties.
For the Agency No. 1 of Pavia for Ayamé and for the pouponnière, the « Bien Rentré au Foyer » project continues through self-financing.
From 2024, the 8×1000 of the Waldensian Church will continue to support, with the same energy, a new project dedicated to the young guests in their first year of life: a very delicate age group with specific issues to address.
