St. George Foundation is an agency dedicated to protecting vulnerable children in the Western Area Rural and Urban District. We work closely with the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Family Support Unit, and other development partners who regularly refer children of all kinds of abuse to our care. These children often suffer exploitation while living with their primary caregivers in the community. Our mission is to support and promote the best interests of children by strengthening policies and raising awareness among the government, stakeholders, development partners, and the general public for effective service delivery to children.
As we receive children daily, many of whom are traumatized by their experiences living on the street, providing psychosocial support has become a daily activity. Our methods include drama, skits, storytelling, traditional songs and dance, games, mentorship, and coaching. These activities have played a pivotal role in improving the mental health of the children in our care.
The children in our home now feel more confident and have higher self-esteem. They are very cooperative in sharing information with our social workers for documentation and potential family tracing.
Providing services to children is a cornerstone of our work. Recently, we provided shelter to two boys from the same family who left their hometown in Mile 91, a provincial town outside Freetown, Sierra Leone, hoping to find their father who had abandoned them three years earlier. This was their first trip to Freetown, filled with high hopes of meeting their father.
Unfortunately, the boys reached Waterloo with no idea how big the capital city is and without any contact information or address to locate their father, leading them to become homeless on the streets of Freetown. With support from the Braman Foundation of Charities, we identified these children and referred them to our Interim Care Centre (ICC) for protection, family tracing, and possible reunification. After two weeks in our care, the boys were successfully reintegrated with their mother through the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs. They are now happy and grateful to the St. George Foundation.
The continuous support from the Braman Foundation has brought smiles to the faces of children as we strive to improve their well-being. We provide mentorship and coaching to help children become more resilient in overcoming challenges and fears. We also focus on improving their mental health and ensuring they are physically fit to enhance their overall well-being.
We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the Braman Foundation for their unwavering support in improving the lives of vulnerable children.
