A Haiti Fit for Children: SOS Children's Villages Calls for International Support to Put Children First

WASHINGTON, March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On March 30 at UNICEF in New York, a coalition of child-focused organizations including SOS Children's Villages, a global organization that provides family-based care for children without parental care and social services for families at risk, will hold "A Haiti Fit for Children" – a first-time event intended to draw the world's attention to the long-term needs of children and families in Haiti. The meeting is a precursor to the International Donor's Conference "Towards a New Future for Haiti" which will take place on Wednesday at the United Nations in New York.

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"A Haiti Fit for Children" has been organized by a group of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working towards a bright future for the children and families of Haiti. Coalition members include SOS Children's Villages, Save the Children, World Vision, Oxfam International, Plan and UNICEF.  

"The success of rebuilding Haiti after the January earthquake will be measured by its most vulnerable children and their families," says Celigny Darius, National Director of SOS Children's Villages Haiti, who will be speaking at the event. "Haitians, civil society and the international community need to come together to protect children and families made vulnerable by the earthquake. No group can do it alone."

Child protection has long been a concern in Haiti, and in the wake of the earthquake, children who have been separated from or have lost their families have become more vulnerable. As world leaders come together to support the rebuilding of Haiti, the international community stands ready to mobilize resources and partner on strategies to strengthen child-protection systems. This objective is one of the key priorities presented by the Global Movement for Children Latin America in their statement A Haiti Fit for Children and Youth.

"The earthquake of Haiti has brought to America's attention the importance of protecting children when a disaster has torn them away from their loved ones," said Dr. Heather Paul, CEO, SOS Children's Villages – USA. "Finding families and new hope is what SOS does before, during and after any disaster."

SOS Children's Villages International calls for the application of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children as standards to ensure that all vulnerable children and their families receive top priority in planning for the rebuilding of Haiti:

• Ensure all efforts are made to register separated and unaccompanied children and reunite them with their families.
• Provide safe, quality interim care during tracing and reunification efforts which may, in some cases, require months or even years. Residential care facilities should only be a temporary measure until family-based care can be developed.
• Develop a comprehensive child protection system to ensure programs, policies, and procedures are in place to protect all children living in vulnerable circumstances, in particular children living without the care and protection of their families.
• Direct urgent attention and resources to protect children from being trafficked.
• Establish social work and child care systems that aim to support and strengthen families in caring for their children, but that also provide a range of quality alternative care options for children who cannot live with or who have lost their families.

"Poverty is a persistent issue in Haiti and we have to do our utmost to ensure that any action is in the best interests of children. That should be at the core of it all," says Patricia Vargas, Regional Director of SOS Children's Villages in Central America and the Caribbean. Ms. Vargas led the initial response of SOS Children's Villages in Haiti and has been actively working with other NGOs, UNICEF and the Haitian government to strengthen family re-unification processes in Haiti.

Celigny Darius concludes: "Reconstructing our country will take years. We, the social workers, office staff and board members of SOS Children's Villages Haiti are Haitians. This is our home and our future, too. We have been active as a local NGO for over 30 years and will continue to support children and families in the long term. That is why I call on everyone to give the strongest possible support for the rebuilding of Haiti -- not only now but also during the weeks, months and years to come. Let us work together to rebuild our Haiti for the children."

About SOS Children's Villages

For 60 years, SOS Children's Villages has been providing family-based care for children without parental care and social services for families at risk.  Through their Children's Villages, Family Strengthening Programs, and other initiatives, SOS impacts the lives of over 1 million people each year. In 2009, SOS Children's Villages received the Save the World Award. SOS has also received numerous honors including the Mother Teresa Gold Medal, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, and the Vietnam Friendship Medal.  For more information about SOS Children's Villages, visit www.sos-usa.org.

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Heather Paul

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SOURCE SOS Children's Villages - USA