As our
fourth week in Ethiopia comes to a close, the importance of providing youth
aging out of care with the Project Prepare curriculum is becoming more evident. This
week, the modules in the Project Prepare curriculum focused on identifying reliable
people within an individual’s social support network and finding safe work,
raising awareness of some of the risks of migration such as trafficking. Both
modules provided new information to the youth participants. Moreover, the kids
engaged in active discussion on the topic, raising important questions such as
how to weigh the prospect of having a better life with the risks associated
with migration and who to include in their social support network other than
the staff members at the orphanage. The most critical component of the Project Prepare curriculum is that a space for these kids to brainstorm and talk
about these vital issues in depth is provided.
In order to
create a safe space, the role of the youth allies or the facilitators of the
Project Prepare curriculum is most crucial. As an observer, one of the most
impressing and rewarding aspects of this program is to see the youth allies engage
with the kids at each site with love, respect, and admiration for each child. At
Children’s Heaven, the youth allies greet the girls with hugs and kisses. Their
time is spent talking and listening to the girls, braiding their hair, and
monitoring their activities, often times participating in the fun. At AHOPE,
the youth allies go above and beyond their expectations to be a constant source
of support. Every greeting is with a hug and smiles, followed by a series of
questions reminiscent of an exchange between parent and child. One of the youth
allies plans to live with the boys at their new facility, teaching them how to
live independently. “We will be like a family,” he says. Finally, the youth
ally at World Wide Orphans Foundation can easily be identified as a source of
happiness for the kids. I witnessed her return from time taken off for her
wedding. The kids’ eyes brightened as she walked in. They ran to hug her and
shower her with stories of what happened to them when she was absent. She
eagerly listened and her exchanges with them sent them into fits of laughter. As
we were walking together she unexpectedly remarked, “If I do not see the kids
for more than two days, I really miss them.”
The power of these daily
interactions that I am able to witness at all three sites is brought into the
classroom when the youth allies become facilitators. Their presence sets a tone
for honesty, trust, and compassion—components for a safe space. They are also
able to pose questions to the kids and gently push them to think beyond some of
their simple answers. The result of their work is an hour (or sometimes two)
filled with lively and thought provoking discussion on pertinent information
for youth aging out.
During last week’s activity on
heroes, every pilot site had atleast one group of kids say that the facilitator
was their hero; as I witness their interactions with one another, I can easily
see why. I am fortunate to work with and learn from such passionate and
remarkable individuals.
Amharic word of the week
Role Model:
Mente falegale (Male)
Mente Falegalesh (Female)
Aatifa Sadiq
IOFA Program Development Intern
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