By Mbali Vilakati
MBABANE – Prospective foster parents are currently attending an on-going training at Institute of Development Management (IDM) Institute in Matsapha.
The training is initiated by SOS Children’s Villages in their efforts in strengthening foster care services in the country. It has attracted 26 dedicated individuals eager to improve their understanding of the foster care process.
SOS Children’s Villages Communication Coordinator Temalangeni Dlamini said the participants are prospective and current foster care parents committed to providing loving and secure environments for children in need. She said the training sessions aim to educate the parents on various aspects of foster care, including understanding why children end up without parental care and the crucial role foster parents play in these children’s lives.
She further emphasised the importance of the training. “Parents have come to understand why children end up without parental care and what is the role of a foster care parent when they take in a child who is in need of a loving care environment,” said Dlamini.
The training also addresses the grieving process of children entering foster care and teaches parents effective positive parenting techniques. “It has been clear during our discussions that there are so many challenges that parents who are already fostering are facing,” Dlamini noted.
Dlamini also said workers from the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) have played a pivotal role in these sessions, offering valuable insights and empowering foster parents with strategies to discipline and communicate with their children during difficult times. “Because of the discussions that social workers, especially from the DSW department, have been imparting, empowering the foster parents, they are now able and understanding ways on how to discipline and talk to their children when they are facing this difficult situation,” she highlighted.
The organisation is pleased with the positive impact of these trainings. “It makes us happy as an organisation to know that we are positively impacting the lives of families because our mission and our vision is that children must not grow up alone but children must grow up in families where they are loved and where they are respected and where they grow up with security,” Dlamini expressed.
The success of this program is also a testament to the collaborative efforts between SOS Children’s Villages and the Government of Eswatini. Dlamini also extended gratitude to the government for their support. “We would also like to thank the Government of Eswatini for such a great initiative working together with the organisation SOS Children’s Villages and making sure that the information about foster care processes in the country is being shared with all Emaswati who are interested in knowing and being part of the foster care process,” said Dlamini.
As the training continues, it is expected that these empowered foster parents will significantly impact the lives of children under their care, ensuring a brighter and more secure future for the country most vulnerable youth.
