Mae Saï
Action in cooperation with Groupe Développement
Project presentation
Beneficiaries : 85 children fully cared for in homes and schools. More than 1000 children and adults educated and informed about the dangers of trafficking.
Actions :
Construction of 2 homes (boys et girls) : an office, and a kitchen/canteen, as well as purchase of a plot of land.
- Prevention, protection and recovery for children : set up two family-style centres.
- Social reinsertion and community integration : reating an individual file enabling the monitoring of each child.
- Coordination and staff training : put in contact all actorsplayers involved in child protection.
Project life
The local association VGCD aims to tackle the problem at the grass roots level, by taking action before it is too late, before children coming from ethnic minority groups become involved in prostitution or are put into labour.
The association has bought a plot of land and has started building two care centres. These centres give full support to 38 children, providing food and clothing, primary health care, medical and psychological aid, training on sensitive topics (drugs, sex abuse, civic responsibility and individual responsibility…), informal education and reinsertion into schools, preparatory vocational training, and education and recreation camps.
Street education initiatives and information campaigns for deprived children have also been set up in order to develop their abilities to resist exploitation and to start a process of social insertion.
The staff are currently creating individual records in order to monitor each child, register their identity, carry out family searches, and repatriation to their native villages when this is possible and/or educational or vocational placement (for 40 children). The aim is to encourage the social reinsertion of the children.
The project provides for coordination of activities with other organisations and players involved in child protection (NGOs, authorities, social organisations, hospitals…).
Staff working for the association are trained so that they can better understand the situations with children, and notably during themed workshops based on sharing expertise, and cross-border meetings. These training sessions will enable staff to welcome children who have learnt to fend for themselves and to ensure their protection while setting up preventive activities.
