The Family Strengthening Programme (FSP) enables children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. To achieve this, SOS Children’s Villages works directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children. In line with SOS’s Family Strengthening Programme strategy to build the capacity of the community based partners to develop sustainable and relevant responses to reduce the risk of children losing parental care in the project area.
The prolonged civil war in Somaliland destroyed both the economy and infrastructure, led to the collapse of government services and disrupted the clan system which served as essential social support network for vulnerable and orphaned children and their families. The war brought about untold suffering to the people as they were not only displaced but lost their sources of livelihoods. Widespread unemployment coupled with death and displacement of a large section of the male population has rendered many children half orphaned and left women with the double burden of child rearing and food provision for the family units against a background where women own nothing. The net result is severe food scarcity, increased disease burden and high levels of malnutrition among children and women.
In 2008, SOS Children’s Villages in Somaliland with funding from SOS Children’s Villages in Norway started implementing the family strengthening programme in Hargeisa targeting 400 vulnerable and orphaned children. Currently, FS Programme working with 1107 families in 6669 children in 13 communities (Hargeisa, Borame, Gabiley Berbera and Sheikh) with the support of Employment, Social Affairs and Family (MESAF) and local authorities -.
The overall goal is to prevent children from losing parental care by strengthening the families and communities.
We enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow within a caring family environment. We work directly with families and communities to empower them to effectively protect and care for their children, in cooperation with local authorities and other service providers.