Caring for the Whole Child
Our goal with Bolingo Village has always been to care for the whole child. We're not just trying to house and feed the greatest number of children. That wouldn't be enough. We're trying to ensure that each child is happy. That we're helping them heal from their past traumas. That they're getting extra attention in areas that they need. Caring for the whole child means digging deeper than just a statistic because every child is so much more than that.
That's why we created care plans specific to each child on our most recent trip. Our village manager and I sat down with each foster mom and did a deep dive into how each child is doing; in school, physical health, behavioral issues, etc. Should they be having counseling sessions with the pastor? Do they need to work with our tutor? What are they interested in doing when they grow up?
I'll be honest, these meetings were long and tedious, but SO WORTH IT! Now each child has a development plan curated to their needs. Some will have counseling sessions with the pastor once a week due to their foster mom's behavioral concerns. Some only once a month. Some need to see a tutor to work on their French. Some are already killing it in French - so no need for a tutor! Selfishly, these meetings also painted a better picture of each child for me. You think you know a kid, but you'll be amazed at what you discover after speaking with their mama. I'm sure all of our moms reading can attest to this!
The Bolingo family doesn't just end with the kiddos - our staff members need some love too. So, we had meetings with them to hear their thoughts on the village and their satisfaction working with us. Is it a safe place for children? What more could we be doing to benefit the kids long-term? How can we improve their job satisfaction? I was slightly amazed by some of the information we learned. For example, most of our staff members don't have transportation to and from work. They either have to pay $2 of their hard-earned money to get a taxi motorcycle or walk an hour there and back. We can't have that! So, we worked out a schedule to ensure that they all have transportation. Communication, folks, that's all it takes!
We plan to continue these meetings on every trip we take to Bolingo. We'll assess and adapt each child's plan based on their progress. We can't wait to see each child's growth right before our eyes!