A short history of Care for Me !

In summer of 2011, SOS Children’s Villages senior managers asked for the international campaign that would fulfill both a global need and satisfy the SOS Children’s Villages strategic plan. The project had initial name of “A Child’s rights to quality care”, which, following the kick off meeting, was changed to Care for ME!

The campaign was launched internationally in December 10, 2012. By then there were only seven countries that had have conducted the Child care assessment and reports were submitted.

Child care systems are improved to ensure a child right to quality care across the country through partnership building and networking. Social workers are accountable and deliver technical support to both informal and formal care providers. SOS Children’s Villages is launching its first global advocacy campaign, Care for ME!  Quality Care for Every Child. They advocate a holistic approach to alternative care, in which the best interests of the child, along with all other children’s rights, are fully respected.

The campaign is being launched in about 15 countries from all over the world, with more expected to join in 2013. Each country doing the campaign has carried out an assessment on the situation of children in alternative care in their countries. So far, in Africa there are countries like: Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cape Verde, Gambia, Benin etc. have done their assessment and some had launched their campaign. With Care for ME! SOS Children’s Villages hopes to address some of the root causes of child right violations and ensure that all vulnerable children, whether in alternative care or living with their families, receive the quality care they are entitled to. What each report has in common is the fact that vulnerable families should be empowered. The separation of parents and children must be prevented. Where alternative care is deemed necessary, individualized solutions provide the key to quality care. SOS Children’s Villages believes that every child, whether living within a family or in alternative care, has the right to experience the positive, stable and loving relationships that he needs for a healthy personal development.

In SOS Children’s Villages Tanzania the campaign will be officially launched on December 10, 2013 this is universal human rights day and December 14 SOS Zanzibar. The child care Assessment report based on the implementation of UN Guidelines on alternative care is already presented to Liaison and advocacy international office and the major goal for our campaign is: strong coordination among MVC stakeholders in Tanzania. And the UN guidelines on alternative care are better known and used in policy analysis, planning, and development at all levels to all alternative care providers and to the DSW. Care4Me campaign is based on the key findings and recommendation drawn from Children’s rights situation analysis (CRSA) and child care assessment reports.