AiBi. Inc. USA

AiBi and Alessi together for the first event in New York City

Silvia — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:42:38 +0000

It is interesting to see that in the heart of midtown, in Soho, in the center of the fashion district, there is not only time for business but also for charity.

It is interesting to see that more than 80 people attended at the first AiBi’s Aperitif on 20^th October.

It is positive to see that there are people who are interested in knowing about our organization and who like to support of Ai.Bi.’s projects.

The aperitif has been a funny night! Silvia Kramar, an adoptive mother, a journalist and one of the member of AiBi Inc’ s Board, has presented the mission of AiBi “Find a family to every child who lives in one orphanage” showing a video on AiBi’ s project in South America. Alessi’ show room was a nice set where volunteers, supporters, donors and curious people have met to take part to know more about AiBi and to get involved. AiBi would like to thank all the participants, the supporters who took part to the silent auction, buying Alessi’s products and the donors who made donations in favor of international projects.

This event represents for AiBi the first step to introduce the association within the Italian and American communities in order to involve more people into the activities of the association.

We believe this was really a good way to start!

Channy and Canna Krousar Thmey School

Silvia — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:18:31 +0000

The Krousar Thmey School, which English translation is “New Family School”, is one of the most important Cambodian associations committed to develop activities for deaf-muted children. The School’s Committee started to use the Cambodian sign language in 1997 with the support and collaboration of entities such as the Educational Ministry, among others.

The Committee’s members work daily to improve the Cambodian sign language and are responsible of the writing of text books for deaf-muted children.

We are happy that two of our beneficiaries, Channy and Canna, were accepted into the Krousar Thmey School, now they can learn Cambodian sign language and count with an adequate pedagogic support according to their special needs.

An Ai.Bi.’s social worker takes them to school and brings them back to the institution at the end of the day five days a week.

The first days Channy and Canna were a little bit scared but now they can stay together with their other classmates and seem to be really enjoying their new friends and their time at school.

Ai.Bi. Staff in Cambodia.

Dance, theatre and sport at the Center Kwetu Home of Peace in Kenya

Silvia — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:13:26 +0000

The Ai.Bi’s sponsorship program started again this year to promote activities for children at the Kwetu Home of Peace in Kenya. More than 40 children can now choose among different activities according on their personal skills and abilities. Some children are crazy about football, others prefer to play musical instruments (especially drums), dance, or to take part of a theatre play.

This year a new program was started: children can now pick one of the Kwetu house’s animals to take care of (such as chickens/rabbits).It is their responsibility to watch after their ‘pet’, feed them and in case of chickens pick the eggs when ready. At the back of the house a vegetable garden has been started and is opened to those children who are interested in developing their gardening skills. All these educational and recreational activities are brought to the children of the Kwetu Home of Peace by the “support a child” program that is only possible thanks to the Italian sponsors.

Ai.Bi. Staff in Kenya.

Jose, a Peruvian care leaver

Silvia — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:03:33 +0000

Jose is a young beneficiary of AiBi project in Peru.He was born in 1991 and became a care leaver when he was 18 years old after living many years in the institution Ciudad de Los Niños. Jose is the oldest of 7 brothers, 4 of them have lived in Ciudad de Los Niños as well.

He comes from a really poor and marginalized family which is formed by a single mother, brothers, grandfather, uncles and cousins. Jose says the relationship with his mother is rather distant and that he has only seen his father once or twice in the last couple of years from whom he has not received any financial nor emotional support.

At the orphanage his behaviour wasn’t stable, he had troubles following the rules and became violent at times for which he almost got expelled from the orphanage in more than once occasion.The Ai.Bi. project provided psychological support to Jose for over two years. According to the psychiatric analysis all Jose needed was an affective relation and psychological orientation. He didn’t suffer of any psychiatric or clinical disorders, his instability was the consequence of lack of familiar relationships.

Ai.Bi. Staff in Peru.

NGO/DPI Executive Committee at the United Nations

Silvia — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:33:53 +0000

The following result is the result of the annual election that took place on 30 June 2011, for the NGO/DPI Executive Committee.The following Officers and Directors shall serve a two-year term beginning in September 2011.

OFFICERS
Charles Hitchcock, International Committee of Peace Action, Chair
Kelly Roberts, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Secretary

DIRECTORS (2nd term)
Eva Richter, International Federation of Business an Professional Women
Hiro Sakurai, Soka Gakkai International

DIRECTORS (1st term)
Victoria Edmonds, The Salvation Army
Jo Anne Murphy, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Carl Murrell, Director, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States
C. Eduardo Vargas, Intersections International
Frances Zainoeddin, Association of Formal International Civil Servants

Adoption incentives program: “America’s communities benefit when children grow up in stable families”

Silvia — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:28:59 +0000

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2010 awarded $39 million to 38 states and Puerto Rico for increasing the number of children adopted from foster care. States use the funds from this adoption incentive award to improve their child welfare programs.“All children deserve loving, safe and permanent homes,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “It is gratifying that most states continue to excel in promoting the adoption of children from foster care. I sincerely thank every adoptive family that has welcomed a child into their home.” States received $4,000 for every child adopted beyond their best year’s total, plus a payment of $8,000 for every child age 9 and older and $4,000 for every special needs child adopted above the respective baselines. The year 2007 is the baseline. “America’s communities benefit when children grow up in stable families,” said David A. Hansell, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families. “We’re very pleased that the adoption incentives program is helping states improve their programs and place more children into homes that are theirs forever.”

States and territories receiving today’s funding are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

A list of each state’s adoption incentive award amount can be found at

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2010/fy10_adoption_incentive_awards.htm

Independent UN expert launches guide on rights of human rights defenders

Silvia — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:24:05 +0000

In an effort to strengthen protection for human rights defenders across the world, a United Nations independent expert today launched guidelines outlining their rights as enshrined in the UN declaration on the rights of those who defend the human rights of others. “Despite the efforts to implement the declaration, human rights defenders continue to face numerous violations,” said Margaret Sekaggya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, when she launched the 100-page document entitled “Commentary to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.” The document maps out the rights provided for in the declaration, based mostly on information received and reports produced by the two Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, Hina Jilani (2000-2008) and Ms. Sekaggya (since 2008). “More than 12 years after its adoption, the declaration on human rights defenders is an instrument that is not sufficiently known and I would like to build on the efforts to raise awareness about it and the crucial role of human rights defenders,” Ms. Sekaggya said. “This essential guide also offers a comprehensive reference document for journalists covering the situation of human rights defenders in their countries, their regions and the world,” she added.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.aspNewsID=39157&Cr=human+rights&Cr1

EveryChild’s New Report, FOSTERING BETTER CARE: Improving Foster Care Provision Around the World

Silvia — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:18:12 +0000

As part of EveryChild’s Positive Care Choices Working Paper Series, this paper focuses on FOSTER CARE, and suggests that, in many parts of the world, further efforts are needed to ensure that foster care is an option open to a wider range of children. Foster care leads to better outcomes than harmful forms of residential care, and is a highly flexible form of care than may be a more suitable choice than kinship care or adoption for some girls and boys. However, foster care should not be seen as the only solution for children in need of alternative care, and decisions about whether to place a child in foster care must be made on a case-by-case basis, recognising the value of parental and kinship care. The paper examines elements that must be in place to ensure that foster care is effective, including legislative frameworks and a trained child welfare workforce. It consider principles for good practice in foster care, with a particular focus on examining how such principles can be applied in resource constrained settings. Throughout the paper, it is argued that locally appropriate models of foster care must be developed that do not blindly follow Western practice.
http://bettercarenetwork.org/BCN/details.asp?id=25479&themeID=1002&topicID=1013

A side event on the Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children will be organised by the ngos Committee on UNICEF

Silvia — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:13:46 +0000

On October the 10^th of 2011 the Brazilian Mission at the 3^rd UNICEF Committee will support a side event on the Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children and Youth at the UNICEF Committee for Child Protection. The side event will be organised by the working group on children without parental care of the NGO Committee on UNICEF. Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, will be probably present at the event, as also the Brazilian Representative of the Special Secretary on Human Rights. The aim of the side event is to stress positive impacts in the implementation of the guidelines through the partnership between the governments of all countries and the ngos.

Preliminary AFCARS Data for Fiscal Year 2010 Is Available

Silvia — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:09:15 +0000

The Children’s Bureau has released its preliminary Fiscal Year 2010 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data. As of September 30, 2010, there were 408,425 children in foster care; 107,011 were available for adoption. Other highlights include:

254,275 children entered the foster care system in 2010
52,891 children were adopted with public agency involvement; the average age of the children at adoption was 6.4 years
53 percent of the children were adopted by their foster parent; another 32 percent were adopted by a relative
90 percent of the children adopted in 2010 received some kind of adoption subsidy

To view the full report, visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report18.htm.