A Child Has a Right to a Family
A Child Has a Right to a Family
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The simple declaration that a “Child has a right to a family” may not sound like a profound statement; it may not seem like a significant affirmation, but it has become reality for thousands of vulnerable children living in Peru.
The Peruvian Congress unanimously voted to approve a law in January of 2014 that secures a philosophy of raising a child in a healthy family environment rather than in an institutional setting. Claudia Leon Vergara, Executive Director of Buckner Peru has led the effort to establish a foster care program in her country of origin. Claudia is one of the few Buckner staff in the history of Buckner to affect change at the national level that ultimately benefits vulnerable children.
Claudia has worked for several years to develop the concept of Foster Care for Peru and has implemented a program whereby children can be placed in homes for Foster Care in their own community. Prior to this program, children who experienced abandonment, neglect, or abuse were taken into custody and then sent to a local orphanage. Today, the law in Peru states that prior to being sent to an orphanage, a child may be given the option of being placed with a foster care family. Placing a child in an institutional setting like an orphanage can be damaging to the child’s development.
While in Peru, I met with Ms. Nancy Tolentino, Director of INABIF, National Institution for the Welfare of Infants to present two of three books written by Claudia and her staff. The first book introduced the concept and procedure of Foster Care. Books two and three were training manuals for social workers and professionals working with children, and a manual for training parents involved in social work.
DrReyeswithPeruVPWe were also greeted by Marisol Espinoza (pictured in the photo with me), Vice President of Peru, who delivered remarks to the Buckner group, agency heads, professionals, and government leaders. She commended Buckner Peru for its collaborative efforts with the Peruvian government.
Buckner has introduced and helped to develop foster care in Russia (along with Children’s Hope Chest), Peru, Honduras, Kenya, and currently in the Dominican Republic. This is the legacy of our founder who among other things, wrote the child labor laws in Texas and helped to shape the federal child labor laws in the United States. Our staff serves individual children and families but we also work to lead change in social systems through collaborate efforts with national leaders of other countries. We work hard to shine hope into the lives of those we serve. Hope Shines Here!
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