Recent program updates from Holt-supported family strengthening and orphan care programs around the world!
Cambodia
In Cambodia, Holt supports education programs in four rural provinces, serving some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. This past November, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Holt Cambodia was able to distribute school supplies, school uniforms, schoolbags and shoes to all of the children in these programs, thanks to the generosity of Holt sponsors and donors.
Many families in Cambodia live in poverty, particularly in rural areas. But when children have access to education and more stable enrollment in school programs, they have the chance to grow financially stable as adults and break the generational cycle of poverty.
China
In 2011, Holt began overseeing a special medical foster home in China called Peace House. Located in an orphanage in northeast China, Peace House offers nurturing pre- and post-operative care for up to 14 children who need corrective or lifesaving surgeries or medical treatment.
Recently, children from Peace House enjoyed some fun-filled adventures! Accompanied by their Peace House caregivers, they attended a local performance and visited a nearby ecological farm.
Ethiopia
Since 2017, Holt Ethiopia has supported an early childhood care and development program in an impoverished region of southern Ethiopia. Through this program, Holt sponsors and donors help 1,500 children receive a critical preschool education in a safe and nurturing environment while their parents work during the day.
Recently, Holt Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education facilitated a two-day workshop to present findings from case studies they conducted together. The studies focused on the factors — and challenges — that influence children’s seamless transition from preschool to primary school. Representatives from regional educational bureaus, universities, international non-governmental organizations, UNICEF and KTZ-OVC, Holt’s local partner, attended the workshop. Holt has received significant recognition for its support and collaboration with the Ministry of Education on this initiative.
India
India is home to 139 million internal migrants, including children. These include families who migrate to cities from rural areas to find work. Holt’s partner organization, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), works with such families in the city of Bangalore, operating a daycare center for children of migrant workers and providing educational support for older children. Recently, VCT conducted a series of group sessions for these older children on issues critical to their lives, especially living in impoverished conditions in India’s slum communities. Topics included stress management and recognizing and responding to child abuse, as well as skills that will help them succeed in school, such as leadership and time management skills.
Meanwhile, in the city of Pune, Holt’s long-standing partner, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), helped children at all four of its Holt-supported centers celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The children who receive services through BSSK either live at the care center or in impoverished communities in and around Pune. These children rarely receive anything extra, and the Diwali celebration was a special treat. As part of the celebration, the children made diyas (small clay lamps) and lanterns. These projects allowed the children to learn more about the cultural meaning of Diwali, while working together creatively. During Diwali, thousands of diyas are lit across India to celebrate light over darkness and good over evil.
Uganda
In 2021, Holt’s Child Nutrition Program team created the Child Nutrition Program Community Flipbook. Now available in nine languages, the flipbook is designed to support education for families on proper nutrition and health practices. It offers questions and activities on topics such as general nutrition, health conditions, women and infants, feeding support and mealtimes, and hygiene sanitation. Because of its emphasis on simple pictures and storylines, the flipbook is geared to participatory engagement of audiences with various literacy levels.
Recently, 60 health workers in Uganda received a revised version of the flipbook, which now includes additional information on child development and disabilities. Health workers from Holt partner health centers, Holt village health teams and Holt Uganda staff received training on how to use the new flipbooks, and each participating health center received a revised copy.
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