Hope and Homes for Children
Encyclopedia
Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) is a British
registered charity
working with children, their families and communities across 10 countries in Eastern Europe
and Africa
. to help children grow up in safe and productive environments. The charity moves children out of institutions into family-based care
, helps keep together families who at risk of breakdown due to the pressures of poverty, disease or conflict and works to prevent child abandonment.
in Croatia
, in a town called Lipik
. Initially he repaired war damaged orphanages before realising that what children really required was a family. Hope and Homes for children then began to pioneer the deinstitutionalisation
of orphanages and children's homes They have now closed 52 institutions in nine countries, prevented around 20,000 children entering or re-entering institutions and have been key players in changing childcare systems.
that they have developed has been recognised as best practice by Unicef and World Health Organisation
Hope and Homes for Children work in 6 countries in Eastern Europe
and 4 in Africa
Belarus
HHC have been developing family type homes to support the closure of institutions, they have joined the Chernobyl Childrens Project to close the Gomel Baby Home
Bulgaria
A pilot institution for babies was closed at Teteven
in 2010 in partnership with TBACT, it stimulated the government who now aim to close many more .
Romania
When HHC started working in Romania there were 100,000 children living in Romaninan orphanages
, by 2010 there were less than 10,000. It is the largest programme for Hope and Homes for Children, they have lead the closure of institutions and established replacement services in several counties. working with ARK
and the Romanian Government they aim to end the institutionalisation of children by 2020.
Moldova
HHC's work to close the Cupcui institution in Moldova earnt a prestigious Human Rights Award, from the United Nations Development Programme and other UN agencies, showcasing innovative initiatives promoting human rights in Moldova
Ukraine
HHC has been working in Ukraine since 1999. They have demonstrated models that the government has later adopted, such as for small family homes and mother and baby units. They have closed and institution and set up replacement services to support children and families .
Rwanda
Having developed a number of community hubs to support vulnerable Rwandan families to stay together HHC are now closing the first orphanage in Africa with the support of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion ,
South Africa
Work in South Africa focuses on keeping families together, the largest project is at Witbank
. It works through the principle of community hubs that support families at risk of separation in a number of different areas including ECD Programmes, which also allows elder children to attend school or parents to work, youth and homework clubs, health clinics, income generation and counselling services.
Sierra Leone
They have been working there since the civil war, recently they have partnered with Soroptimist International to raise £1m over four years for work in Sierra Leone which has focused on young mothers and vulnerable communities
Sudan
Work is underway to reform the systems for abandoned babies in Khartoum. There has already been significant success, working with the religious community a Fatwa
was issued to 'decriminalise' abandoned, illegitimate babies which allowed them to be 'adopted' within the Islamic Kafala principle. Over 2400 babies have been placed within families rather than in institutions
.
, Caroline Cook was also awarded an OBE. . Martin Bell OBE
was with Mark Cook when he founded the organisation, he later became a patron. When Martin was injured and unable to film Mark took over a piece to camera live on the news .
Nick Hewer
regularly supports HHC's work and visited Sierra Leone
with the charity he aimed to get a Land Cruiser donated that he could drive to Sierra Leonne he announced on twitter
on 13/9/2011 it had been achieved
Alastair Humphreys
organises "Nights of Adventure" on behalf of HHC Other Patrons includeKristin Scott Thomas OBE
, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG KBE PC
, Martin Bell OBE
, Arpad Busson
, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Carrington KG, General The Rt Hon The Lord Dannatt KCB, CBE, MC, David Furnish
, The Lady Jopling, Gordon McInally, H E Rt. Hon Donald C McKinnon, Mrs Lily Safra
, The Rt Hon The Lord Selkirk of Douglas PC QC, Princess Marina Sturdza, Sam Taylor-Wood OBE
, James Whiting, Claire Wright, Kate Adie OBE
and Matt Bell.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
working with children, their families and communities across 10 countries in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. to help children grow up in safe and productive environments. The charity moves children out of institutions into family-based care
Deinstitutionalisation (orphanages and children's institutions)
Deinstitutionalisation is the process of reforming child care systems and closing down orphanages and childrens' institutions, finding new placements for children currently resident and setting up replacement services to support vulnerable families in non institutional ways. It became common place...
, helps keep together families who at risk of breakdown due to the pressures of poverty, disease or conflict and works to prevent child abandonment.
History
Hope and Homes for Children was established by Mark Cook, a retired colonel, and his wife Caroline. The first project was an orphanageOrphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, in a town called Lipik
Lipik
-Settlements:The settlements included in the administrative area of Lipik include:* Antunovac, population 365* Bjelanovac, population 10* Brekinska, population 126* Brezine, population 223* Bujavica, population 33* Bukovčani, population 16...
. Initially he repaired war damaged orphanages before realising that what children really required was a family. Hope and Homes for children then began to pioneer the deinstitutionalisation
Deinstitutionalisation (orphanages and children's institutions)
Deinstitutionalisation is the process of reforming child care systems and closing down orphanages and childrens' institutions, finding new placements for children currently resident and setting up replacement services to support vulnerable families in non institutional ways. It became common place...
of orphanages and children's homes They have now closed 52 institutions in nine countries, prevented around 20,000 children entering or re-entering institutions and have been key players in changing childcare systems.
Programmes
The charity's stated mission is “to give hope to the poorest children in the world – those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable – by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so that they can fulfil their potential”. They do this by keeping families together and avoiding separation. They also aim to reunite children with families by closing institutions, where this is not possible they set up alternative family care arrangements such as adoption, fostering and small family homes. The model of deinstitutionaliationDeinstitutionalisation (orphanages and children's institutions)
Deinstitutionalisation is the process of reforming child care systems and closing down orphanages and childrens' institutions, finding new placements for children currently resident and setting up replacement services to support vulnerable families in non institutional ways. It became common place...
that they have developed has been recognised as best practice by Unicef and World Health Organisation
Hope and Homes for Children work in 6 countries in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and 4 in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
HHC have been developing family type homes to support the closure of institutions, they have joined the Chernobyl Childrens Project to close the Gomel Baby HomeBosnia
Is the first country that Hope and Homes worked in. It continues to support the reformation of the child care system there BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
A pilot institution for babies was closed at TetevenTeteven
Teteven is a town on the banks of the Vit river, at the foot of Stara Planina mountain in north central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Teteven Municipality which is a part of Lovech Province. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 10,613 inhabitants.The town...
in 2010 in partnership with TBACT, it stimulated the government who now aim to close many more .
RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
When HHC started working in Romania there were 100,000 children living in Romaninan orphanagesRomanian orphans
The standard of living for Romanian orphans is still grave despite vast improvements since their conditions were leaked to the West after the fall of the Communist government in 1989...
, by 2010 there were less than 10,000. It is the largest programme for Hope and Homes for Children, they have lead the closure of institutions and established replacement services in several counties. working with ARK
Absolute Return for Kids
Absolute Return for Kids is an international children's charity based in the United Kingdom.ARK is a registered charity under English law and is based in London...
and the Romanian Government they aim to end the institutionalisation of children by 2020.
MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
HHC's work to close the Cupcui institution in Moldova earnt a prestigious Human Rights Award, from the United Nations Development Programme and other UN agencies, showcasing innovative initiatives promoting human rights in Moldova UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
HHC has been working in Ukraine since 1999. They have demonstrated models that the government has later adopted, such as for small family homes and mother and baby units. They have closed and institution and set up replacement services to support children and families . RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Having developed a number of community hubs to support vulnerable Rwandan families to stay together HHC are now closing the first orphanage in Africa with the support of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion , South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Work in South Africa focuses on keeping families together, the largest project is at WitbankWitbank
Witbank , also known as eMalahleni is a city situated on the Highveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa, within the eMalahleni Local Municipality. The name Witbank is Afrikaans for White Ridge and is named after a white sandstone outcrop where wagon transport drivers rested...
. It works through the principle of community hubs that support families at risk of separation in a number of different areas including ECD Programmes, which also allows elder children to attend school or parents to work, youth and homework clubs, health clinics, income generation and counselling services.
Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
They have been working there since the civil war, recently they have partnered with Soroptimist International to raise £1m over four years for work in Sierra Leone which has focused on young mothers and vulnerable communities SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
Work is underway to reform the systems for abandoned babies in Khartoum. There has already been significant success, working with the religious community a FatwaFatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
was issued to 'decriminalise' abandoned, illegitimate babies which allowed them to be 'adopted' within the Islamic Kafala principle. Over 2400 babies have been placed within families rather than in institutions
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
.
Notable People
Mark Cook founded the charity and was awarded several honnors including an OBE and a heart of gold from Esther RantzenEsther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
, Caroline Cook was also awarded an OBE. . Martin Bell OBE
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
was with Mark Cook when he founded the organisation, he later became a patron. When Martin was injured and unable to film Mark took over a piece to camera live on the news .
Nick Hewer
Nick Hewer
Nicholas Radbourn "Nick" Hewer is a British former public relations consultant turned television personality, who lives in Northamptonshire, England. He is probably best known for his role as Alan Sugar's advisor on the UK version of the popular BBC television show The Apprentice...
regularly supports HHC's work and visited Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
with the charity he aimed to get a Land Cruiser donated that he could drive to Sierra Leonne he announced on twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
on 13/9/2011 it had been achieved
Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys, an English cyclist, adventurer, author and motivational speaker, was born in 1977. Having completed a four-year bicycle journey around the world, he is currently preparing for SOUTH, the first unsupported return journey on foot to the South Pole.Humphreys began his epic journey...
organises "Nights of Adventure" on behalf of HHC Other Patrons includeKristin Scott Thomas OBE
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG KBE PC
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
, Martin Bell OBE
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
, Arpad Busson
Arpad Busson
Arpad A. Busson is a London-based socialite and Swiss financier. Busson entered the world of hedge funds in 1986 working in New York. He is the founder and Chairman of the EIM Group, a fund-of-funds company. Mr. Busson is also very active in a number of philanthropic causes around the...
, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Carrington KG, General The Rt Hon The Lord Dannatt KCB, CBE, MC, David Furnish
David Furnish
David James Furnish is a Canadian/British filmmaker, former advertising executive, and now a film director and producer most known for his documentary Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras...
, The Lady Jopling, Gordon McInally, H E Rt. Hon Donald C McKinnon, Mrs Lily Safra
Lily Safra
Lily Safra is a Brazilian-Monegasque philanthropist and social figure who attained considerable wealth after four marriages. Her net worth is estimated at $1 billion, ranking her as the 701st richest person in the world according to Forbes in 2009...
, The Rt Hon The Lord Selkirk of Douglas PC QC, Princess Marina Sturdza, Sam Taylor-Wood OBE
Sam Taylor-Wood
Samantha "Sam" Taylor-Wood OBE , born Samantha Taylor, is an English filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. Her directorial feature film debut came in 2009 with Nowhere Boy, a film based on the childhood experiences of The Beatles songwriter and singer John Lennon...
, James Whiting, Claire Wright, Kate Adie OBE
Kate Adie
Kathryn "Kate" Adie , OBE , is a British journalist. Her most high-profile role was that of chief news correspondent for BBC News, during which time she became well known for reporting from war zones around the world...
and Matt Bell.