Celebrated every 15 May, International Day of Families brings families together to celebrate their diversity and strengthen their unique bond while highlighting the importance of the role they play in our society. This has become an important day in the calendar of our Rehab Center children, their families and our Family-Based Care (FBC) team, which is focused on strengthening and reuniting families.
Our children’s relatives visit them as often as possible, bringing food and small gifts and spending time together in the shaded areas of our campuses. Often they bring extras for the children who don’t have their own families, adopting them for their visits. Our Family Day allows them a further opportunity to interact with our Snehalaya family in a relaxed and fun environment, from the people who live with their children and those who feed them to the case managers and counsellors who work with them to rebuild family relationships.
After a warm welcome from our management and our District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), families and children formed teams for some ice-breaker games which quickly turned very competitive. When not participating in the games families could visit our photography studio where they could get a framed family portrait and visit our poster gallery which gave information about the importance of families and their rights and responsibilities. There was also a display of greetings cards made by our children. After a tasty lunch, families gathered again to enjoy dance performances by our children with some family members also hitting the stage with their own dances. The day ended with a group dance on an energetic and crowded dance floor.
Sadly, the time to leave came far too quickly, however there were huge smiles, massive hugs and many heartfelt thanks as both our children and families left clutching their family photos and memories of a fun-packed day full of love.
It can be intimidating for both child and family when a minor is placed in a childcare institution (CCI). By inviting families to celebrate Family Day we aim to show them that we are here for the best interests of their children and to support them in having positive and meaningful relationships. This year we were also honoured that two members of our CWC and our partners, Miracle Foundation, were able to join us to celebrate. Having these informal interactions with government stakeholders and our staff contribute to more relaxed discussions when conducting home visits and discussing family-based solutions for the care and protection of their children.