By Mary Bassey
A non-governmental organization Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, BRCI, has held a training on Foster Care in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The training, according to Mrs. Eseoghene Edina Ibor, the Program Coordinator of BRCI, is to enlighten members of the public on the procedures, challenges, and criteria for the fostering of a child.
Mrs. Ibor held that the training was the first of its kind in Calabar and that there is a need for good-spirited individuals and groups to work together to imbibe a culture of foster care to afford children who are passing through the stage of the opportunity to be cared for, adding that “foster care is temporal.”
The Program Coordinator of BRCI reiterated that the children should be treated with love and care. Her words “Foster care is not about having a house boy and girl. Are you ready to show that love to a foster child? There are many ways you can help children, you must not foster them, you can support them.” She said, insisting that there is no financial reward for fostering a child, but the joy of helping someone else.”
Participants at the event included social workers, civil society actors, and media personalities amongst others.