THEY can be “botheration” and mischievous and at times, when you least need it, they can definitely do things that are annoying, but can you imagine a world without children? A world void of their innocence, beauty and charm? Today is Universal Children’s Day, which means that children are being celebrated across the globe in different ways.

In Guyana, the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education is holding a ‘Children’s Forum’ at the Ramada Princess Hotel, where children of primary school age will speak out about issues that affect them and their aspirations for the future.

Primary school children seldom get the opportunity to raise issues publicly or contribute to the building of our nation, so they now have a starting point which is this new platform where they can speak out and share their views. The aim is for this to be an annual event to which primary school children can contribute and in turn, where those who hold government offices can respond to the underlying concerns and issues that the children raise. The theme of the forum is, ‘The voices of our children, standing strong and speaking out’ and children who attend and contribute to the forum will come from all the administrative regions of Guyana.

But getting back to the innocence, beauty and charm of children: this month is Foster Care Month and there are many children in formal care who need Foster Parents. During this month, the foster care team at the Childcare and Protection Agency are enlightening the public with advertisements, radio and television interviews and literature. They have many stories and experiences which prove that foster care really does make a difference to a child’s life and more importantly, they want the public to understand the reasons.

Children are removed from their family homes for a variety of reasons, but let us use a scenario where the home environment is dilapidated and in addition to this the children aged 4 and 6 are consistently left alone, uncared for and without food. Those children would need to be in a safe, secure environment and after some investigation, if there are no family members who could help them, they would end up in formal care. Although their ‘bad’ environment would have been one that affected their development, safety and well-being, it would also have been the only one they knew and the sudden move to formal care would have a traumatic effect on them.

This is where foster care comes in. Removing children from one ‘home’ to another home for a period of time is far less traumatic for a child. It also helps with their peace of mind, their development, safety and welfare. Foster parents provide one-to-one attention for children, they provide an individual consideration and nurturing that is not available in formal care.

Although it may appear that children are fine and striving in the midst of traumatic situations, psychologically they have a lot to deal with and what parents fail to realise is that these types of unsettling events during their childhood can scar them for life. That is the main reason why foster care is so important: it offers a home away from home for the children involved and also allows some parents the time and space necessary for them to sort out their lives, so that they may eventually be reunited with their children.

There are parents who do a good job when it comes to caring for and raising their children and there are those who get it terribly wrong and cause their children undue harm, pain and suffering. At the Childcare and Protection Agency, the foster care team helps children to rise above their misfortunes and to strive in the best way possible by placing them in foster homes. Could you help? Could you become a foster parent? Call the Foster Care Unit on 231 8423 to find out more.