Globally, 14% of children and adolescents experience mental health disorders (1). Children living in poverty and orphans are disproportionately impacted. And yet, there is hope. Child-centered support and quality care can provide pathways to healing and resilience.
Children of the Nations (COTN) works in 5 countries, providing children with the social and emotional care they need and deserve.
As the Social Care Specialist for Children of the Nations International, I’m excited to cheer along the in-country staff as they work toward our social care end result: to raise emotionally healthy children who can integrate their past experiences into their lives, maintain connections with their communities, achieve lasting and meaningful relationships, and thrive in school and in the workplace.
September 2024 Update
I recently spent a week with COTN in Dominican Republic—my first trip to a COTN office and my first time in the Dominican Republic. I was able to visit the 5 communities where we work to see firsthand the dedication of staff in providing social and emotional care to children. We also worked together to advance documentation for implementing quality home visits to children and their families and learned more about the standards of service that govern our work.
In August, we launched Gather & Grow, a social care community of practice for implementing partners in Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Leaders discussed challenges and best practices surrounding referring children for mental health services. Our next gathering will take place in November.
In September, we launched the Transformative Care Cohort. This cohort of COTN staff is dedicated to advancing COTN’s understanding and application of childcare practices that empower children to transform nations. Each cohort member will become a certified trauma competent care trainer, equipped to train other COTN staff members as well as other organizations in their communities. Our first training course will occur in October.
To keep their administrative costs as low as possible, COTN asks all of its international staff to raise funds to support their department. Will you partner with me to support these initiatives to enhance the expertise of COTN social care staff around the world?
SOURCE: UNICEF analysis based on estimates from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Global Burden of Disease Study, 2019 as presented in the State of the World’s Children Report 2021.