April 2013 Child Reintegration Project Update

Since our last update in 2012, 26 children have gone back to live with family. This is miraculous. God created family, and so what a privilege it is to reunite children with mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters.

Iris Canada is instrumental in this process, providing transport, building houses, providing food and shelter; giving these children a future and a hope.

One of the stories is of Manito and Nelinho.

These two young men have been at the centre since they were very young (four years old).
They turned 17 in March 2013; it was time for them to be reintegrated.
They are twins who are full orphans, though they do have extended family. We were able to reintegrate them to the family house where two older sisters in their early twenties are now living.

We have been working on this reintegration for about 12 months and were ready for the boys to go home, when their older brother suddenly passed away. We delayed the reintegration for a month to give the family time to adjust. Unfortunately this will mean a financial burden for the family; however we will be giving a food box each fortnight to the boys and will assist them with their schooling expenses.

Please pray for Manito and Nelinho, as the transition home will be difficult primarily because of the length of time they have lived with us at the centre. We are hopeful that these young men will make right choices for their lives and become positive members of their local community.

[Nelinho, Eliza Juliette and Manito.]