Mentorship Programs

In the U.S., older kids in foster care who do not wish to be adopted can still receive mentorship and build connections with positive role models through the Weekend Miracles program. Through fun and interactive Meet the Kids events, families and kids get to know each other in a relaxed and engaging environment. Best of all, our program gives the kids a voice and a choice in who they spend time with and get to know, helping create a more organic and meaningful connection. In some instances, once a child has developed a positive relationship with a caring mentor, they become more open to the idea of adoption.

Internationally, Kidsave supports programs for teen mothers, Malenka Mama and Mama Mentora, available in Ukraine and Colombia. These programs are targeted for high-risk pregnant teens and young mothers who are often orphans themselves – and often are second or third generation orphans. The program offers a chance at a better life for the girls and their babies.

Since these young women were not raised in a loving family environment, they are unable to care for themselves and their babies. They do not understand how to build a relationship with their children. They do not know what labor will be like, what it means when a baby cries, how to change a diaper, what is considered normal development, or any other myriad of things that are important to bearing and raising a happy and healthy child. Furthermore, once their pregnancies are discovered, they are often evicted from their dormitories, eliminating any chance they had at gaining the education required to hold a job and establish their own families. As a result, many of these young women relinquish their children to state care, perpetuating the damaging cycle of child abandonment and institutionalization.

The Teen Mom programs help pregnant teens keep their babies instead of placing them in institutions by:

· Building and strengthening the basic secure attachment between a young mother and her child

· Providing guidance and support to young mothers to raise their children

· Recruiting and training at least one mentor per girl

· Helping with young mothers’ socialization

The Teen Mom programs are usually conducted in partnership with a government entity or existing shelter that supports youth who are at risk or provides shelter for pregnant youth. Young women are given mentors, successful moms from the community who guide them on how to care for and nurture their child.

These mentors also support the girl, in exploring opportunities for work and housing. They ultimately support the moms as they make the transition to their own housing and jobs — living on their own with their child in the community. Birth dads, when available, are supported too.

Kidsave supports the Teen Mom program in Ukraine–where it is called Malenka Mama–through training, management, and financial support of the Ukraine National Mentoring Association, a local organization that Kidsave co-founded to operate our model mentorship programs such as this. We have also created a program in Colombia called Mentora Mama which is managed by the local organization Fundación Apego (formerly Fundacion Kidsave Colombia).