Friday May 21^st was the day: the first big Family Power Team Meeting. The meeting took place with no fewer than 19 participants from all over the world. It marked the kick-off to a collaboration in which sharing and learning are central.

Many differences but connected by one message!
'This is the start of something beautiful'

The digital meeting brought together 9 countries and 4 continents. The meeting started somewhat messy, making it friendly and human. A slight nervousness was visible on everyone's face. It was morning, afternoon, evening and even night for the different participants. This however was not the only difference between the participants. However, we are united by one message: every child needs a family! Together we can show HOW vulnerable children can grow up in family and community.

During an extensive introduction round, everyone introduced themselves and their organizations. Various types of care activities were made visible. Very broad with social, educational, health and economic perspectives. There is plenty of eagerness to exchange experience and learn from each other. A common denominator is a deep belief in the organization, as well as a sense of pride. Constructive input for further discussion is guaranteed. What a fantastic experience to be so directly connected with passionate and enthusiastic people worldwide. This is the start of something beautiful!

Learn from each other
There is a clear desire to learn from each other. Some of the expectations of the local partners:

“Our expectations are to learn and share around the whole world for a better development of the children!” – Wein Peter Nyasi, Share to Grow Tanzania

“I am happy to share with members of various countries instead of only our own. Not a lot of organisations think about a collaboration like this. They give direct help to children and families but do not share their knowledge. Growing together is very important.” – Ranjani Rajapaksha, DLFF Sri Lanka

“We are grateful to be part of this forum. We expect to learn more from other organisations and be able to put together the knowledge and skills for the growth of our organisation. Looking forward to achieving a lot together!” – Grace Mukiri Nyaga, Macheo Kenya

“I hope that later on I can be equipped with more knowledge about giving help to the children who are in need, so my target groups benefit best from this international team.” – Piseth Sam, COLT Cambodia

The Team Meetings

It was agreed that the Team Meetings would take place on a monthly basis. The meetings are a co-product of our research and training program.

The central question of the research is: ‘How do strategies and daily practices by local NGOs contribute to deinstitutionalization of children’s care worldwide?’ Research data will be collected in various ways. Group discussions during the Team Meetings are part of this.

This summer, the training needs and skills of the international partners will be defined and an internal training program will be developed. Dependent on the subject, the local partners are trainer or trainee. This program will be implemented from September 2021 onwards. After completion of the internal program, the acquired knowledge and tools will be translated into an official training program for external NGOs.