Another activity has been the commencement of a Big Brother Big Sister Program. This Program encourages the public at large to visit the Home and develop bonds with the children.
It had been found that in the Fostering/Adoption arena in the Bahamas, a majority of individuals are interested in Fostering/Adopting new born baby girls leaving the majority of the children that pass through our Home with less of a chance of being placed in a foster/adopted home.
If the children are not returned to relatives or fostered then they are relocated to other Children's Homes until they are 18 years old. The Big Brother/Sister Program provides our children, who usually come to us out of the toddler stage, to develop contacts in the Community who would be willing and able to assist them get started once they become of age.
While at the Bahamas Children's Emergency Hostel the children do all the things that they would be able to do at home. The toddlers who are not potty-trained remain at home during the week, while the other children attend school. There are a lot of individuals and groups in the community who have adopted the Home and make regular visits and plan outings and other activities for the children.
As in a regular home life situation it is costly to provide adequate care for any child. In our home we can have the 5 stages of childhood, infant, toddler, pre-school, puberty and pre-adolescent, all at the same time- as is our present situation. Our house count is usually 25 to 30. On an average it can cost the Home one hundred and fifty dollars ($150:00) per child per week to maintain.
The grant form the Government, the fund -raisers and the public donations combined does not always meet the mark. The Home is seeking benefactors or major contributors to adopt the Home and assist us in meeting our financial obligations.
There is much that can be done at the Home that would involve the benevolence of others.
Some of the current needs are:
| Contact
& Donations |
|
|
MISSION STATEMENT:
TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE CARE AND SHELTER IN A LOVING PRODUCTIVE
ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO ELEVEN (11) YEARS |
THE ADMINISTRATOR
Mrs. Katie Gardiner
katie.forbes@ceh.org.bs
GENERAL E-MAIL
bceh@coralwave.com
1-242-361-4124
1-242-341-1941
1-242-361-7471 Fax
CHEQUES CAN BE MAILED TO:
THE BAHAMAS CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY HOSTEL
P.O. BOX CR 54506
NASSAU, BAHAMAS
HOSTEL ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Mrs. Nakita Adderley-Smith
nakita.smith@ceh.org.bs
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE HEAD
Mrs. Michelle Patterson
Michelle.Patterson@ansbacher.bs
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER & TREASURER
Mr. Philip Stubbs
philip_stubbs@ey.bs
Mrs. Tracey Musgrove, administrator at the Bahamas Children's Emergency
Hostel said, “The Board of Directors, Staff and Children of the Bahamas
Children's Emergency Hostel (BCEH) are once again grateful to a caring
corporate citizen in the person of Mrs. Dolores Lleida and Bahamas
Gateway for assisting us in another realization of the Hostel's vision,
that is a mini-website on Bahamas Gateway's website.
The Hostel is conscious of
the fact that so much more can be accomplished through the use of
information technology, and the mini-website is another step in our
plans and goals to get the message out to the masses about our
organization (BCEH), our work, our needs, and how the public can
assist.
God continues to bless us through people like Mrs. Lleida and Bahamas
Gateway. We truly appreciate their efforts. Again, thank you, Bahamas
Gateway and may God bless you in your endeavours".
