List of issues as of December 2006

Caution: This is a list of issues as we are reporting them from Alluhoddin orphanage. Some of these issues have been addressed successfully. We are not asking for change based on this report. Instead, We are asking for an investigation into all parties responsible for government run organizations in the country and recommendations for deep and sustaining change that will alter the way orphanages are run-so this condition will not exist in the orphanages ever again. We are not the first organization to attempt to change this-we would like to be the last.
Issues as of December 2006-
Degradation of the environment at the orphanage to the point of being a health hazard and the children’s hygiene and physical well-being.
Toilets outside are overflowing. The children are not allowed use of the inside toilets.
The wood has run out. Many rooms are not heated.
The stoves are improperly installed.
There is not adequate laundry facilities.
There is not running water.
There is no showering or bathing facilities
The children have not bathed. As of January, PARSa began taking groups to the Himam’s.
The children have fleas and lice.
The children are not clothed properly against the cold.
The girl children do not have feminine hygiene products-nor are they taught about that change in life. We witnessed staff scolding a girl for hiding rags.
The girl children do not have underwear.
We bought new clothes for 40 children as there clothes were falling apart.
Last year children were receiving meat once a week. Since November no meat was given.
Our staff take a minimum of 5 children to the hospital (CURE) a week. There is no systemic medical care and apparently no one is making sure that they see the Dr. and no one is following up.

Inadequate Staff and untrained staff-
There is one supervisor for day and then night for the girls and one for the boys. Which means at times one adult to 200+ children. Upon visiting the orphanage…these supervisor’s are not a presence in the rooms. A situation was brought to our attention where it is reported that in the girls dorm…five older girls are given the responsibility for disciplining the children. One girl was severely beaten-reported on by her handicapped father upon a visit and also locked out in the hallway overnight during the winter. More details available.

Contributions are not getting to the children
We assessed the situation in December and came up with a budget of $4,500 to repair the orphanage and get the water going. We found a donor who began delivering the items and working on the repairs. The donor’s staff was so put-off by their interactions of the staff re: the items being delivered that they cancelled the effort.
Our staff witnessed:
Money being given to the children for baths-and then the money was taken away.
Clothing, shoes, toys and blankets disappearing from the orphanage.
Orphanage staff is willing to discuss this issue and give details that need to be investigated.
There is no system for distribution. More specific details available.


System of intake and release:
Who is responsible for the approval of release for the children? How is it decided? For the children, the threat of being released is considered a discipline measure and it is called “CIC’ing….which is a program Children in Crisis conducted in the orphanages two years ago. The orphanage staff said that money is involved in the release of children to their families and there is a question about whether all of the money that the families are entitled to is getting to the families. (to be investigated). It is unclear under what circumstances children are being released to their families. Girl children are being released to their families after puberty, a marriageable age. This may be a larger legal issue. This is an area where there is a real concern for whether there is a human rights violation that is policy within the Ministry.