Caring for Orphans Aging Out of Care

Latvia

"To know the love of God and the love of a family." That's our mission and what we try to live out in all that we do, but we have found a pattern. When our host kids age out, they sometimes slip through the cracks. Despite families trying to invest in them from abroad, it's hard with the language barrier and lack of knowledge about how to connect kids to resources. These kids aren't always ready to be on their own. They are missing essential life skills, and while their American families want to help, they don't know where to turn. Opportunities are missed and mistakes are often difficult to correct.

To help bridge this gap, NHFC has developed a new Aged-Out Program. The program is entirely on-line or through telephone calls and provided in their language or via a translator. It is a program designed for young adults 18 and older who have been hosted and are connected to a host family and have already, or soon will be, aged out of care. It is a short-term program offered in 4-month seasons - Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

The goal is to teach life skills and develop emotional well-being, advance English speaking skills, improve the connection between host family and host child, and continue to share with the kids the love of Jesus through weekly Bible study, while also helping the kids provide for their own needs. Host children will have a weekly check-in to help with accountability, and incentives will be offered to encourage participation. The incentive is NHFC bucks that can be used to select items purchased by NHFC at the local grocery store.

Both the family and the aged out host-child must agree to participate in the program. Once a commitment is made on both sides, the family pays the enrollment fee for a four-month season. During those four months, the host child participates in a weekly check-in and Bible study with NHFC staff and volunteers, they select from various online-offerings of life skills courses taught in their language by local Latvians or NHFC volunteers, and they have the opportunity to connect with their families via a translator if needed.

Details

From now until January 28th, we are accepting enrollment for our next group in Latvia. The program is open to any host family who has an aged-out Latvian host child, whether they participated with NHFC or another hosting program. The Host Family (not the host child) must agree to the NHFC Statement of Faith.

Families donate $220 for enrollment for their aged-out host child for 4 months in the program starting February 1st. The fees cover the costs of translators and toward shopping rewards for the host child's participation, etc. The fees do not cover all the possible costs involved with managing the program or the materials, but those additional costs will be provided by other donors.

The enrollment fee is not due until we have spoken to the host child, and he or she commits to participate. However, we have no idea if they will or will not follow through with the program, which is why it is limited to 4 months. We will do everything we can to encourage them to continue their participation during that time, but there are no guarantees, and we are not able to refund any fees.

Courses are lined up and ready to go and include: weekly check-in with NHFC team and Bible class; Healthy Boundaries; Finding or Keeping a Job; Drug and Alcohol Issues; How to Budget, Shop, and Cook; Speaking English; Sex Education and Healthy Dating Relationships. Each month, classes will vary, or similar classes will be offered that address different points. The host child selects which courses to participate in each month. Their participation will be tracked, and they will earn NHFC bucks. Their NHFC facilitator will help them spend their rewards on "approved" purchases at a local store that is similar to Walmart.

Pre-Enrollment
If possible, please talk to your Latvian host child about the program. If you think they are interested and you are ready to commit, complete the Pre-Enrollment Form. We will then contact your host child and explain the program in more detail. If they agree to participate, we'll ask you to donate the enrollment fee, and your host child will speak with our team to begin signing up for courses. They will receive NHFC bucks with their very first check-in and all subsequent on-line classes they complete. Each month, we will update you about your child's participation so that you can help encourage their growth and learning.

To complete the pre-enrollment form click here!

Once they commit, you can come back to this page and donate your enrollment by submitting your payment. The fees for this program will not cover the full expenses of the services provided. If you feel led to financially support the additional needs of this program, please donate!