January 30, 2020
January 2020 Issue
|
|
“Promising Outcomes from a Pilot Program in Guatemala – Help our program grow!”
|
|
The end of 2019 marked one year of providing services through
ISS-USA’s
Safe Reunification and Reintegration program
in Guatemala, made possible through our partnership with
LUMOS
and our dedicated case managers in Guatemala. In the first year of the program, ISS-USA served over 183 individuals in 14 of Guatemala’s 22 departments.
Our partners enrolled 95% of returning children in school along with 94% of their eligible siblings and connected with 170 public, private and community-based resources throughout the country. In 100% of cases, at least one parent found employment within six months with an average increase in family income of $125/per month
The team also
provided nearly 40 families with ongoing psychosocial support to help sustain the reunification.
FUNDING IS RUNNING OUT FOR THIS PROGRAM!
You can help this work continue through 2020 with a dedicated
donation
to
Safe Repatriation and Reintegration Planning
.
|
|
Training Reintegration Social Workers in Honduras
|
|
On December 9th, ISS-USA Program and Training Manager Elaine Weisman trained the reintegration social workers who will be based in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. The training, which was developed in 2018 based on
Children on the Move: From Protection towards a Quality Sustainable Solution, A Practical Guide
, covers assessment, planning, implementation and monitoring of a child’s return to their home country after migration. In addition to providing cross-border case management involving children returning to Honduras, ISS-USA will provide technical assistance and ongoing training support to program staff.
|
|
ISS-USA Reunites Siblings
|
|
Frank was born in Germany and adopted by an American family. For most of his life he knew little about his extended family that remained there. As an adult he had been seeking to connect with his birth relatives for some time, so it was a welcome surprise when two of his biological sisters in Germany contacted
ISS Germany
to try help find him.
ISS-USA
located Frank and worked with partners in Germany to connect the siblings. Today, Frank and his sisters are in regular communication and are excited to begin the year with a new connection to family. They are planning a reunion in the fall.
ISS-USA
wishes Frank and his family the best as they build their relationship across borders!
|
Intercountry Case Management Intern
visits Botswana, Ethiopia and South Africa
|
This month,
ISS-USA
intern Hannah Pursley (second from top right) traveled through three countries:
Botswana
,
Ethiopia
and
South Africa
. She was selected to participate in a cohort of students across disciplines from University of Maryland
School of Social Work (UMSSW)
and University of Baltimore (UB) to perform research on differentiated models of care for HIV and related topics in Gaborone, Botswana. She visited different clinics, hospitals, and organizations in efforts to bring new knowledge back to Baltimore. Pursley and other students from UB and
UMSSW had the opportunity to collaborate with
social work students from University of Botswana.
|
Check Out Our December Blog!
We have had a busy year at ISS-USA!
Read our December blog
to learn more about our banner year and why our supporters are so important to our mission.
|
|
A Big Thank You to Our Donors!
Over the past year, our donors helped
International Social Service, USA (ISS-USA)
provide social work services to 1,092 vulnerable children and adults separated across borders and over 2,000 individuals received expert advice, technical assistance and training in family reunification.
We couldn't do the work that we do without
your
support!
Let's make an even greater difference in this new year and decade!
V
is
it our donation page
or send a check to 1120 N Charles Street, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21201. As the need for casework services across borders grows, the importance of your help cannot be overstated.
|
|
Attention social workers in ARKANSAS, MICHIGAN,
NEW HAMPSHIRE, IOWA, KENTUCKY and INDIANA:
we want to hear from you!
ISS-USA is looking for social workers to complete occasional assessments with families in your state. We will provide you with guidance throughout the work and you will help us directly serve families who are seeking to care for their relative children in another state or country. Check out the description
here
. Please contact Elaine Weisman at
eweisman@iss-usa.org
for more information.
|
|
The International Social Service Network is Recruiting!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
