User:Tsu WaMambo/sandbox

ABOUT AFPAZ Adoptive and Foster Parents’ Association of Zimbabwe (AFPAZ) is a membership organisation which brings together adoptive, foster and kinship parents and caregivers as well as other interested individuals and organisations to provide support, advocacy, resources and training to empower parents. AFPAZ seeks to increase family-based care solutions for children outside of parental care.
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VISION A safe, secure and supportive family for every child.

MISSION To serve, advocate, promote and encourage adoptive and foster parents and their families.

OBJECTIVES 1. To bring together all adoptive and foster parents, agency representatives, and community people who wish to work together for the same purposes; 2. To encourage the formation of local adoptive and foster parent chapters throughout Zimbabwe; 3. To encourage the provision of training, information and education of adoptive parents, foster parents, and others working in the field of adoption and family foster care; 4. To provide peer support and develop a resource and support network for adoptive and foster parents; 5. To promote and enhance mutual capacity development; coordination, cooperation, and communication among adoptive parents, foster parents, caring agencies, and other interested persons in Zimbabwe, regionally and internationally; 6. To promote the rights and needs of adoptive and foster parents and families; 7. To work in cooperation with public and private child welfare agencies to improve foster care services and adoption processes, child welfare policies, legislation, systems and services in Zimbabwe; 8. To promote and increase family-based care solutions for children in need of care including actively increasing and retaining foster and adoptive parents and families; 9. To seek viable reforms in the adoption environment and family foster care; 10. To promote community education and awareness of adoption and foster care issues; and 11. To cooperate and develop partnerships with organisations which have similar objectives to those of this association and other child advocacy agencies and organisations in Zimbabwe, regionally and internationally.

VALUES AFPAZ has 8 core values which guide its work: Christian principles and values: We seek to promote family-based care solutions for children outside of parental care guided by Christian principles and values. We are a non-denominational faith based organisation whose membership is open to those in sympathy with the Christian faith and the cause and goal for which we are established. We believe God provided the ultimate example of adoption: “God sent forth His Son... so that we might receive the adoption as sons!” (Galatians 4:4‐5); “As many as received HIM, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12) and promised “I will not leave you as orphans” John 14:18.

Family: We believe that children belong in families and that all children as a birthright, are entitled to safe, emotionally nurturing relationships and living environments and a sense of belonging to families. We believe in family support values - 'it takes a whole village to raise a child' and are committed to strengthening and supporting these traditional family and community-based support structures. We fully support the Zimbabwean laws on the rights of the child and believe in the continuum of care set out in the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children and support all initiatives to develop, implement and strengthen these, namely – Family Preservation, Resettlement, Kinship Care, Foster Care and Adoption. Transparency and accountability: We are committed to openness, transparency in every area of our operations; governance, financial management and partnerships with government and others.

Human rights and equality: We believe in treating children and families with dignity and respect. We believe all interventions should reflect the fact that children have rights and that states and civil society, including families, have obligations to respect and facilitate the sustained realization of those rights. We support all actions and interventions to endeavour to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights with respect to the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child and other international, regional, national, child rights agreements, conventions and laws. We appreciate the unique cultural and ethnic difference of our members and the families we serve. We believe that all people should be treated equally, with dignity and their rights protected. All our work is implemented in a non-discriminatory manner.

Participation: We believe in Child participation and are committed to the meaningful involvement of children in all issues and decisions that affect their lives. We encourage child-driven, goal-oriented decision making. This includes promoting greater respect for children and their inclusion in decision-making within their families and communities.

Best interests of the child: We recognise that in all decisions impacting children, their best interests should be a primary consideration. We believe that decisions on the best interest of a child without parental care should be made by independent and qualified child experts after comprehensive social work activities/reports have been undertaken.

Do no harm: We take our commitment to safeguard children seriously. Organizational policies and practices, and programs shall be designed to safeguard children throughout all aspects of our work. Partnering and building on strengths: We recognise that our members, families and communities have strengths and capacities that should inform and orient our activities and interventions. An understanding of their social context and positive traditional practices may provide effective, sustainable options and opportunities for protecting children. We believe in promoting respectful partnerships between foster and adoptive families and local, international, non-state and state agencies.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Running under the banner “Embracing connection, building families” AFPAZ promotes family‐based solutions and care options for children outside of parental care in Zimbabwe. This is done primarily through providing relevant direct support to parents and caregivers who are AFPAZ members, capacity building, raising awareness, creating platforms for discussion and targeted advocacy. AFPAZ’s programs and services include the following:

PARENT SUPPORT Our Parent Support Program (PSP) provides the opportunity to network, share information, experience, and emotions with one another. Our Parent support work offers inexpensive and effective means of providing and expanding post-adoption support to families. Technology also offers new ways to connect, so parents can also connect and share with other adoptive parents through our online community. Activities include support group meetings; peer-to-peer mentorship; family activities; book, closet and diaper drives. We also provide parent support training, materials and information. Where needed we offer referrals for counselling; crisis intervention and assistance; financial and livelihood capacity building and other support. Referrals are made to appropriate agency and community resources.

OUTREACH AND AWARENESS AFPAZ works to raise community awareness on family based options including fostering and adoption as alternative care options for children and the relevant laws, regulations and requirements. Outreach is done at community and church level. Train-the- trainers (TOTs) and dissemination of information (IEC materials) promoting adoption, foster care and best practice concerning children in need of care are done through multiple media.

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT AFPAZ also works to establish local chapters across Zimbabwe which consist of parents. This enables us to provide parent support services at the level closest to our members and beneficiaries.

RESEARCH, ADVOCACY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AFPAZ also engages government; development partners, civil society and communities to adopt, promote and invest in family-based solutions for children without parental care, in line with the continuum of care. Activities include research, advocacy actions and material, stakeholder engagement as well as public information and dialogue to discuss adoption and foster care.

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