Support for our Foster Moms

Bolingo Village has had our eye on ensuring each kiddo has access to the spiritual and emotional care that they need and deserve since we opened. To that end, we have a pastoral team and a trauma counselor. 

A few weeks ago, the pastoral team and trauma counselor came together to discuss what they could do together that would best benefit the village. Their solution: help heal our foster moms. 

As a mom, I know how difficult it can be to feel the weight of raising a child. I say this knowing that I have all the support and benefits of doing so in the US, with little personal trauma, and all the luxuries that privilege can offer. 

Our Foster Moms don’t have the same reality. These women have grown up in a culture that does not value them. They have trauma and histories that don’t easily lend themselves to being warm and empathetic - but they do their best for our kiddos. 

I’ve said it many times - these women are the backbone of Bolingo. They set the tone for life in the village. They support our kiddos. They are the ones that can genuinely and consistently help our kiddos heal from their trauma. 

I’m thrilled that their emotional care is front of mind for our staff on the ground. Now, in addition to one-on-one sessions with the counselor and weekly bible study, they will have a monthly “support group”. They’ll come together and discuss how they’re doing, what has challenged them, and what from their past may have caused that issue. 

These sessions will encourage our Foster Moms to lift each other up and, with the support of the counselor and pastoral team, to heal and grow for themselves and the children of Bolingo Village.