Caring for the Whole Child
Our goal with Bolingo Village has always been to care for the whole child. We're not just trying to house and feed the greatest number of children. That wouldn't be enough. We're trying to ensure that each child is happy. That we're helping them heal from their past traumas. That they're getting extra attention in areas that they need. Caring for the whole child means digging deeper than just a statistic because every child is so much more than that.
Why We Love Plumpy’Nut
One of Global Orphan Foundation’s first programs was a nutrition program that we executed in Congolese orphanages. Through this program, we met Plumpy’Nut and all of its life-saving capabilities.
What’s in a Name?
If you follow Global Orphan Foundation on social media, I'm sure you recognize some of our kiddos and how they've grown. However, you've probably noticed that we don't post highly recognizable, close-up photos of our kids - specifically of their faces. Come to think of it - I bet you can't name the town that Bolingo Village is in, can you? What about one of our kid's names? You can't, can you? Those facts are by design. There are two reasons that we keep our kiddos' faces and many personal details under wraps: their privacy and protection.
Why we don’t accept teenagers at Bolingo Village.
By this point, you may have noticed that all of our children are younger; most of our kids are under ten years old. That's because Blingo Village tries to welcome new children that six years old or younger.
We do this for a couple of reasons:
To encourage family bonding.
To assist in overcoming trauma.
To reduce the likelihood of sexual abuse between our kids.
Have you ever noticed?
Have you ever noticed that we don't generally use the terms, orphans or widows? Likely no, you haven't. It's a small detail that is easy to miss. Now, however, you're not going to be able to unsee it. Now, you'll notice that we often say 'orphaned child' or 'widowed woman.' Mostly, you'll see that we say 'kiddos' or 'foster moms' instead, and there are several reasons why.
The Bolingo Kids: A few of their favorite things!
There’s nothing better than seeing the Bolingo kids do some of their favorite things. Since we can’t all be in Congo, we’ve brought Bolingo to you!
Update: Temporary Placements at Bolingo
Bolingo Village wasn’t intended to accept temporary placements. Still, last year, we made an exception for three siblings for three main reasons.
A Foster Mom’s Love.
I will never forget the moment I realized how fiercely our Bolingo Village foster moms love their kiddos...
DRC Education & Bolingo Village
The promise of Bolingo is to help all our kiddos become the best versions of themselves and prepare them to succeed in life. Access to quality education has to be a part of that. It is a commitment that we’ve made and will meet.
There Are Many Broken Children…
Once our kiddos come to us, they have it pretty good - that’s the point of Bolingo. It’s easy to forget that every single child in Bolingo has a story. They all have trauma and a heartbreaking life experience.
GOF in the Field: Trip Update
As always, the best part of the trip was seeing the kids play, laugh, and thrive. We currently have 19 children living between 3 homes, and we are happy to report that they are all A-OK!
Temporary Placements at Bolingo?
This forever home never planned on accepting temporary placements. We intended to only open our doors to children who would be a part of Bolingo Village forever. However, last week, we were contacted by social services and asked to accept a temporary placement of three siblings.
Congo Trip Update
After a 10-day trip in DR Congo we’re back and happy to report that everything is peachy keen, and we’re excited about our next steps in Bolingo Village. We hope that you were able to follow along on social media, but if not, here are 5 things you may have missed…
Bolingo Village Grand Opening!
We opened Bolingo Village in March and we're so excited to share some pictures with you!
The entire GOF team recently spent a little over two weeks in DRC preparing for and celebrating the Bolingo Village opening. It was so exciting to see years of planning and hard work coming together.
Bolingo Village offers children a future
GOF is answering the need for an alternative to DRCongo Orphanages.