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CASA HOGAR TRISKER ORPHANAGE
On December 29th 2006, KA, a social worker with
Regional Foster Placements, is visiting the Casa
Hogar Trisker Orphanage in Panama, for 3 weeks.
Last year she raised £1,500 to refurbish
the nursery unit.
The orphanage currently looks after approximately
50 children, aged from newborn babies, born to
abused young girls, kept safe in the orphanage,
to teenagers, picked up homeless from the streets
of Panama. Many of these children are orphans,
others abandoned by parents too poor to care for
them. Occasionally the younger children may be
adopted.
The local villagers fundraise to pay for school
uniforms, books, toys and equipment for the children.
They also try to provide fruit and vegetables
to support the dietary needs of the often malnourished
children. Staff at the Orphanage, include a social
worker, psychologist and teacher.
There is rarely extra money for the children
to have their own individual belongings.
The Director of Regional Foster Placements is
kindly offering to pay for the postage of bags
of gifts for each child at the Orphanage, in time
for Christmas, along with a donation. The staff
at Regional Foster Placements, are collecting
together the gifts to put in each bag for the
children. They will include decorated flannels
and sponges, hair accessories for the girls, toy
cars for the boys, notepads and pencils, baby
rattles etc
KA will report back on her return, with photo’s
of her trip.
Patronato de Casa Hogar Trisker
David, Chiriqui, Republica de Panamá
On behalf of all the children at Casa Hogar Trisker
and the ladies of the Allianza por Niños,
Boquete, we thank you for your interest in our
projects as we work to improve the quality of
life for the children who are sheltered at Casa
Hogar Trisker. Each child brought to Casa Hogar
Trisker has confronted extremely difficult situations
in his or her short life. They suffer traumas
and psychological problems resulting from abuse,
being unwanted and abandoned, or as a result of
special physical or mental problems. Casa Hogar
Trisker is currently housing special cases including
• Autistic and mentally challenged children
• Children who have been abandoned by their
parents or extended family
• Girls who have been sexually abused and
are mothers before the age of 13 with their
babies.
• Children who have been sexually, psychologically
and/or physically abused
• Street children who have lived most of
their lives without family guidance or care
• Babies with special physical needs
Following is a history of the Casa Hogar Trisker,
an outline of the projects and goals of the Allianza
por Niños, and details of the funding etc.
As you will see, due to the structure of the ministerial
provisions, we are unable to furnish an annual
budget. We provide what we can or the children
go without. So far the generosity of the community
has been wonderful but the needs are great..
Casa Hogar Trisker was founded in September 1994
to fulfill what had become a dire need. Indications
of a problem had first appeared much earlier when
cases of abandoned, abused or unwanted children
were appearing in Maternity and Children’s
Hospitals. After medical care had been provided
there was concern that there was nowhere to house
abused children where their security and wellbeing
could be guaranteed. The problem escalated as
numbers steadily increased and the only centers
with space available for these unfortunate victims
were juvenile or adult detention institutions
where they were exposed to inmates who had been
involved in crimes such as prostitution, homicide,
and theft. The children lived in fear or learned
to consider crime as a normal part of life. It
became more evident that a safe haven for the
protection of these innocent victims was urgently
needed.
The Rotary Club of David was motivated by this
developing situation and the minutes of its meetings
reflect that it became a priority to expedite
a solution. Thanks to the initiative of a group
of ladies from the David Rotary Club and the generosity
of Mr. Dennis Jay Trisker, in September 1994 a
contract was agreed for the free use of his house
to provide a shelter for these unfortunate children.
This charitable agreement included the promise
of ownership of the house provided it was successfully
maintained for ten years as a shelter for traumatized
children. Aid was received from the Rotary Clubs
of Gananoque, Ontario, Canada and Clayton, New
Jersey, U.S.A. to inaugurate the “Casa Hogar
Herbert and Selma Trisker “. A lawyer from
the Rotary Club of David is currently working
with a member of the Trisker family on documentation
to effect the transfer of ownership of the property
Under Panamanian Law 21 on the 24th June 1999,
Casa Hogar Herbert and Selma Trisker became a
registered charity administered by a board of
patrons, Patronato de Casa Hogar Trisker. The
Chairman of the Patronato de Casa Hogar Trisker
is a representative of MINJUMFA (Government Ministry
for Children, Youth, Women and Families) that
is the main source of Government support for the
staffing of the Home. Members of the Board include
representatives of the Rotary Club of David, The
Lions Club of Boquete, 20-30 Club, and the Catholic
Church (who all support Casa Hogar Trisker in
various ways) together with representatives from
relevant Government Ministries and other organizations.
The Patronato has the power to receive monetary
donations and to approve expenditures. It is responsible
for all legal aspects of the administration of
Casa Hogar Trisker in association with the Government
Ministries involved, such as the MINJUMFA and
the Ministries of Health and Education. The Patronato
has no control over the hiring, remuneration or
administration of personnel employed by the Government
and assigned to the Casa Hogar Trisker.
The number of children housed at Casa Hogar
Trisker at any time varies from 25 to 40 according
to need. The daily running of the Home is carried
out by the Administrator and staff with input
from the Allianza por Niños. The Allianza
por Niños was formerly named the Comité
de Apoyo, and was founded by a group of concerned
ladies from Boquete, (the closest local community
to the Home), in August 2002, to improve the conditions
at Casa Hogar Trisker and benefit the lives of
the children housed there.
It is practically impossible to define the annual
budget for Casa Hogar Trisker due to the nature
of its components; no ongoing direct financial
grants are received by the Patronato (except for
ad hoc donations for specific projects).. Most
funding is directly controlled by the different
Government Ministries; their own budgets include
staff salaries, medical care and food provided
to Casa Hogar Trisker. The documentation for salaries
etc. remains with the Ministries involved. Some
needs are met directly by voluntary contributions
supplying additional staff and foods; other needs
are addressed by fund raising and the generous
gifts from individuals, companies and organizations.
Large donations for particular projects are treated
as separate entities and administered and accounted
for by the Patronato and the Allianza por Niños.
This means that basically the only cash received
is from voluntary contributions and fund raising
events. Petty cash is disbursed by the Allianza
por Niños from their funds and larger requests
are submitted to the Patronato. For example the
Rotary Club of Gananoque, Canada donated the minibus
used for transportation but MINJUMFA provides
the ongoing running costs. Unfortunately this
bus is now getting old and unreliable.
MINJUMFA provides the following staff at the home
(members of staff are paid directly by the Ministry):
1 Administrator (qualified social worker) responsible
for the day to day running of the Home
1 Secretary
1 Assistant to the Administrator/social worker
– as well as assisting the Administrator,
she visits homes to evaluate and follow up when
children are returned to their parents, updates
files, reports to Judges regarding changes in
the status of children etc.
6 general carers on rotational shifts –
day and night
1 driver
2 cooks
1 laundress/general helper
1 seamstress one day per week
(1 additional laundress for three days per week
is provided by a voluntary donation)
(1 additional night carer is provided by a voluntary
donation)
MEDUC, the Ministry of Education provides one
preschool teacher who teaches the younger children
in the mornings and supervises the school age
children with their homework in the afternoons.
She is paid directly by the Ministry.
MINSA, the Ministry of Health, provides direct
medical care.
FOOD for the children and staff is provided
as follows:
Rice and Beans and milk are provided by the
MINJUMFA
Meat is provided by the Patronato
Vegetables and Fruits are provided by direct donations
from local farms and from funds raised by the
Allianza por Niños.
The Allianza por Niños works with both
the Patronato and the Administrator and staff
at the home. Their goals and objectives can only
be achieved by the continued generosity of concerned
individuals, companies and organizations. They
are proud that with this help they have achieved
the following:
• Extension of the home to include two dormitories
and bathrooms, providing separate facilities for
girls and boys, and a quarantine room for sick
children. Funds were donated and the project was
administered by the Patronato and closely monitored
by the Allianza por Niños.
• Refurbishment of the classroom, - labor
and materials received by direct donation
• Painting of the interior and exterior
of the buildings - labor and materials received
by direct donation.
• Small donations and fundraisers have underwritten
the costs of excursions. These outings enable
the children from the Home to interact in society,
stimulate their awareness of the world outside
the Home, and give them pleasure. Trips have included:
visiting the circus, MacDonalds, a children’s
show, and local fairs, participating in a Christmas
Program in conjunction with other local schools
where the children from the Casa Hogar Trisker
performed a nativity play, (money raised for costumes
etc.) as well as providing additional gifts and
food at festivals and special days.
• Ongoing training in hygiene and basic
care of babies and young children for the carers
by volunteers
• Recruitment and coordination of volunteers
who provide additional food, services such as
hair cutting, etc. and who interact with and help
teach the children in a general way.
• The current project is to use a recent
donation for the construction and furnishing of
an indoor playroom. Apart from the schoolroom,
the dining room and outdoor area there is nowhere
for the children to play in inclement weather.
• This year’s goals include the provision
of professional psychological care for the children
who have been damaged by their traumatic experiences.
We are currently hiring for both these positions.
We hope that the psychologist will assist in training
the staff, identifying specific needs and helping
us put in place programs that will best utilize
the willing volunteers we have waiting to help.
Accounts showing disbursement of funds raised
by the Allianza por Niños are available
for inspection. Major projects are monitored by
the Allianza por Niños; however large donations
for these projects are currently made to the Patronato
de Casa Hogar Trisker who make periodic disbursements
from the donation upon the recommendations of
the Allianza por Niños. Accounts for each
project are available for inspection.
The commitment and hope of everyone is that
the children who come to Casa Hogar Trisker can
begin a rehabilitation and healing process from
the moment they arrive so they can better face
a positive future with the tools we offer to benefit
themselves and society.
PROJECT FOR THE PROVISION OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL
CARE FOR THE CHILDREN OF CASA HOGAR TRISKER PROMOTED
BY THE COMITE DE APOYO
BACKGROUND
Each child brought to Casa Hogar Trisker has
confronted extremely difficult situations in his
or her short life. The traumas and psychological
problems resulting from abuse, being unwanted
and abandoned, or as a result of special physical
or mental problems, require diagnosis and care
from a certified professional.
Casa Hogar Trisker is currently housing special
cases including
• Autistic and mentally challenged children
• Children who have been abandoned by their
parents or extended family
• Girls who have been sexually abused and
are mothers before the age of 13.
• Children who have been sexually, psychologically
and/or physically abused
• Street children who have lived most of
their lives without family guidance or care
• Babies with special physical needs
SPECIFIC NEEDS
• Each child needs an initial psychological
profile to determine how he or she can be helped.
A program can then be developed to allow the child
to establish relationships, trust people, overcome
his or her traumas and recover self esteem.
• Following the establishment of the individual
program, the children need ongoing psychological
evaluation to assess progress and results.
• Training is required for staff who care
for the children, in order that they can learn
to handle situations arising from the conduct
and emotional needs of the children
• Professional ongoing therapy to be established
for autistic and mentally challenged children
and carried out under the supervision of professionals
• Establishment and reinforcement of schedules
and routines for children according to their ages
and needs.
• Establishment and maintenance of stimulation
of psychomotor development therapies for the babies
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