Bill and Bette Bryant Crisis Nursery — October 2022 Update
Lusaka, Zambia
A Forever Home for Edward
Edward is an orphan who was referred to Alliance for Children Everywhere (ACE) in 2018. Prior to coming to ACE, he was in the care of his great-grandmother. Edward was seen by his neighbors regularly looking for food in the garbage dump. The neighbors brought their concern for Edward to the attention of the local police, and they brought him to ACE. They investigated and found that his mother died, and his father is unknown.
Edward was brought to the Bill and Bette Bryant Nursery (BBB) while the police and social workers continued their inquiries. His great-grandmother was too old to work and needed assistance herself, so she was unable to care for him properly. When he came to BBB, he was not completely potty trained, had not been exposed to education of any kind, and needed help with basic things like dressing, washing his hands, and brushing his teeth. The staff at BBB immediately put him on a routine and helped him learn the hygiene and self-care tasks most kids his age can do.
Very quickly, Edward learned not only how to take care of his basic needs, but also the beginnings of his numbers and alphabet. With the staff’s guidance, he continued to learn many more things, like how to greet people and answer in English, how to make friends, and how to play freely.
During this time, Edward’s great-grandmother passed away, no family was found to take care of him, and he was declared "free to foster" by the local government.
Edward was matched with a local Zambian family who fell in love with him at first sight. They began visiting him at BBB to start the bonding process. It took a bit for him to warm up and come out of his shell, but soon, he began looking forward to their visits. Before too long, he was able to go to their home for a weekend where he met their two dogs. Never having a pet of his own, he was scared at first but quickly began running and playing with the dogs.
Edward’s bonding with the family went incredibly well, and a healthy attachment was formed between him and his new family. On September 11, 2022, Edward went home with his new forever family. He was with ACE for over four years, but our social workers never gave up on finding him a home of his own
Grateful for your partnership,
The Outreach Foundation and Alliance for Children Everywhere Zambia
Note: Name has been changed to protect the child’s identity
