This
project has been tested in five major cities:
Washington, DC, Richmond, VA, Baltimore, MD, Savannah,
GA, and Charlotte, NC. The science has indicated
that home visitation is an effective way to help
young parents avoid the pitfalls that lead to
neglect and abuse of children. NBCI has taken
this model and adapted it to the Baby Fund Project's
needs.The primary objective of this initiative
is to match young parents and teenage mothers
with retired senior mothers from NBCI congregations
for the explicit purpose of allowing the young
parents/teenage mothers to take advantage of the
senior parent knowledge base. By connecting them
with a congregation and a senior parent, young
parents and teenage mothers can receive tangible
social services in the areas of food, clothing,
transportation, money, and a senior parenting
mentor. The senior parenting mentors visit with
the young parents/teenage mothers at least twice
a week to see what is going on in their lives
and to offer their knowledge of overcoming routine
parenting difficulties. Another aim of the program
is to equip the young parents with new parenting
skill sets and to give them someone to call on
in times of crisis, thus avoid abuse and neglect
of the child. The program also allows NBCI to
tap a reservoir of a proven senior parent knowledge
base. We are now looking for long-term funding
to establish this initiative in other cities as
well as institutionalize it within NBCI Baby Fund
Project.
