Yasmin El-Hagary, Executive Director of Sanad Association for Alternative Family Care, called for the launch of a comprehensive national awareness campaign to correct misconceptions surrounding foster and alternative family care. She emphasized the importance of collaboration among government entities, civil society organizations, media professionals, and religious leaders to promote the rights and well-being of children deprived of parental care.
Her remarks came during the seminar titled “Alternative Families: Foster Care as a Family that Embraces and a Child that Belongs,” organized by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood at the Greater Cairo Library.
During the event, El-Hagary highlighted the importance of respecting every child’s right to know their identity and origins, ensuring sustainable family-based care through careful selection of foster families according to standards that prioritize the child’s best interests, and supporting care leavers through education, employment, housing, and social integration opportunities.
She also praised the role of drama in raising public awareness about foster care issues, citing the TV series “Leh Laa?” as a successful example that shed light on the challenges faced by children and foster families. El-Hagary concluded by stressing that the success of foster care should not be measured solely by the number of foster families, but by our collective ability to place the child’s rights and best interests at the center of all efforts.