Nine Child and Family Support Centers have been handed over to the State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Issues under  an agreement signed today between the State Committee and Save the Children, culminating more than 6 years of close collaboration between the governments of Azerbaijan and the United States, with recent support from the European Union.

“We see this hand-over of operations of the nine centers to the State Committee as a sign of the strength of both US - Azerbaijan relations and government – civil society partnership. We are proud of the results of our partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, Save the Children, and the nine communities,” said Adam Sterling, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S Embassy.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) financing provided to Save the Children helped establish twelve community-based Child and Family Support Centers across the country. Three centers were handed over to the Government of Azerbaijan in 2008, while the rest were handed over during today’s signing ceremony. These centers promote social integration and local capacity to care for vulnerable children by mobilizing community resources to address children’s needs through psychosocial and economic support. The centers have provided around 30,000 vulnerable children and their families with essential social services through modeling family-based alternatives to institutionalized care of children with special needs.

“Global experience shows that this type of center increases the effectiveness of steps taken toward social inclusion of children. These centers help prepare children for the future, shape their attitude toward life, develop their skills, and provide their families with social services.” said Hijran Huseynova, Chairwoman of the State Committee.

As part of the handover, the State Committee will assume financial and managerial oversight for these nine Child and Family Support Centers from January 2011 as further indication of the Azerbaijani governemnt’s committment to child welfare system reform.

USAID’s new Consolidated Action for Sustained Change program implemented by Save the Children will continue to build community capacity to support and encourage the inclusion of vulnerable children in evidence-based social services.