The Muslim Foster Network (MFN) aims to support Muslim children in finding exceptional foster carers who can provide stability, support and love to a child. MFN are committed to support every Muslim child who has faced separation from their families and empower carers to give back to the community and support the growth and development of a foster child.
Muslim Foster Network (MFN) is a new initiative from Mercy Mission UK. MFN is committed to raising awareness and providing foster caring services to the wider Muslim community. Mercy Mission UK have formed significant relationships with leading agencies and local authorities to help Muslim individuals who would like to become foster carers.
Our organization is a forerunner in community development with extensive experience in supporting communities. Our aim is to continue to extend our support to the many Muslim children who are in need of foster carers who can provide them with a safe and happy environment.
We are confident in our ability to do this through having designed three major programs over the last six years which have become strong independent entities. We take pride in being an organisation that has been responsible for the formation and implementation of Ramadan TV, National Zakat Foundation and most recently, the international NGO, Charity Right.
It is estimated that there is currently a shortfall of around 10,000 foster carers in the UK that are needed to provide a loving and stable home for a foster child. There is also a specific need for more Muslim foster carers who can look after Muslim children to enable them to practice and understand their faith. We welcome foster carers from diverse backgrounds and are aware that many non-Muslim carers may need support in meeting the needs of Muslim children who are under their care.
The Muslim Foster Network strives to provide a solution to this ongoing problem by raising awareness about the importance of fostering, educating carers from non-Muslim households and opening up opportunities for those interested to become fully fledged foster carers.
Many foster carers who are not familiar with Islam struggle to provide an appropriate diet, mother language, religious teaching, understanding of customs, values, etiquettes stemming from cultural heritage, all of which leads to a loss of identity and problems in later life for the child.
The Muslim Foster Network aims to address both Muslims and Non-Muslim carers and support them to thrive in providing a nurturing, stable and loving environment which also fits in with a child’s religious and cultural needs. This enables foster children to protect their identity and further excel in life.
There is a staggering number of Muslim children that are placed into care and in urgent need of foster carers that can meet their religious, cultural and emotional needs. It has been reported that in 2016 there were 44 Muslim children who were in need of being placed in care in the borough of Brent (Greater London) however, there were only 4 Muslim foster carers available to assist 1. The situation is one that is dire and has further exacerbated by the refugee crisis that has hit Europe. Many Muslims are unaware that they have the potential to make a huge difference to a child’s life by creating a ‘home’ from home for a child.
Heartbreakingly, conflict in war-affected countries has resulted in a large number of Muslim children being left without anyone to care for them. Many children have walked thousands of miles, watched their parents suffer and even die, arrive in the UK, to strangers speaking a different language, with a different culture, religion and values. Despite the fact that the UK has a large Muslim population, children are continued to be placed in homes that do not support the child’s religious and cultural needs and this affects the child’s ability to relate and nurture their true identity. We need to change this and act now.
We are committed to supporting children who need stability and love and deserve to be placed in a caring home that meets their growing needs. With our extensive experience in serving the Muslim community, we wish to revive the Sunnah of supporting orphans and foster children within the Muslim community and leave a positive legacy for the future generation.
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