Trauma Informed Care: Why Healing a Child Means Healing a Family
Trauma Informed Care: Why Healing a Child Means Healing a Family
Sometimes the hardest moments with a child are the ones we do not fully understand.
A child who lashes out in anger. A student who shuts down when asked a simple question. A young person who struggles to trust even the adults trying to help them. For caregivers, teachers, and parents, these moments can feel confusing and discouraging. Yet behind many of these behaviors is not defiance or disobedience—but a story of experiences that once felt overwhelming, frightening, or unsafe.
Trauma-informed care helps adults recognize these deeper experiences and respond in ways that promote safety, stability, and healing. Instead of reacting only to behavior, caregivers learn to see the wounds beneath the surface and meet them with patience, wisdom, and compassion.
For more than a century, Kids Alive International has walked alongside children and families carrying deep wounds. Across cultures and communities, we have seen the same truth unfold again and again: when children encounter consistent care, safe relationships, and the truth of who they are in Christ, healing becomes possible.
Trauma Is More Than What Happened
Trauma is often described simply as a painful event, but the reality is more complex. Trauma involves not only what happened to a child, but also how that experience was felt and how it continues to shape their thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
Many practitioners describe trauma through three connected elements:
The event that occurred
The experience of how overwhelming or unsafe it felt, and
The effect it leaves behind in a child’s life.
Two children may live through similar circumstances yet carry very different responses depending on the relationships and support around them. Trauma-informed care helps caregivers look beyond surface behavior and begin asking a different question: What might this child have experienced that shaped the way they are responding today?
That question often becomes the first step toward deeper understanding.
Behavior Often Reveals a Deeper Story
Children who have experienced trauma often communicate distress in ways adults do not expect. Some children become angry, disruptive, or defiant. Others withdraw emotionally, struggle to trust adults, or avoid connection altogether. These behaviors can be exhausting and discouraging for the people trying to help them.
Yet many of these responses began as survival strategies. What once helped a child endure difficult circumstances may now appear as challenging behavior in safer environments.
Trauma-informed care encourages adults to see behavior as communication. When caregivers begin responding with curiosity rather than frustration, children slowly begin to experience something new: the possibility that adults can be safe, patient, and consistent. Over time, this shift can rebuild trust and help children develop healthier ways of expressing emotions.
Healing the Whole Child: Body, Mind, and Soul
At Kids Alive International, trauma-informed care is combined with a Christ-centered approach to restoration. Children carry wounds not only in their memories and emotions, but often in their sense of identity and belonging. Healing must therefore reach the whole child—body, mind, and soul.
Trauma-informed practices help children regulate emotions, process difficult experiences, and rebuild trust with safe adults. At the same time, Scripture speaks directly to the deeper questions many wounded children carry: Am I safe? Do I matter? Am I still loved?
Biblical truth answers these questions with clarity and hope. Children learn that they are created in God’s image, deeply valued, and never defined by what has been done to them. As compassionate, holistic care and spiritual truth work together, children begin to experience restoration not only in behavior but in identity.
Healing Happens in Relationships
One of the most powerful influences in a child’s healing journey is the presence of a steady, trustworthy adult. When a child begins to experience consistent care—someone who listens patiently, remains present in difficult moments, and continues showing up even when trust is fragile—the child’s sense of safety slowly begins to grow. Over time, that relationship can help a child regulate emotions, rebuild trust, and begin seeing themselves differently.
As behaviors change and trust begins to grow, the entire family system often shifts—sometimes in beautiful ways, and sometimes in ways that feel confusing or difficult to navigate.
This is why trauma-informed care often extends beyond the child alone. As children experience safety, stability, and truth about their identity, those changes ripple outward into the relationships surrounding them. Understanding how healing affects the entire family can help caregivers walk through that process with greater confidence, patience, and hope.
A Resource for Parents and Caregivers
For many caregivers, this realization raises an important question: how can we approach the child with trauma-informed practices, but also support the entire family as healing begins to unfold?
Kids Alive International created a free resource guide to help explore this reality more deeply.
“Why Healing a Child Means Healing a Family” helps parents and caregivers understand how trauma affects family relationships and why lasting restoration often grows when the whole family begins moving toward safety, connection, and truth together. The guide offers practical insight for adults who want to respond to children’s wounds with wisdom, compassion, and hope while helping the entire family unit grow stronger in the process.
If you are walking alongside a child who carries deep experiences, this resource can help you take the next step toward creating an environment where healing and connection can flourish.
👉 Download the free guide to learn how healing can grow within your family.
For the past three years, Kabukabu Ng’uni has served with Kids Alive Zambia, guided by a deep conviction that vulnerable children and families deserve protection, dignity, and hope. Long before joining the organization, those values were already shaping both her personal aspirations and professional path.
What drew her to Kids Alive was our commitment to advocating for children whose rights are often overlooked. That mission aligned with her own desire to see justice and care extended to those living on the margins. Today, her work reflects a calling rooted in skill and purpose.
A Heart That Listens
Kabukabu's role comes with moments that require deep emotional awareness. One of the most challenging aspects of her work is walking with children during seasons of transition, especially when they're being reunited with family.
In those moments, she carefully navigates the space between empathy and sympathy, remaining present without allowing emotion to overwhelm the child. It's the kind of work that requires self-reflection and trust in God’s guidance. Through it all, her focus remains on supporting children in ways that are meaningful, healthy, and restorative.
A Story of Transformation
One child’s journey stands out clearly to Kabukabu. Mary (name changed for safety) arrived at Kids Alive Zambia about three years ago after experiencing deep loss at a young age. After her mother’s death, her father abandoned the family, leaving Mary to care for her three siblings. The weight of that responsibility eventually pulled her out of school.
When Mary entered Kids Alive care, she was enrolled back into school and provided with the support she needed to begin again. At first, she struggled academically, but over time she began to catch up. She later completed her exams and performed exceptionally well. Today, she's at a mission boarding school.
Beyond academics, Mary has flourished socially and spiritually. She joined both her school and church choirs. "Mary shows so much passion when it comes to singing for her God," Kabukabu comments. Earlier this year, Mary was selected to participate in a special choral competition.
The girl who once arrived withdrawn and unhappy is now expressive, joyful, and confident. For Kabukabu, her growth is a powerful example of how God works through consistent care, opportunity, and belonging at Kids Alive Zambia.
Serving With an Open Heart
Kabukabu believes nonprofit work requires a willingness to give more than you receive. Serving in this space means aligning with the mission and values of the organization, understanding that "the ultimate reward for any good deed is from God."
To her, the work is not about personal gain, but about commitment, humility, and faithfulness in the small moments that shape a child’s life.
Living Out “Justice that Heals. Bonds that Mend.”
Kids Alive’s tagline holds deep meaning for Kabukabu. "It sparked a hidden flame in me to make every effort as I serve the children under our care." She sees it as an invitation to ensure that every interaction with a child carries purpose. The laughter shared, the time invested, and the love shown are not just ways to connect, but building blocks for belonging and joy.
Through her service, Kabukabu strives to help children experience more than attachment. She hopes they discover fulfillment, identity, and the freedom to live fully as God intends.
Thank you for making it possible for dedicated team members like Kabukabu Ng’uni to walk alongside children in Zambia with compassion and care. Your partnership helps create justice that heals and bonds that mend for children discovering hope and belonging. Want to learn more? Become a Safe Haven Champion today!
For two years, Sasha Reyes has served as a caregiver at a Kids Alive Peru home, offering gentle, consistent support to children in their restoration journeys. But her desire to serve others began long before arriving in Peru.
Back in Venezuela, Sasha worked with children and youth as a scout leader and often felt drawn to work rooted in care and guidance. When she learned about Kids Alive, she saw both the need and the opportunity to serve in a Christian organization, which made her decision even more meaningful.
Today, she sees her work as part of God’s invitation to walk closely with children who need compassion, stability, and hope.
Joy in Everyday Moments
Sasha brings warmth to the home in simple but meaningful ways. Earlier this year, she adopted a cat that had once lived on the property. Sasha cared for her and the kittens she had. "I’ve since found homes for most of them," she says. "It’s been a really sweet experience."
Walking With Children Toward Hope
Some of the deepest work Sasha does happens in the quiet, slow process of helping children learn to trust again. One of her biggest challenges is connecting with kids who find it difficult to receive love. Many have lived through seasons when they did not feel safe or valued, and they guard their hearts as a way of protecting themselves.
Sasha responds by being a present source of love in their lives. Sometimes she attends school activities outside of work so the children know they matter. Her approach is simple but powerful: demonstrtrating that each child is important and worth showing up for. "It’s about showing them that they can trust and that they are truly seen," she says.
Restoring Confidence Through Encouragement
One moment Sasha will never forget happened during a visit from Chef Giacomo Bocchio earlier this year. A girl under Kids Alive's care who usually hid her artwork decided to share one of her paintings. Giacomo’s wife noticed, called her husband over, and together they encouraged the girl to continue developing her talent. They even offered support for her artistic growth.
Sasha mentions, "That small moment was powerful — it gave her so much confidence and helped her see herself and her gift in a new light. It was truly moving." Moments like these remind Sasha of how God uses everyday encounters to restore hope and identity in children’s lives.
A Life of Service Rooted in Faith
For those considering nonprofit ministry, Sasha believes it must be a calling from God. The work is full of blessings, but also moments of weakness and self-doubt. In those times, she turns to prayer, asking God for the strength to love well, to be patient, and to understand each child’s needs. "He asks us to deny ourselves, to follow Him, and to delight in Him so that our desires align with His."
She has seen many prayers answered within the staff as they support one another. "It’s a life that only makes sense when it’s rooted in faith," she says.
Living Out “Justice that Heals. Bonds that Mend.”
When Sasha first read Kids Alive’s tagline, it resonated deeply. "I used to think justice was only about lawyers and judges," she says. "But I’ve come to understand that what we do here — being present, caring, and consistent — is also a part of Justice that Heals."
Bonds that Mend are at the very heart of Sasha's work. Children at Kids Alive Peru learn they are loved and valued, even if their past might be filled with pain. Sasha sees it as an honor to help bring healing to their lives through caring relationships. "I never imagined God would use me for something so meaningful."
Thank you for making it possible for caregivers like Sasha Reyes to walk alongside vulnerable children with love, steadiness, and hope. Your support helps sustain work like this all around the world. Want to learn more? Become a Safe Haven Champion today!
Because of you, healing is happening all around the world.
Meet Mr. Mesmin and Mrs. Celamise Borgella. They've served with Kids Alive Haiti since 2011. Back then, they never imagined how deeply the work would shape their lives. Once business owners, they sensed God opening a new door—one that aligned with their love for children.
Even as a young boy, Mesmin would tell his childhood friends that if he was born into a wealthy family, he would adopt and raise a lot of children. Celamise shared a similar longing in her youth—she had prayed for four children of her own. Looking back, she sees how God responded to that desire in an unexpected way, entrusting her with far more children than she ever imagined.
Today, after helping raise nearly twenty children over the years as House Parents (in addition to their two biological children), the Borgellas describe their greatest joy as watching their kids grow into independence and faith.
Joy and Everyday Life
Mesmin and Celamise oversee the Maison de l’Espérance house. Each day begins with devotion and the laughter of children preparing for school. It’s a home filled with structure and joy.
One memory they often laugh about is the day Mesmin tried to cook spaghetti while his wife was sick. Not remembering that the water needed to boil first, he added the pasta too early and ended up with a sticky mess. Rather than waste it, he improvised by adding sugar and milk, turning it into porridge. The children never suspected a thing; they simply enjoyed the special meal their papa had made for them.
Moments like these remind the Borgellas that love and laughter are just as important to a child’s healing as food and shelter.
Guiding Hearts Through Challenges
Caring for children brings deep joy, but it also comes with real challenges—especially as kids grow older and begin testing boundaries. The Borgellas have walked through many of those moments together. But rather than becoming discouraged, they anchor themselves in prayer and Scripture. Their approach is shaped by verses like Proverbs 22:6.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." – Proverbs 22:6
Through steady love, patience, and faith, they’ve learned that every difficult season can also become a moment of growth—for the children and for themselves.
A Testimony of Transformation
Among the many young lives they’ve touched, one stands out: a boy we’ll call Jacques. When he arrived from Port-au-Prince, he wanted nothing to do with God and only attended church because he had to. Yet the Borgellas and the Kids Alive Haiti team continued pouring into him—sharing truth, offering encouragement, and choosing compassion even when he resisted.
Years later, after returning to his community in Port-au-Prince, Jacques reached back out with heartfelt letters and phone calls. He thanked them for their patience and for guiding him toward faith. Today, he is actively involved in his church, serving in children’s ministry and passing on the same love and teaching he once received.
A Heart for Service
For the Borgellas, their role as House Parents is not merely employment—it is a calling from God. They believe that caring for these children is a powerful opportunity to reflect God’s love in tangible ways.
They encourage anyone considering nonprofit ministry to approach it with an open heart. The work can be difficult, but it's also profoundly rewarding. "God will bless you in ways you will not expect," they say. To them, serving children means offering your whole self—trusting that God will bless both the effort and the impact.
Living Out “Justice that Heals. Bonds that Mend.”
The Borgellas see Kids Alive’s tagline as a daily guiding principle. To them, it means creating a home where every child is treated with dignity, kindness, and fairness. It means leading without favoritism, ensuring that each child feels secure, valued, and truly at home.
They feel the responsibility to advocate for every child under their care—to act almost like "public defenders" who protect and uplift without distinction. Guided by love and grounded in faith, they work each day to cultivate a family culture where healing can take root and hope can flourish.
Thank You
We are deeply thankful for donors whose faithful giving makes it possible for couples like the Borgellas to serve as loving parents in Kids Alive homes. Your support helps create safe, nurturing environments where children discover family, faith, and the justice that heals. Want to learn more? Become a Safe Haven Champion today!
Because of you, healing is happening all around the world.
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