CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE also noted, is deemed to be a cause of student drop-out, but it is also the result of poverty, family instability and estrangement. “High figures would, in the near future, constitute a significant impediment to any project or plan.” 11 Box 5: The National Association in Support of Children in Difficulty and in Institutions (ANSEDI) The National Association in Support of Children in Difficulty and in Institutions (ANSEDI) is a non-governmental, national and apolitical organisation. Its specific focus is the protection of children through a participative approach, which comprises a psycho-social support plan targeting the restoration and preservation of the family link to both the community and society. In addition to pleading for the increased awareness of public authorities and society of the plight of children in difficulty, ANSEDI undertakes various tasks of tracking, intervention and prevention aimed, in particular, at children without families (orphans, abandoned children, etc.), children in moral danger (with unfit parents, parents who are drug addicts or mentally ill), minors isolated in a clandestine emigration situation, children who are exposed to risks of exclusion (student drop-outs, street children, exploited children, children in remote rural areas). The El Biar Day Nursery serves as an example. This collaborative effort between the organisers of the public institution and the volunteers of ANSEDI has enabled the implementation of a successful complementary cooperative plan for the benefit of children without families, unmarried mothers and ―kafils‖ or adoptive parents. The Nursery takes in an average of 250 children each year who are placed under the protection of the state. Unmarried mothers find a reassuring anonymity and adoptive parents enjoy the convenience of the proximity of various agencies, as well as the expertise required for the optimal realisation of their plan for adoption. Adoption applications (Kafala) are studied by a team of professionals who base their decision on an investigation of the deep-seated motivations and parental abilities of the applicants, as well as the objective appraisal of the conditions necessary to receive the child. It is advisable to note the constant increase in applications with an emphatic preference for young girls (added to other parameters, this constant could be interpreted as a significant change in the collective representation of women in Algeria). The association‘s contribution is made both before and after child abandonment in an effort to prevent this phenomenon, and provides legal, psychological and material aid to unmarried mothers who wish to raise their children. The others, unfortunately more numerous, benefit from follow-up and accompanying support, should they face the ordeal of giving up their child. ANSEDI has set up a specialised consultation unit to help adoptive parents manage the situation whereby their child is told of his or her adoptive status. In order to take care of children in the institutional environment, despite the availability of a state budget, ANSEDI contributes effectively to the improvement of their quality of life by providing food, clothing, medical care and specialised examinations, as well as organising and financing educational activities and entertainment (outings, shows, holidays, trips, etc.). 11 El Watan, Friday, 20 October 2006. 118