Wakanyeja Gluwitayan Otipi (WGO) provides emergency shelter care services to abused and
neglected children ages 0-12. The Wakanyeja (children) are primarily placed by the Oglala
Sioux Tribe’s Child Protection Program. We provide care to our children in a Lakota cultural
appropriate manner with utilization of the language in the home and use of our cultural
ceremonies and practices ensuring the safety and welfare of the children and their families.
We are licensed by the state of South Dakota and our license has been extended to provide
group home care. Beginning November 1 st, we will do three-month treatment plans with the
children and their families to provide services for family reunification and relative placement
support. We will utilize contemporary counseling and parenting services as well as Lakota
traditional methods with elders and spiritual leaders to return children to their relatives.
We currently have eleven children in placement. Seven are under the age of one and in
pampers and four other children. The ratio of child to care provider increases with the early age
of the children, therefore our primary need is funding for payroll. We are dealing with the
excessive cost of food and will need resources for honorarium of spiritual leaders and elders as
well as the required case management and oversight.