To promote policies and programs that facilitate the placement of as many orphans as possible into loving, stable families and to provide lifesaving essentials and education to orphans and vulnerable children who cannot be placed in families.

The Plight of Orphans

The most vulnerable children in the world are orphans without a mother or a father to protect, love and care for them. It is estimated that there are already 150,000,000 orphans worldwide, and due to disease, war and famine, the number of orphaned children is rapidly increasing. The orphan crisis is a growing worldwide humanitarian and social crisis that has serious implications for all nations.

Many countries have little choice when dealing with their growing orphan problem except to place the children in orphanages. Here, these children, if they are fortunate, may receive shelter, food, clothing and basic medical care. But they rarely receive the time, attention and love necessary for optimal social and personal development.

Sadly, research shows that one of the worst places for a child to be raised is in an orphanage. Studies show that children growing up in orphanages usually experience emotional, social and physical handicaps, and the outcomes for children after leaving an orphanage are usually dismal at best. Many become homeless, involved in drugs or prostitution, turn to crime, and some even commit suicide.

Social science research shows that without a doubt, the best place for a child to grow up is in a stable family with a loving, married mother and a father. Children raised in families with both a married mother and a father, whether adopted or biological, generally fare better in every measurable indicator. They are healthier, wealthier and happier. These children experience lower rates of drug use, delinquency, crime, and out-of-wedlock births. They have higher levels of academic achievement, are more likely to form stable families of their own, and generally are more productive and responsible members of their society. The fundamental reality is that for optimal development, children need mothers and fathers.

We invite you to join us by participating in any of a number of our projects. Click here to see how you can help. Please take the time to do what you can. Many of these children do not have anyone else to help them.