Memoir #44 Orphan Advocacy

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans…Isaiah 1:17

Did you know…

There are 143 million orphans in the world…and an additional 20 million displaced children.

In Eastern Europe, less than half of the orphans will live to see their 20th birthday.  Of those who survive, half of them will end up involved with organized crime, drug addiction and prostitution.

In Africa, children are armed and used for war…and there is a concerted effort to extend their life expectancy to beyond age 5.

In the US, 25,000 kids will leave the foster care system without families…and 25% of them will become homeless.

Orphan advocacy has become one of the most important causes that I support.  I believe that orphans are some of God’s most cherished little people on this planet. 

Throughout the bible God commands us to care for them and bring them justice and I am searching for ways to do this.

I think when we hear the word Orphan; we often picture a pot-bellied child in Africa with no shoes and a dirty face.  This certainly is one type of orphan whom we should care about. 

But I think we often forget that there are a multitude of orphans living right here in the U.S. in our own neighborhoods. 

In fact, there are a little over 400,000 children in U.S. foster care today.  About 75% of them are not living in relative homes. 

I looked-up the definition of the word orphan, and here is one that really stood out to me.

A person that is without protection.

This resonates with me because when you are a foster parent and you get involved with “the system”…the number one goal for children is safety. 

They at least deserve to be safe. 

Children may be living at the poverty line.  They may not have shoes that fit them.  They may live in smoke-filled homes where they do not have a bedroom…but if they are safe, then its ok. 

Tonight I think about all the children across the globe who are orphaned.  Whether they are temporarily displaced or they are permanently deprived of parents and family.

May God bless these children and may he bring them a forever home quickly!

*Statistics credit to Child Welfare Information Gateway and Theorphanfoundation.org