World Without Orphans is not an organization, but a vision that the Church in every country can make a world without orphans a reality! Visit www.worldwithoutorphans.org for more information how you, your church, organization, denomination, or anyone interested in caring for orphans can join with believers around the world in this global movement!
The Challenge
One of the biggest challenges facing the Christian Church today is the ever-increasing number of children growing up without the loving care of their parents and without knowing their Heavenly Father. These children, totaling 153 million, according to current estimates from UNICEF, live throughout the world – from war torn Sudan to poverty-stricken India, from transitioning Ukraine to affluent nations in Europe and North America. If we brought all these children together they would comprise the 7th largest nation in the world … a veritable “Orphan Nation.” God knows all orphaned children by name, and He has a purpose for each of them. “Father of the fatherless is God is His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families” (Ps. 68:5-6),
Vision – Response to the Challenge
The World without Orphans movement was born from the understanding of God’s heart for orphans and His clear mandate from Scripture for the Church to care for them. Our vision is a promise to all orphans – that they will be given the opportunity to grow in loving and caring families and will know their Heavenly Father. We believe the Body of Christ can help make this vision a reality. Although 153 million children may seem like a staggering number, there are 2.1 billion Christians in the world today. If we would come together as churches, families, and individuals, we could address the orphan challenge and bring closure to this escalating crisis.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
Mission
The World Without Orphans movement will promote a better life for orphans by:
- Informing the Body of Christ to broaden their understanding both of the problems faced by orphaned children and the potential ways they can contribute to effective solutions;
- Mobilizing national, regional, and global networks that involve churches, non-governmental service organizations, business communities, the media, and governmental agencies who, together, can develop orphan advocacy movements in their own countries and communities.
- Equipping - we will provide opportunities to fully understand the needs of orphaned children and the best resources and strategies to serve them; and promote communication among orphan networks, helping advocates share their successes and failures and learn from each other.
The following guiding principles will underpin our work:
- Not all orphans need a new family. Many of them already live in families and we must support these families and the communities that care for them.
- There is a spectrum of models of care for orphaned children, which we need to develop concurrently, to produce a range of family care options for a nation’s children, including strengthening their own immediate and extended families, reuniting children in care with their own families, adoption, guardianship, foster care.
- Orphanages provide the least effective and often detrimental care for orphans. The use of these facilities should only be an emergency placement option for some children.
- If children have lost their own families and there is no hope of reuniting them, then adoption or guardianship should be the aim of our efforts.
- Careful and thoughtful planning should go into any nation’s program model on behalf of orphans. Prevention programs at all levels is critical.
Expected Outcomes of the Orphan Challenge Vision 2020
- NATIONAL MOVEMENTS - Thirty national orphan care movements are initiated through cooperation of churches and NGO;s in agreement with common biblically-based values, as evidenced by an active team of several groups representing multiple regions in the country.
- CHURCH MOBILIZATION - 50% of Christian churches around the world are aware of the orphan crisis in their community, nation, region, and around the world. 75% of churches in countries with national movements are motivated to action and equipped with the most effective strategies and resources to respond to the need.
- PERMANENCY FOR CHILDREN - Permanency of children in families is perceived and promoted globally as a primary goal in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. A paradigm shift from institutional to family-based strategies has occurred in churches, NGO’s and governments in countries with national movements.
- PREVENTION - Parents know and understand the steps to creating a healthy, safe and strong family unit where children are living with and being nurtured by loving parents.
- CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT - There is a comprehensive best-practice, evidenced based collection of resources available for distribution and training for those persons working with or for orphans. Capacity is evident in the orphan nation, and demonstrated by a competent, confident and committed group of volunteers, workers, parents, and leaders who are working together for a World Without Orphans.
If you have any questions or would like to be part of this movement, please, contact us at tworphanchallenge@gmail.com
