ORPHAN’S PROMISE NEWSLETTER | FEBRUARY 2018
education
nutrition
discipleship
anti-trafficking
family care
community transformation
making an impact in 2018 by Drew Friedrich, Director of Marketing, Orphan’s Promise
Orphan’s Promise is blessed to be able to reach over 100,000 children annually in more than 60 countries around the world. When we set out to impact orphaned and at-risk kids, we knew right away that we needed to minister to the “whole” child. Simply feeding or clothing a child who had no ability to learn, or who lived in a dangerous environment at home, was not enough. We prayerfully considered how we could make the greatest impact in the lives of the children in our programs, and we narrowed it down to six key areas of impact.
EDUCATION
NUTRITION
Children have such limitless potential. God has designed each and every one with unique passions and giftings and dreams. Unfortunately, for many children, those dreams will never be within their reach because they lack access to quality education. Whether families are challenged by poverty, geography, or cultural norms, the common denominator we see holding children back is a lack of education.
As we opened the doors to our education and training centers, we realized that although a lot of children were coming to learn, far too many sat at their desks unable to focus because of the tremendous hunger pangs in their empty bellies. We knew we needed to feed them, and as we did, they began to come alive. In fact, a number of children who had been previously diagnosed as “special needs” or “developmentally delayed” were completely transformed into some of our brightest students once they began receiving proper nutrition at one of our projects.
Education is the key to ending the world’s orphan crisis
When we open the door to an education, we unlock the future for children. Education is the difference between failure and success. It is the difference between poverty and plenty.
Without an education, jobs are hard to come by, and without a job, a mother or father cannot feed their children. When parents cannot support their families, the family unit often breaks up, and children end up on the streets or in orphanages. We start to solve the world’s orphan crisis by educating as many of the 146 million orphans in the world as we can.
These children were not slow. They were not deficient. They were simply starving, and we can do something about that! What we’ve found is that, when coupled with quality educational opportunities, nutrition is one of the greatest indicators of a child’s ability to succeed. More often than not, children receive their best meal of the day while attending an Orphan’s Promise educational center. They look forward to coming to school not only to learn, meet new friends, and be cared for, but also to eat!
DISCIPLESHIP If our goal truly is to see children from difficult backgrounds thrive, all the food and education in the world will still leave them wanting. The only way for these children to thrive is to introduce them to Jesus. He is the One who places dreams in their hearts. The One who holds their tomorrows in His hands. We love them because He first loved us. Every day around the world, children who attend an Orphan’s Promise program experience the love of Jesus. They see it in the actions of our staff members and program partners. They hear it through our Bible classes. They absorb it—and fall in love with it—through our Superbook Clubs. God is real to these children. He is the loving Father they may not have at home. He is the Comforter for their broken hearts and the Healer for their emotional wounds. It is such a privilege to introduce a young child to Jesus for the very first time.
I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly! –John 10:10 (tlv)
ANTI-TRAFFICKING Human beings are not property. This seems like such a simple concept that everyone should understand it, but sadly, there are more slaves in the world today than at any other time in human history. We can’t claim to love and serve orphaned and at-risk children if we don’t take an active role in pursuing rescue and freedom for children impacted by the scourge of human trafficking. Many people believe slavery exists only in small, poor, underdeveloped nations around the globe, but the reality is that there is a deep, dark underworld of sex trafficking that operates right here in the United States. Orphan’s Promise is involved in fighting this evil on a number of levels. We support organizations at home and abroad that are educating women and children about the dangers of being trafficked. We provide training for our staff members on recognizing and rescuing victims of abuse. We are providing safe places for those rescued from the sex trade to begin healing and find recovery. We know that God’s plan for every man, woman and child is freedom, and we won’t stop until the freedom we enjoy is available to every victim we meet.
FAMILY CARE A mother and father are the very first representations of God’s love to a child, but far too often, in every corner of the world, one or both of those parents is absent, neglectful, or abusive. This is not how God intends for children, or families, to exist. As we began to understand that a large percentage of children in orphanages and children’s homes actually had parents and were not true orphans, we developed our Keeping Families Together (KFT) program. Aimed at helping hurting families recover and allowing vulnerable children to remain in their homes, KFT is an intensive program that helps children and their parents learn how to relate to one another in a healthy way. In addition, the program helps parents who are struggling financially to begin microenterprises, learning job skills, money management, and responsibility along the way. Families who graduate from our KFT programs are equipped with all the tools necessary to remain together and to grow together spiritually, mentally, socially, and emotionally. The KFT program began in our Asia-Pacific region, and we are currently exploring opportunities to expand our KFT programs globally, so that more children grow up in safe, loving family settings.
COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION If we can eliminate the conditions that lead to poverty and brokenness, we believe we will see entire communities set free. There are stigmas surrounding families that are uneducated, living in poverty, and unable to provide for themselves. Often, these stigmas hold families back from asking for help, and the result is never positive. When we provide opportunities for families to break cycles of poverty, illiteracy, and homelessness, we see hope rush in and lift up entire communities. Through our Something to Eat Every Day Program (SEED), we provide tools and training for families to learn agricultural skills, teaching them about responsibility, work ethic, and pride, while also helping them put food on the table and money in their pockets. As we plant the seeds of hope, we see the mindset of communities begin to change. Their values change, their dreams change, their entire lives change. Dreams take shape, children begin to thrive, and families grow stronger. Real change happens at the community level.
freedom and dignity
are the most basic human rights given by God
’ God’s hand continues to be upon Orphan’s Promise. Over the last 12 years we’ve seen Him rescue the lost, heal the wounded, and restore the broken. When we go into cities and villages all over the world, we take your love and generosity with us. Lives are transformed and hearts are changed as hope rushes in, filling the empty places with warmth and love. Thank you for your continued commitment to Orphan’s Promise and to orphaned and at-risk children around the globe. Blessings, Terry Meeuwsen orphanspromise.org
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Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., serves orphans and other vulnerable children around the world, taking them from at-risk to thriving through the transforming power of God’s love. CBN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your contributions to our ministry are tax-deductible.