I found this on another blog and it really struck me. There is so much here in America that we don't realize as we sit comfortably in our recliners in front of our TV's, or driving around in our zippy cars, or even as we stand in line at Wal-Mart on a busy Saturday afternoon. If Americans truly knew the need out there, especially Christian Americans, the world might not be so hopeless for so many. Please read this article thoughtfully, and watch for a follow up here on my blog in a day or so...


As I walk through the streets at night, my heart can do nothing but ache for the street children I see. Their shoes are so worn and torn, their clothes are dirty and not warm enough for the cold night they are facing. Up close you see their open wounds and sores, their fingernails are so discolored one can only guess of the disease their bodies cannot fight. Their clothes hang on them so I cant begin to imagine their frail skinny bodies underneath their baggy clothes. Where will they sleep? What happened to them, that they have to live on the streets? Some of them are so young and some have physical aliments. There are no soup kitchens for them, or homeless shelters, or places to get clothes. They dig through peoples trash cans for food and clothes.
For an orphan at age 15 or 16, this life is awaiting them. Another option they have is prostitution that can also lead to sex trafficking. Here are some alarming statics;
After "aging out" of the orphanage system at age 15-16,
10% of orphans commit suicide before the age of 18.
60% of the girls end up in prostitution.
70% of the boys end up in crime.
Only 27% are able to find work.
The older a child gets, his or her chances for adoption drastically decrease
When children age out of the orphanage at the age of 16, most are completely on their own, with no family or support of any kind and lacking the education necessary to provide for themselves.*
For the children that have special needs a very different fate awaits them. Orphans are considered outcasts. Orphans with special needs is something this society does not take kind hearted to. I rarely see any children with families walking the streets that have special needs. After age 4, children with special needs go to special needs orphanages depending on their degree of special needs or institutions. Sadly and unimaginable those with significant special needs make it out alive. Most special needs orphanages are government run which means little money is allocated for them. Workers are few, and the number of orphans are many. Talking with a friend that has been inside these orphanages, children are tied up and left to waste away.
Almost everyday I have the opportunity to spend it with orphans. I see them from when they are first brought to the orphanage, what life will be like for them as they age, and then when I walk the streets I see what life will be like for them when they age out of the system. Growing up with out a family is something no child should ever have to do. But then to be turned out onto the streets with NOTHING and NO assistance is not something that is ok. God calls us to care for the orphan. There are many ways to care for orphans. You can adopt, you can financially help someone adopt if you are not able to adopt, you can advocate and bring awareness about orphans, get your church involved in orphan care, and you can PRAY. Please help these orphans find a home. Follow the words in James 1:27