Why should you and I care about orphans? At Danita's Children, we follow the biblical directive to rescue, love and care for orphans. We believe that when we do, we are following Christ's commandment and are acting as His hands and feet. We believe it is not just the responsibility of those who are called to full-time ministry to be concerned for orphans, but that it is the responsibility of all believers and Christ-followers.
We hope that you will choose to find a way to bring hope, care and love to orphans, whether it's in your community or across the globe; whether it's with Danita's Children or another reputable orphan care organization. Your involvement, at whatever level, will make a difference.
Read AP article: "Aid Workers: Hungry Kids Dying in Haiti
At least 26 malnourished children have perished; scores others treated" (See photo at right.) Photo credit: Ramon Espinosa / AP
At Danita's Children, we have three specific ways you can get involved with us
to make a difference in an orphaned or impoverished child's life.
1. Volunteer
Whether helping out in the field in Haiti or in our stateside offices in Orlando, there are many volunteer opportunities with Danita's Children through our Hope Works program. Long and short term mission trips to Haiti are offered throughout the year. There are opportunities in construction, medical care, teaching, music and many other areas. If you'd like to be a part of Danita's Children's Hope Works program in the field, or in the stateside offices, please contact us.
2. Spread the Word
Tell others about the incredible need for orphan rescue and care throughout the world. Tell your friends and family about Danita's Children, and encourage them to sponsor a child or donate to support this mission. Our Tell Five Project, Pastor's Toolkit and Ambassadors Program offer simple and easy to use tools to help you get the word out!
3. Donate and Support Financially
For $29 a month, you can sponsor one of Danita's Children and make a difference in a child's life. Your donations and gifts make it possible for us to reach more and more needy children. Give today or sponsor a child.
You may also want to consider becoming a fundraiser or hosting a fundraising event. We have tools and suggestions to help you do this. Contact us for more information.
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What Does the Bible Say about Orphans?
1. God calls Himself the Father of the fatherless.
Psalm 68:5, "A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation."
2. God considers caring for orphans to be pure spiritual service. (and) a religion that does not care for orphans is no religion at all.
James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress."
3. God's people are commanded to care for orphans. To see an orphan afflicted, and to turn a deaf ear, is sin, even rebellion.
Exodus 22:22, "You shall not afflict any widow or orphan."
Isaiah 1:17, "Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
Isaiah 1:23, "Your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless."
4. We can be the hands and love of Christ Himself by providing practical care.
Deuteronomy 10:18, "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing."
Psalm 10:14, "But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless."
Matthew 18:5, "Whoever receives a child in My name, receives Me."
Matthew 25: 45, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto Me."
5. Orphans are to be taken care of with the same honor and provision as a Pastor or Priest.
Deuteronomy 14:28-30, "The Levite (priest), because he has not portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do."
6. A portion of all that we possess is sacred and belongs to the orphan.
Deuteronomy 26:12-14, "You shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments."
Adapted from Tom Davis, author Fields of the Fatherless.
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The Need for Orphan Care is Astounding
Orphan Statistics (Global)
• 148 million children in the developing world are orphans, meaning they have lost one or both parents. [1]
• 15 million children have already lost their parents to HIV/AIDS; by 2010, there will be 20 million orphans from HIV/AIDS. [2]
• 80 percent of those children who have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS in the developing world live in sub-Saharan Africa. [3]
• More than 90 percent of all orphans in sub-Saharan Africa are cared for by extended families, not orphanages. [4]
• Orphans throughout the world face many challenges-malnutrition, starvation, abuse, disease, loss of family property, decreased school attendance, and death. [5]
Health and Nutrition
• 2 million children die from pneumonia each year, making it the leading cause of death in children throughout the world, more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. [6]
• 2.5 million children (under age 5) died from vaccine-preventable deaths in 2002; 76 percent of these occurred in Africa and Southeast Asia. [7]
• 2.3 million children under age 15 are living with HIV; every day more than 1400 are newly infected, even though mother-to-child transmission is 98% to 99% preventable when anti-retroviral treatment is taken during pregnancy. [8]
• Malaria kills one child in Africa every 30 seconds. [9]
1 in 5 deaths in children under age 5 in Africa are from malaria
• 9.7 million children died before reaching their 5th birthdays in 2006, mostly from preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and neonatal causes of death. [10
• In South Asia, 46 percent of all children under 5 are underweight. [12
• Malnutrition, a deficit of essential nutrients, contributes to more than 50 percent of all child deaths in the developing world. [1]
• Undernutrition—insufficient caloric intake—contributes to 53 percent of all deaths in children 5 and under. [2]
Education
• 120 million primary school-aged children, primarily girls, are not in school. [3]
• Approximately 700,000 new cases of HIV can be prevented each year, if all children receive a complete primary education. [4]
The Effects of War and Conflict
• 20 million children have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations. More than 1 million of these have be orphaned or separated from their families. [5]
• Approximately 300,000 children-boys and girls under the age of 18-are involved in conflicts around the world. [6]
Child Abuse
• 40 million children under age 15 suffer from abuse and neglect and require health and social care. [7]
• Millions of children are being trafficked, forced into debt bondage or other forms of slavery, and forced into prostitution and/or pornography.
• 0.3 million in armed conflict
• 1.2 million being trafficked
• 1.8 million forced into prostitution/pornography. [8]
Orphan Statistics (Haiti)
• In Haiti alone, there are 490,000 orphans.
• In addition, 300,000 children are in slavery.
• One in seven children in Haiti dies before their 5th birthday - mostly of preventable diseases
• 60% of Haitian children do not have access to the most basic medical care.
• 25% of infants suffer from low birth weight. Sometimes it is fatal.
• 24% of children suffer from stunted growth as a result of malnutrition.
• Roughly 46% of children are not vaccinated against polio and measles.
• Nearly half of the population of Haiti are children under the age of 18 years.
• 48% of the adult population is illiterate.
• 200,000 orphaned Haitian children live in institutions (the rest are fostered, live with relatives, or are street children).
• Child-headed households are becoming more common as potential guardians succumb to AIDS or other causes of death
• 9.71% of children die before or during birth.
• Every year, over 5000 babies are born infected with HIV.
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Sources
[1] The World Health Organization
[2] The World Health Organization
[3] UNFPA, http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/out-of-school.htm; UNICEF
[4] Global Campaign for Education
[5] UNICEF
[6] UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/childsoldiers.pdf
[7] UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_violence.html
[8] International Labor Organization, http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
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[1] UNICEF, State of the World's Children 2006; http://www.unicef.org/sowc06/press/who.php
[2] UNAIDS and UNICEF
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[3] UNICEF, Africa's Orphaned and Vulnerable Generations, 2006
[4] The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria; UNICEF, Africa's Orphaned and Vulnerable Generations 2006
[5] UNICEF
[6] The World Health Organization, http://www.who.org
[7] The World Health Organization, Global Immunization data http://www.who.int/immunization_monitoring/data/GlobalImmunizationData.pdf
[8] The World Health Organization; 10 facts on children's health, http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/child_health2/photo_story/en/index.html
[9] http://www.rbm.who.int/
[10] UNICEF, The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival; http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/
[11] UNICEF, The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival; http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/
[12] UNICEF, The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival; http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/
