Vulnerable Children Need You
It is estimated that there are approximately 153,000,000 orphaned children around the world, with 3.2 million in the U.S. alone. A society can be judged by how they care for their children and elderly. In such a wealthy nation as the U.S., why is there such a need, and how can we address this need? The leading cause of parentless children in the U.S. is due to deaths from suicides, drug overdose, and homicide. Globally parentless children are a result of war, pandemics, natural disasters, and illness. Do we not have an ethical and moral responsibility to care for these children? After all, the children who survive will one day become adults and run the world.
There are approximately 400,000 children in the U.S. foster system. Children land in foster care for a variety of reasons. Death or illness of a parent, abuse, neglect, incarceration and drug abuse are among the leading reasons. These children are removed from their parent’s care with a few of their belongings thrown into a plastic garbage bag and placed with people they see as strangers. Placed in a different home that looks different and smells different. This alone is scary and traumatizing. Many children are moved from one foster home to another which continues their trauma. What happens when these kids age out of the foster system? They are at risk for homelessness, joblessness, drug dependency, early pregnancy and risky behaviors just to survive. The foster home becomes so much more important for the child to thrive and become a contributing member of society.
How can you help? Consider being an adoptive or foster parent. Consider supporting your local pregnancy resource center, foster and adoption agencies and church ministries that support children’s needs. Donate your time or monetarily to the many organizations that support children. Support families who choose to adopt or foster, not only emotionally but through simple things like meal trains and words of kindness.
Nightlight Christian Adoptions has provided adoption and foster care services as well as pregnancy services since its inception in 1959. Our current focus is the need for foster families across the U.S. With the number of children currently in the foster system across the U.S.; we as a nation are in dire need of foster families. Those interested in becoming foster parents must be aware that the system is focused on keeping families together and reunification with their birth families.
In an ever changing and turbulent world, we need to take care of each other, especially our most vulnerable. We should be providing the support and resources needed for the children of our world and expectant birth mothers. When we all care, we can make a difference in their world and ours.
About the Author:
Sonja Brown has been dedicated to serving children and working in adoption and foster care since 2007. She has worked in domestic, international and embryo adoption and foster care.
Nightlight Christian Adoptions
6409 South East Street
Indianapolis, IN 46227
(317) 875-0058
https://nightlight.org/