Orphans Today

   I have really enjoyed reading about the orphan trains in the U.S. and the home children in Canada.  There are certainly less orphans today because of health care for mothers and a better economy.  Also the Children's Aid is in place to care for orphans that live in North America.

   But there definitely still are orphans in other parts of the world.  Africa has many orphans because of HIV/AIDS.  The government estimates there are 70,000 new orphans a year in Africa. You can read about it here.

 Many organizations are attempting to provide support for these orphans.  I am familiar with one. 

  Faith's Orphans is a very successful, faith-based organization.  They minister to over 3900 children throughout Zambia.  This model empowers existing villages to provide housing for the children.   So the children live with grandparents, other relatives, or neighbours, while  Faith's Orphans provides education, clothing, spiritual training, horticulture. 

  From ages 18-20, the students live in a residence where they learn skills  such as carpentry, computer skills, business skills, tailoring and horticulture, so that they can return to their villages and set up a business.

Faith

   Faith trained as a nurse at Mukinge Hospital in Zambia, graduating in 1991.  She was concerned about the number of orphans she saw in her work.  She trained to be a midwife and, when Jukumbo Liyena asked her to marry him, she told him about her concern for orphans.  He said that he would help her with the orphans, and they married.

   In 1993, the Faith Orphanage Foundation was registered with the government as a non-governmental, non-profit, and non- denominational Christian organization seeking to furnish the orphaned children of rural Zambia with the basic needs of children.

   Dorraine Ross, a retired missionary from Zambia has devoted her retirement to spreading the word in Canada, encouraging and organizing  donations of clothing and support money.  There is a board of directors in Zambia and in Canada.  Faith is presently on a tour of churches in Canada to explain her work with orphans.