I read this the other day. It’s staggering.
In the world:
There are 143 million orphans in our world. If all the orphans in the world were moved to the country of Mexico, Mexico’s population would more than double, growing from 108,700,000 to 251,700,000.- 87.6 million orphans live in Asia.
- 43.4 million orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- There are as many orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia as there are people in greater NYC.
- 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Almost 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the United States:
- More than 800,000 children pass through our country’s foster care system each year.
- There are over 500,000 children in our foster care system right now.
- 129,000 of those children are waiting to be adopted from foster care right now.
- Approximately, 25,000 children age out of the foster care system each year; many with no support system and little to no life skills.
How many children are adopted each year?
- Between 118,000 and 127,000 children have been adopted every year since 1987.
- More than 50 percent of all adoptions are handled by public agencies or come from countries outside the United States.
- More than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent have actually adopted.
- Only 4 percent of families with children (1.7 million households) contain adopted children.
x
The sad part is that I may not have even read this if we were not in the process of adopting.
As a Christ-follower (and one who is adopted by God [Ephesians 1:4-6]), I am called to:
“…love because He (God) first loved us.” -1 John 4:19
I also know that:
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” – James 1:27
But still, I have done or thought very little about this until our own journey started a few years ago…
x
We all must play a part in addressing these statistics – which actually represent precious children and teens whom God loves:
For some, it is actually adopting or fostering.
For others, it is partnering with a reputable organization or two that provide care.
Some may even give to or help someone in their own community, church, or family who is a foster/adoptive parent.
The key is to actually THINK about this and
DO SOMETHING.
x
So, what will you do?
Statistics source: Together for Adoption.org
DENNARR(dot)COM 