When Susie and I worked for a year at an orphanage in Mexico (1981), we were surprised to learn that most of the kids had a parent (usually a mother) who was alive. I'd always assumed orphans had no family. Nevertheless, these were abandoned kids for one reason or another and the orphanage provided a safety net of sorts.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund website, UNICEF and global partners define an orphan as a child under 18 years of age who has lost one or both parents to any cause of death. By this definition, there were nearly 140 million orphans globally in 2015, including 61 million in Asia, 52 million in Africa, 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.3 million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This large figure represents not only children who have lost both parents, but also those who have lost a father but have a surviving mother or have lost their mother but have a surviving father.
Of the nearly 140 million children classified as orphans, 15.1 million have lost both parents.
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A few years ago we learned about the work that Hon. Ida Mehangye has been doing ever since she first took in her orphaned niece and nephew after her sister and brother-in-law died from AIDS. The AIDS epidemic in Africa has caused immense and widespread suffering to a degree that Americans would find near impossible to comprehend. After these first two, other people began bringing her other orphaned Ugandan children in Kampala, true orphans with no parents.
Before Covid-19, Samaritan's Way, the children's home she founded, was over capacity, with 45 kids in her care. All that changed, as did financial resources, and the facility had to be closed. The children were split amongst all the workers involved, 12 here, 11 there.
Because of the impossible situation for one of the families, 15 of the children were returned to the home and the landlord extended mercy as well by allowing Ida and the children to remain.
With Christmas approaching, I am making this appeal to any of you who wish to be generous in an unusual way right now. This is an orphanage that is not part of some massive fund-raising organization. They have no advertising committee, no offices somewhere. It is essentially a good will mission started by a couple who cares, who took a step to meet a need, and found there was much more need than even they realized. Any gifts supplied go directly to meeting needs.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES make it possible to send money straight to the orphanage. If you have an extra 50 or 100 dollars this year and wish to do something will make a real difference, I can help you get connected through Sendwave, a simple app for your phone. Even $10 will help... and will go much further than you can imagine. If you would like to help send an email to me at at this address: ennyman3 AT gmail DOT com.
The children in the photo at the top are (L to R) Grace, Shallot and Chris. Grace is five years old. She is an orphan who lives with her Aunt when not at the Orphanage. Shallot is a very active young girl of five years. She has been at the Orphanage since she was two years old. Chris, who is four, was brought to the Orphanage last year; by his Grandma. He is a very promising young boy.
Feel free to share this link with others. Together we can make a difference. As Idah would say: "Kind regards and God bless you."
Related Links
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Orphanage in Uganda Celebrates Christmas
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