Poverty isn't the problem... yet.

After sharing photos and stories from our recent trip with a friend, he was surprised to see that the children at the orphanage weren't living in dire poverty. I guess I can understand his reaction. I think we have some sort of Dickensian notion of what children at an orphanage should look and act like, a la Oliver Twist. But grinding poverty isn't the salient problem that these kids are facing. In the orphanage they are well fed and clothed. They're looked after by a kindhearted staff. The biggest problem is that they don't get to live with parents who love them. And there's of course the stigma and the lack of opportunity that comes from being permanently labeled an "orphan." But don't misunderstand me. The kids still don't have a lot of stuff to call their own. What we're trying to do with the programming and the support that we offer to the orphanage director and his staff is to help create opportunities for the children to overcome the negative stereotypes working against them so they can find ways to succeed in life against all odds. Poverty isn't the problem yet and maybe it won't ever be a problem if these great kids can have a chance to prove to everyone else what we already know to be true. If you'd like to get involved in making a difference for these kids, please let us know.