One Church One Child
 Rico |
Despite the odds, foster children have a chance with help from friends like you! There are currently over half a million children in the foster care system in the Unites States today. On average, a child who enters foster care will remain in foster care for 32 months, and only about half will return to their parents. What happens to those who do not return home? Sadly, many of them are passed on from home to home until they are eventually old enough to leave the system. Rico, who has been in the state system for seventeen years and has been in at least thirteen different homes, is just one of many. Like most kids, Rico is a smart, likeable young man who does not want to become a statistic. |
What happens to those who do not return home?
Sadly, many of them are passed on from home to home until they are eventually old enough to leave the system. Rico, who has been in the state system for seventeen years and has been in at least thirteen different homes, is just one of many. Like most kids Rico, is a smart, likeable young man who does not want to become a statistic.
These statistics tell the story:
3 of 10 of the nation's homeless are former foster children.
80% of prison inmates have been through the foster care system.
Children are 11 times more likely to be abused in state care
12-18 months after leaving foster care:
27% of the males and 10% of the females have been incarcerated.
33% were receiving public assistance
37% have not finished high school
50% were unemployed
50% of the females are pregnant by the time they are 19
How can you Help?
There is a national program called One Church One Child dedicated to helping these children. The premise of the One Church One Child program is that if in every church one family would adopt one child or sibling group we could drastically reduce the orphan problem in the United States. These courageous families would than need the support of the members of their church and neighbors in many ways. Offering to help these family's with their basic needs like babysitting, cleaning, tutoring, and even by helping drive the kids to appointments are just a few of the simple ways to lend a hand. You could also choose to be an honorary aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, or even a big brother or big sister. Many times adoption adds to the financial burden of the family so even being able to offer financial assistance with things clothes, school supplies, or paying fees so the children can be in sports or have music lessons would help bring us one step closer to giving these kids a brighter future.
If you find you are not able to undertake the challenge of adoption, then find ways to support people and organizations that do. There are over 135,000 children waiting to be adopted in the U.S. We are the richest country in the world with the richest churches in the world.
