Children
The Problem
There are 132 million orphaned children in economically developing nations.
Many orphaned children are susceptible to human trafficking and gang initiation. Most time the children are required to leave the orphanage when they turn 18, whether they have a plan for their future or not, they have to make it on their own.
(Sources: Humanium, Moju Project, UNICEF)
Solution
Studies have proved the positive impact the young and old have on each other. Intergenerational relationships are a win-win.
When we partner an orphaned child with an orphaned older adult, a unique and beautiful new family blossoms; the grandparent imparts their wisdom onto the grandchild, and the grandchild learns to respect, honor and love their elders.
Since our intergenerational model has only 14 children at one time in the home, we can intentionally pour into each child. The parents and teachers assess each child to determine their gifts, talents, hopes and dreams. If a child is business minded, he job shadows our Campus Director. If a child is interested in healthcare, he works with our nurse and missionary medical teams. If a child loves to be in nature and get his hands dirty, he works the agriculture. The teen who loves sales is taught how to sell the abundance of food to the market. These are just a few examples of how the children are given job and life skills that allow them to re-write their narrative and launch into the adult world when they are ready and have a viable plan for success.
We support families in the community struggling to care for their children. We provide job training to the parents, help them set up a family budget, and provide vouchers so they can purchase food, medication and school supplies. We help them become financially sound, and spiritually rooted and empower the parents to be leaders in their community. We also offer community events to bring the families with the youth and the families with the seniors together to enjoy fellowship, learn about culture, and form an appreciation for each other.
The vision is that the children in our intergenerational family and those in our community outreach program will understand the importance of honoring, loving and caring for the older generation. We envision our children being the ambassadors for the older adults and replicating our assisted living home to care for the more aging population properly. We see them teaching their generation, the generation below them, and so on. We envision a world where the older adult population is revered, respected, and cared for by the younger generation. The circle of life is realized.
