The number of orphaned children in the world in which we live is staggering. It is estimated that HIV/AIDS and Ebola alone have orphaned well over 18 million children (enough children to fill a Super Bowl stadium, not just once, but 180 times). According to UNICEF, an estimated 153 million children – ranging from infants to teenagers – have lost one or both parents and are now partially or completely orphaned worldwide. These orphan numbers do not include abandoned and sold or trafficked children, so the total number of functional orphans may be closer to 200 million – equivalent to 2/3 the current population of the United States.
But some things can be done to help in this situation – even if we cannot ourselves adopt or foster parent. See our newly uploaded article “Christian Adoption and Foster Parenting” to better understand the problem and some of the things we can do to help.
