Every child needs a nurturing family to fulfil their God-given potential. We want to make this a reality for thousands of children in Europe who are orphaned or unable to live with their family of birth. We identify and equip in-country leaders in their context. They work in their own communities to inspire families to provide homes, and partner with others to influence practice in the best interest of the child. We aim to improve the lives of 60,000 children in the next three years.
It is estimated that 2.7 million children under 18 years of age are living in institutional care worldwide. Approximately 666 children per 100,000 population in Central and Eastern Europe live in residential care - orphanages and other institutional settings. The rate is over five times higher than the global average (120 per 100,000). In Western Europe, the need for homes and families for children in state care is greater than the number of homes available by thousands per country.
We call and equip national leaders to engage their community to collaborate in solving their country's own orphan and vulnerable children crisis. We work to identify new leaders and teams in each European country, and then partner with them in creating a national network. In the last twelve months we've launched initiatives to provide homes for vulnerable children in Bulgaria, Albania and Croatia. Your support will help us to catalyze movements in Serbia, Slovakia and other countries in 2023!
We will inspire thousands of families in local groups and communities to become foster carers or adopters for children in institutionalised care. We enable several hundred carers and child practitioners to be trained in best practice each year. Together with partners and other organisations, we change the culture of how the most vulnerable children are cared for in many European countries. In these ways, we aim over 3 years to improve the lives of 60,000 vulnerable children throughout Europe.
