This particular part of South Asia has the largest child population in the world. Unfortunately, newest research shows that approximately 4% of the child population in this region are orphans. That’s 20 million children with no family, a number that is projected to increase by 2021. Orphaned children face extreme vulnerabilities, including sex trafficking, forced child labor, HIV/ AIDS, and substance abuse. Many children have lost their parents because of abandonment due to poverty, illness and death.
Even children with families in this part of South Asia face unimaginable hardships. Most do not attend school regularly, as they are pressured to go to work and earn money for their families. Health is also a struggle as early 2 million children born per year in this part of the world do not live to the age of 5. These issues, combined with an unbalanced caste system make orphaned children in South Asia most at risk.
This ministry started with working among South Asia’s most illiterate and poor tribal communities. Majority of the children they encountered had been abandoned due to poverty, or had parents that were too ill to provide care. As a result, many children were forced to drop out of school and recruited to work in the fields. As a result, Good News to the Poor Orphanage was established. The home has since taken in children who are orphaned, abandoned, forced into labor, or neglected. Good News to the Poor gives children a chance to go to school, hoping to give them a better future in spite of their vulnerability. The caretakers look for the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of the children residing there, giving them a home with hope and opportunity they wouldn’t have had elsewhere.
Serving Orphans Worldwide travels to every orphanage we partner with to ensure needs are legitimate and 100% of funds distributed goes to the livelihood of the children.