‘Orphans should be reunited whenever possible and adopted whenever necessary’. So how do we grow this work and what role can businesses play towards these ends?
Studies have shown that 80% of children in orphanages have families. 1MILLIONHOME shares the urgency for the millions of kids stuck in orphanages and on the streets who have a loving biological family to return to. Research and scripture agree that children grow best in families. Because of this, governments, NGOs and donors are urging traditional orphanages to reunify children with their families.
But the work doesn't stop in the "charity" sector. The importance of promoting family in child welfare programs is popping up in other sectors as well, and now more businesses are getting savvy in how they team up with global nonprofits to help orphans return to family.
Here are 3 steps your business can take to help with this important work:
Step 1: Businesses can learn about the issues.
Learning about child welfare can, admittedly, be dense and sometimes hard subject matter. For the new learner, it can be helpful to listen along with a podcast. The Think Orphan Podcast is a great place to jump in with these difficult issues and hot topics involved in the global orphan crisis with leading voices from around the world.
For those that want a deep dive, the best way to advance your knowledge is to join the free learning platform JOURNEYHOME and enroll in a video course today.
Many nonprofits working in care reform are looking for similar partners and influencers to help share about the importance of family for helping orphans. Let's learn together and let's get the word out together!
Working in Orphan Care Reform
Step 2: Select a trusted partner organization to support.
Of the hundreds of organizations reached by 1MILLIONHOME, there are several partner organizations working alongside us globally that offer great programs worth supporting. You can find several of them on our Impact page or find a specific project to give to from our global story cards.
If you want to research the reputation of any nonprofit organization, see financial transparency, or connect with an organization, GuideStar provides up-to-date data, such as nonprofit reports and 990 Forms.
When you have a charity partner organization, don't just donate. Build relationship with the staff and beneficiaries of your charity partner and find other ways to invest in their team.
Here are some additional ways your company can fuel philanthropy:
- Combine a corporate holiday party with a charitable cause.
- A giving tree or company-wide fundraising competition can liven up the fun and motivate employees to engage with the cause you choose!
- Rally around one of the specific annual campaign dates like on “Giving Tuesday” on November 30th!
Step 3: Use media from 1MILLIONHOME to connect to your website.
Host a video on your company website or social media to enhance your influence towards supporting orphan care reform! It’s exciting to get on board in helping make a significant shift to get kids home into families. We want to help make this easy for you as you help educate others about this cause. Just visit our media page here or contact us to get started!
Introduction to the Work of Orphan Care Reform by Mike Gallagher
Download and share this video (above) or this photo (below) on your website or social media page to take advantage of this opportunity to share this blog with your colleagues:
Supporting family-based care with 1MILLIONHOME
Your business has the opportunity to promote this work together with 1MILLIONHOME or any of our partnering orphan care partners. We're here to help you do just that so don't hesitate to reach out. Still need to convince the higher-ups that you want to support orphan care reform through a business you work for? Here’s an infographic that your business can distribute or our visual media kit found here.
Join us in promoting the model of
‘always family’.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna has traveled to 45+ countries and was based in Asia for the past 8 years. Working in the field as a practitioner in the OVC space, Jenna implemented new country projects, supported local solutions in the orphan care reform movement, and is a boy-mama 2 times over. Now living in Mexico, Now living in Mexico, she works for the family care program, Restoring Hope.