“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV)

48 Million. This figure represents the approximate number of orphans in Africa. Using the word approximate is appropriate because no one really knows the actual number, or how fast this population is growing. These numbers are troubling because LIA has experienced firsthand the orphan crisis that poor communities are facing throughout NE Africa. LIA partners with local churches to impact the plight of orphans and vulnerable children in three ways: street children rehabilitation, support for families with at risk children, and community based orphan care.

Our Street Children Rehabilitation Program targets hard core youth who live full-time on the street. They enter into a three year program where they are placed in peers houses with other street youth. Each youth receives a food stipend, school fees, basic household necessities, counseling, tutoring, vocational training and discipleship training.  

Surprisingly, 95% of orphaned children actually have family to care for them. Their family members, however, are largely too poor to keep the children. The result is that they bring the child to an orphanage or put them on the streets. In order to keep the family together, LIA and our church partners support vulnerable families through food stipends, medical care, micro enterprise training and support, school fees, and spiritual counsel.

When both parents have passed away, LIA works to empower family members to serve as orphan care-takers in our Community Orphan Based Care program. If family members aren’t available, LIA and our partner churches find safe, neighboring families for the child to live with. We then serve to empower the family through food donations, paying school fees, offering medical help and providing micro-enterprise opportunities. Community based orphan care provides an opportunity for orphaned children to remain in their local context, preferably with a family member, in their local culture.

3,000. This is the number of orphaned and vulnerable children we desire to serve using the program parameters described above. To join us in reaching this goal please participate in our They Matter campaign. You can truly serve to empower a child.