“To show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to be sentimental rather than loving.” William Sloane Coffin Jr. I’ve been wanting to put down my thoughts about the idea camp I attended two weeks ago, but it has been hard to organize a coherent post about this multi-layered experience because there is just so much to unpack. So . . . I rambled in a video instead. I am still planning to post the notes from the session I did on the psychological impact of orphanage life. There was such a great discussion in that session that I wanted to add that feedback as well. But in a nutshell, I felt like the entire weekend was an incredible, thorough, and compassionate examination of the orphan crisis. There were so many great leaders who spoke about ways they are getting involved, and I have linked to several of them below. Love146 – a human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation Children’s HopeChest – a global orphan advocacy organization serving orphans and widows around the world. The Mentoring Project – a movement that exists to inspire and equip the faith community to provide mentors for fatherless boys. Discover The Journey – creates media about children in-crisis and links intervention partners to the crisis until change is realized. (They were consulting producers with CNN for the documentary “Rescued“) The Mercy House is an organization that provides housing and resources for pregnant teens in Kenya. Kidmia Orphans – run by Ethiopian nationals, enabling local churches to start ministries aimed at serving orphans and vulnerable children. Safe Families – offering sanctuary to thousands of children as an alternative to entering foster care, minimizing the risk for abuse or neglect and giving parents the time and tools they need to help their families thrive. The ultimate goal is to strengthen and support parents so they can become Safe Families for their own children. 99 Balloons – a non-profit organization that works with special needs children and their families on a local and international scale. Cobblestone Project – a community focused not for profit organization that seeks to engage people to care for the under-resourced in their communities by reestablishing the support structures that often fail leading to cycles of poverty. Help End Local Poverty – is a nonprofit dedicated to addressing poverty through rescuing orphans, restoring their hope and renewing their communities. Together for Adoption – a ministry that provides gospel-centered resources to mobilize the church for global orphan care. Christian Alliance for Orphans – The Alliance unites more than 80 respected Christian organizations and a national network of churches to “defend the cause of the fatherless” through adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.
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