A child in Myanmar held safe and secure to his loving mother

Because Every Child is Worth It

Moving ahead with a better plan to serve the children we love

Dear Friends,

You may recall last December when I told you about the process we’ve started in Myanmar to reintegrate the children from 3 orphanages back to their families or place them with foster families. You may have also asked yourself, “What happens to orphanages once there’s no more children living in them?” and, “How does that affect the ministry of Orphan’s Tear going forward?”

First, once an orphanage begins reintegrating children with their families or foster families, we also begin working with that orphanage director to transition him or her to some other business or ministry so that they can continue to support themselves. The orphanage building and compound can be converted into a community center, school or other ministry.

Going forward the plan for the Orphan’s Tear Ministry is to eventually end our support of orphanages. Historically we’ve solely supported Christian orphanages, but since we know that families provide a healthier and more nurturing environment for children, we can no longer continue to support institutional care for children. And in addition to returning children to families, we’re now working to prevent other children from ever having to be sent to orphanages.

But because this work is much more time consuming, this transition will not take place overnight. We began the reintegration process last year in Myanmar with 3 orphanages; 12 more are coming on board this month, and we’re hoping that almost 50 others will start in the future! And once we start to see some successes in Myanmar, we’ll be expanding our work to other countries where we presently support orphanages.

We don’t want to drop our faithful orphanage partners like hot potatoes, however, so we’re committed to support them throughout the reintegration process, which we hope to begin with all of them by the end of 2017. Our plan is that, by the beginning of 2018, the Orphan’s Tear Ministry will no longer be supporting orphanages on a monthly basis, except for those we’re working with to reintegrate their children into families.

This is a very large change in direction—one we fully believe God is leading us towards and providing for every step! We’re super excited about growing to better meet the needs of children around the world, and we’re so thankful for you who have been making all this possible. Stay tuned for more updates!

The road ahead certainly will be challenging, but each child—including the little one in the photo above—is worth it!

Blessings,

Stephen Servant
Director, Orphan’s Tear Ministry