Now nearly 400,000 orphaned children live in foster homes or on the streets in Guatemala, primarily due to abuse or neglect. And their only hope for a family is domestic adoption.

In Guatemala, Cesar Eguizabal works as Missions Coordinator for Orphan Outreach. He also serves as President of the Board for the Alianza Cristiana para los Huérfanos (ACH) — Guatemala’s Christian Alliance for Orphans.

Eguizabal and his team are supported by a number of churches and NGOs, including Orphan Outreach. They provide resources and education, and encourage Guatemalans to serve orphans through family preservation, foster care, adoption, and caring for those who have been rescued from abuse and neglect.

(Image courtesy of Orphan Outreach)

“The situation here in Guatemala is really hard,” says Eguizabal of the orphan crisis in his country.

Guatemala’s Christian Alliance for Orphans focuses on three primary initiatives: adoption education and support, the ACH Conference, and Orphan Sunday.

Equizabal shares, “We are working on a partnership with the CNA, which is the entity in Guatemala that processes and does all the adoptions here.”

The goal is to increase the number of adoptions taking place in-country. While international adoption has been closed since 2008, domestic adoption is legal and encouraged.

Interest in adoption is slowly growing in popularity, and the ACH is developing partnerships with local churches to help families throughout the process.

Aixa Lopez shares at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit. (Image courtesy of ACH)

Currently, two large churches are leading the charge in adoption and orphan care. The first is Fraternidad Cristiana with pastors Alex and Aixa Lopez. They themselves are adoptive parents, and their church has opened its doors to provide support groups called Corazon Fertiles (Fertile Hearts).

“Last year they started the first one, and this year we already have four groups in all of Guatemala City, and we are about to start a fifth one,” Eguizabal shares.

The second partnership is with Vida Real Church and their social outreach ministry, I:58 (based on Isaiah 58), which focuses on equipping the Church to “just follow the mandate we have from the Lord to care for widows and orphans.”

A nationwide ACH Conference is set for September 17^th. The first conference held in 2014 was the catalyst for the alliance’s launch. On the heels of the conference, Guatemala will join countries around the world in celebrating Orphan Sunday in November.

Because the ACH’s goal is to be a link between churches, individuals, and the thousands of vulnerable children in Guatemala, Eguizabal says, “We are the ones who are sending them off to different group homes and children’s homes in Guatemala. We are also sharing some tools of equipment they can have to help serve those children well.”

(Image courtesy of ACH)

Eguizabal says the ACH is also providing critical insight to those who express interest in starting children’s homes or orphan care ministries in Guatemala.

“We’re trying to educate them on exactly what that looks like, because when they have good intentions but they don’t have the experience, that can be an interesting process. We’re starting to see that families and people are passionate about getting involved. They just need direction, and that’s why we’re trying to find the best way to do that.”

Eguizabal asks for the Church in the United States to pray for the Church in Guatemala as they rise to serve orphans.

“Even though we are in different settings maybe or different environments, we are all the same and we’re all created by the Lord. We have to be reminded of that every day.”

He also asks that prayers be lifted up to heal their country of prejudice and racism. “My prayer is that we — as a country and as the body of Christ — can really just get rid of that.

“We can just pray God really to give us open minds and open hearts so we can be a blessing to many kids and many families down here.”

Learn more about the work being done in Guatemala at ACH.gt, and get involved in orphan care through Orphan Outreach.

The ministry efforts have been fruitful–and yet for Program Director Dace Rence and other Latvian nationals, something has been missing.

“We’ve been trying to meet children in their need, to minister to them, to share the Gospel, but most of all, what we’ve always wanted was to get the local church involved,” says Rence.

What is happening now in Latvia is the result of years of dedicated prayer. Rence says, “We appreciate what the United States has done in providing care and doing so much work, but it is also important for the Latvian church to take ownership of caring for needs of the orphans, to stand in the gap for them and to serve them. So a couple of years ago, some of us who shared the same passion for orphans came together with the same idea – and so the Latvian Alliance for Orphans was born.”

The alliance has one goal, one purpose – to serve orphans and vulnerable children.

(Image courtesy of CAFO)

The first focus of the alliance was Orphan Sunday. Not only were churches involved in the effort, but local media outlets were quick to share stories raising awareness about foster care and adoption.

Seminars were designed to instruct churches on how to start orphan care ministries. Government officials partnered with orphan care organizations to provide instruction on foster care and adoption, and an orphan care conference was conducted.

What started first in the capital city of Riga has now spread across the country with the help of the Latvian Orphan Alliance.

Rence shares, “We’re a small country, and you know sometimes it can be bad, but in an initiative like this, it’s really our privilege and it is just awesome because all the officials – starting from pastors to bishops to even the president are one or two calls away.

“We’ve had their approval and their acceptance and their signatures and blessings – from main church leaders from all denominations. They’ve all joined and signed an agreement saying that ‘yes, we support this initiative,’ and then they’ve informed their churches and their church members that this is something that we all approve.”

(Image courtesy of Orphan Outreach)

Orphan Sunday has been celebrated each November in Latvia for two years. The hope is now to include the special day on official church calendars across denominations.

“The first year we did the main celebration at a Baptist Church. Last year, we approached a Lutheran Church. They took ownership, and did not expect us to tell them how to do it. They came with their own ideas, their own program for the day, and they did more than we could ever imagine,” reflects Rence. “They said, ‘We don’t want this to be just about adults talking about orphans – we want this to be a special day for kids,’ so they opened their church doors and invited children from many orphanages and did a Kids Festival.”

Rence says the hope is that the Catholic Church will be the site of the main celebration in 2016.

Almost everyone on the Latvian Orphan Alliance leadership team has adopted, fostered, or served as legal guardian for a child. Rence sees training as essential for families wanting to become family. “We want to equip them with knowledge and best practices, and we want to walk with them through the journey.

(Image courtesy of Orphan Outreach)

“My dream is that every orphanage would be adopted by a church, with their presence but with prayer support as well – so that every child would have somebody praying for him or her.”

As for how the Church in the United States can continue to support its Latvian sister in the cause of orphans, Rence says the most important thing is prayer. “It is spiritual warfare, and children need that spiritual support.”

Even if you’re far away, you can do so much just by praying for the children, for the staff serving these children daily, and for the people in politics who are making decisions for these children.

“Please pray for the foster parents and adoptive parents who are so often tired and at times ready to give up.” Rence pauses, and then smiles. “And Google us to find out where Latvia is. Be our ambassadors and come visit us. Once you come, you’ll fall in love not only with our country but with our children. Come visit, be their American friend, and provide support for our orphan graduates to help them launch into adulthood.”

Learn about all Orphan Outreach is doing in Latvia here.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

International (MNN) — War, disease, and the mass migration of people are some of today’s most prominent issues.

There’s another problem that’s less noticed, but just as serious: the orphan crisis.

According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 153 million orphans–children who have lost at least one parent–in the world. Approximately 13 million of them have lost both parents.

And there’s no sign of this situation improving.

“Due to war and poverty, and sometimes it’s weather or lack of rain or too much rain, the number of orphans and vulnerable children is increasing every day,” says Bill Blacquiere, president and CEO of Bethany Christian Services, a Christian foster care, adoption, and pregnancy resource agency.

What’s worse is that many governments aren’t doing much to help. Many countries have barely enough resources to care for influxes of refugees, so there’s not much they’re doing for orphans.

“Many times,governments are not prioritizing the needs of children, and they do not have the infrastructure in place, or they haven’t committed the funds in place to make sure orphan children have adequate care,” Blacquiere says. “They cannot monitor all the children in orphanages.

“I talked to a government official once who said, ‘In my region of the country’ (which was probably 25% of the country), ‘I have 40 orphanages I’m responsible for. And I don’t even have the staff to visit those orphanages.”

Stories like that make the situation seem hopeless. But, just because the government isn’t making a difference doesn’t mean no one is. It isn’t easy, but Bethany is working to place as many needy children as possible in loving families.

“In Ethiopia, we have a foster-to-adoption program, and we have now placed over 109 children with loving, Christian Ethiopian families,” Blacquiere says. “For the most part, the government is aware of that, because we always want to make them aware and encourage them to set the right policies; but [the program is] pretty much is done by donations by families in the U.S. along with foundation support.”

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

You can help by giving financially to Bethany, or you can raise awareness yourself. November 8 is Orphan Sunday, which means tens of thousands of churches around the world will dedicate a day to praying and raising awareness for millions of suffering children. And even if you aren’t in a position to adopt, there are still ways you can make a difference.

“We’re working with over 3,000 children in Ethiopia, where we’re helping to keep them with their families; and some of that is done by sponsorship,” Blacquiere says. “So a family here in the United States or some other country is providing a sponsorship to a family in Ethiopia or another country, and that empowers that family to send their child to school, to help provide food and clothing.”

When you work with Bethany to either adopt, foster, or sponsor a child or family, you’re doing more than just meeting their physical needs. You’re opening doors for the Gospel.

“In Ethiopia, as an example, we are working with over 50 churches; and from those churches, we are recruiting foster and adoptive families,” Blacquiere says. “The church then also sees the needs of the community around them, and they are starting other programs.”

Does this sound like something you want to get involved in? You can hold an Orphan Sunday at your own church. And, it doesn’t have to be this Sunday.

November is National Adoption Month, so any Sunday is a great time to participate. Click here to learn more, or follow this link for other ways you can assist children and families in need.

(Image courtesy Bethany)

Without the protection of parents or family, orphans are either left to fend for themselves or they’re placed in an institution. These children are especially vulnerable in Africa, where children often become head of the household around age 8 or 9.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 70% of the world’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, and in some sub-Saharan nations, the number of AIDS orphans exceeds 1 million. In the Global Slavery Index published earlier this month, half of the top 10 nations where slavery is most prevalent are African: Mauritania, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Gabon.

More than 40,000 children are victims of human trafficking in Benin, and around 14,000 kids are enslaved in Gambia. Their bonds take the form of domestic servitude, forced begging and prostitution, including child sex tourism.

Surrounded by a family, children become much less appealing to predators like traffickers or pimps. Bethany Christian Services and Buckner International are teaming up to host a conference in Kenya later this month promoting domestic adoption.

“We are hoping that it will inspire the Christian community in Kenya and other countries…to step up to care for orphans and vulnerable children,” says Bill Blacquiere, Bethany’s President and CEO. “It will be educational; it will be informative.”

In a first-of-its-kind event, Bethany and Buckner will introduce Christian communities to the possibility of orphan adoption on November 21 and 22. However, East African mindsets and cultural norms could present a challenge.

“Adoption is kind of foreign to a lot of people in [these] countries,” Blacquiere explains. “They did not grow up with the idea of ‘you adopt non-relatives into your family’.”

It was a difficult hurdle for Bethany to overcome when they began working in Ethiopia. Through a partnership with over 20 local pastors, Bethany offers a multitude of services.

“They said to us, ‘It took us 6 months to get a handle on [the thought] that we were adopted by God, and we should also adopt children who are non-relatives’,” Blacquiere recalls.

While you might not be able to go, Blacquiere says there are three things you can do.

First of all, pray Christian communities attending the conference to open their homes and hearts to orphans. Secondly, ask the Lord to give them understanding of adoption and His love for orphans.

“And third, if they would pray for governments,” requests Blacquiere, “that governments would be open to Christian organizations working with them to provide care for children.”

(Image courtesy Orphan Outreach)

Orphan Outreach’s Tiffany Taylor says it’s a wake-up call for the Church.

“This is a huge problem, and God is really calling up Christians to care for these children,” she states.

In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS and conflict has wiped out almost an entire generation of adults, and governments are hard-pressed to meet the growing demands of displaced children in staggering proportions in their nations. In East Africa, two groups are tackling the crisis later this month with a conference promoting domestic adoption, the first of its kind.

It is estimated that in Africa, over 10% of the population are orphaned children.

“The statistics are just not good for children who grow up in orphanages,” says Taylor.

“Many of them, within the first three years of graduating from the orphanage, commit suicide; they certainly are prey for those in the mafia, in the sex trade. They just don’t have the living skills to cope and to live independently.”

Jodi Jackson Tucker serves as International Director of Orphan Sunday with the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), a coalition of 150 orphan-serving organizations.

“Children who lack parents are the number one target for human trafficking and every other exploitation and suffering,” explains Tucker. “But churches are stepping up for these kids in powerful ways across the globe. Orphan Sunday calls more Christians to action.”

Throughout history, Christians have placed special focus on the plight of orphans. That commitment is reawakening in a big way, from orphan care ministries to international and indigenous adoption. Tucker and her husband have adopted five children—one from the U.S. and four from Uganda.

Worldwide, it is estimated that millions of children have lost at least one parent. In the U.S., more than 100,000 children in the foster care system have been legally terminated from the hope of reunification with their biological parents, and are now waiting to be adopted.

Without the protection of caring families, children face huge risk of sex trafficking, famine, extreme poverty and other abuses.

One study in Eastern Europe found that children growing up in orphanages are ten times more likely to fall prey to sex trafficking than others. Even in the U.S., research suggests that 75 percent of children exploited sexually for commercial purposes previously spent time in foster care.

These children age out of the foster care system and have nowhere to go. Without a support network or family they become easy prey. Christians are being called to change this crisis and rescue the next generation.

This weekend, thousands of churches in over 50 nations will celebrate Orphan Sunday. Pray orphans around the world learn they are loved by the Lord. Pray more believers step forward to show that love in word and deed.

You might not have time to organize and event or prepare a sermon, but you can still make a difference.

“Many people like to take action by adoption, but that’s just a very small percentage of the children. I think last year maybe 10,000 children were adopted internationally (into the U.S.),” says Taylor.

“The real way people can make a change is by getting their church and their community and their friends to understand about the needs and partner with organizations that are making a difference for orphans every day.”

One way Orphan Outreach is making a difference this Orphan Sunday is through their “Undies for Orphans” campaign. They’re encouraging churches and believers worldwide to collect children’s underwear and send them to Orphan Outreach’s headquarters.

“You may think that’s kind of a silly thing,” Taylor notes. “But I have to tell you, it’s so desperately needed by orphans across the world and it’s something very easy and inexpensive to collect.”

The mission of Orphan Outreach is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by ministering to orphans around the world, by meeting their spiritual, physical, emotional and educational needs. Undies are an urgent need, and providing them opens a door to share the Gospel.

How can you take part in Orphan Sunday?

“We really encourage people to use this Sunday to raise awareness, but then to put that awareness into action, to do something to change the life of an orphan,” says Taylor.

The Orphan Sunday celebration began eleven years ago in Zambia, and has spread to churches globally that are seeking to respond to the orphan crisis. Every event is unique and locally organized, from concerts and student gatherings to sermons and sponsorship drives.

These celebrations highlight the needs of orphans and how ordinary people can make a difference in the life of one. Tucker has seen firsthand both the need and the compelling ways families and churches like hers are responding worldwide.

“The big statistics are overwhelming,” says Tucker. “It just takes one caring adult to transform the life of a child. One child at a time, we can change the course of history.”

Click here for more about the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

"We celebrated here in Dallas at our corporate headquarters by having over 40 teenagers come from 5 different high schools and help us pack over 500 presents for orphans in Guatemala," says Tiffany Taylor with Orphan Outreach. She says the ministry is excited to see more youth getting involved.

"They're committed to getting together and doing projects, collecting items, and then also packing items," she states about young members of Women for Orphans Worldwide (WOW), the auxiliary club of Orphan Outreach.

The first WOW chapter launched three years ago after a mother-daughter team traveled with Orphan Outreach to Guatemala. This year alone, WOW has grown to 10 chapters, everywhere from Texas to Virginia. Click here to see if there's one in your city.

A multitude of junior members have started clubs at their high schools, too. During the school year, teens collect items for orphans at their school. Students gather a variety of much-needed objects including toothbrushes and school supplies. Then during the summer, many travel to orphanages to meet the kids they've supported.

"They really have seen firsthand, and they're excited to come back and get their friends involved in orphan ministry."

Pray that their efforts would raise abundant support for orphans around the world. You can get involved, too. Click here to become a member of WOW.

CAFO is now a worldwide movement that unites churches, organizations, and individuals to "inspire, equip, and connect Christians to reflect God's heart in caring for orphans in adoption, foster care, and global orphan care initiatives."

Bethany Christian Services is one of the founding members of this great movement.

In 2011, more than 2,000 people attended the Annual Summit that is held each spring. The summit's goal is to increase the engagement and effectiveness of the Church in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. CAFO is also known for leading Orphan Sunday activities every November in recognition of National Adoption Month. Thousands of churches worldwide participated in Orphan Sunday last November, and every year membership grows.

Orphan care ministries have been created regionally in the United States. They promote adoption, foster care, and/or global orphan initiatives. Adoption is one of CAFO's objectives. The Alliance and its members also like to see family preservation.

They like to see families stay together, even in hard times. Bethany and other organizations create sustainable foster care and child welfare service systems to make it possible for children to remain with their families or with families in-country.

November 4 is Orphan Sunday. Thousands of events across America and around the globe all share a single goal: that God's great love for the orphan will echo in our lives as well.

Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community, and friends to God's call to care for the orphan. Pray that more people this year will be involved with Orphan Sunday. Pray that orphans will be cared for and touched by the love of God through those who reach out to them with compassion.

Christians around the world will remember these children on Orphan Sunday, November 4.

EFCA GlobalFingerprints is just one organization that wants you to participate. Through their program, they're changing realities for many. GlobalFingerprints is the EFCA's child sponsorship program serving orphans in the Democratic Republic of Congo and children in the slums of Kolkata, India. For $35/month, a GlobalFingerprints child receives an education, medical care, and the love of Christ.

If you're feeling called to do something for Orphan Sunday at your church, EFCA has 10 simple ideas for you.

• Show a GlobalFingerprints video during worship service.
• Have a church leader introduce GlobalFingerprints as the EFCA's child sponsorship program and challenge the congregation to sponsor a child for $35/month.
• Include a GlobalFingerprints insert in your Sunday bulletin.
• Display child cards immediately outside of your sanctuary and encourage people to sponsor a child.
• Take a special offering and sponsor one or more children as a congregation. ($420 sponsors a child for a year, $840 for two years, $1260 for three years.)
• Get a large water bottle: collect loose change for the month and use funds to sponsor one or more children through GlobalFingerprints.
• Engage children, teens, and small groups in learning about the needs of orphans. Encourage them to watch the GlobalFingerprints videos, to be praying for orphans, and to consider sponsoring an orphan together.
• Ask your pastor to preach a sermon on God's love for the orphan and the Biblical basis for orphan care.
• Practically look for ways you can encourage and support someone in your church or community who has adopted, is in the process of adopting, or is a foster parent.
• Gather and make available resources (books, DVDs, brochures, lists of Web sites) about sponsorship, adoption, foster care, and Safe Families for Children for your congregation.

The EFCA suggests that you be creative and keep it simple. Make sure you involve the kids and your friends. Pray. Ask God to lead and give you a heart for caring for orphans. If you're excited about the program, your passion will help others catch the vision for orphan ministry, too.

If you need resources, free ones are available. Request them at globalfingerprints@efca.org. Packets include everything you'll need for Orphan Sunday: DVD, child sponsorship cards, brochures, and stickers.

If you need additional information, click here.

For the month of November, known by many in the U.S. as "National Adoption Month," Bright Hope is celebrating and advocating for these children with their "Orphan Day" Campaign.

Not only is the ministry using the campaign to encourage believers to be Christ's hands and feet by getting involved with Orphan Sunday (November 6), but they have created an entire list of creative ways for you to help increase the number of children they reach.

Whether you are a church, group, or individual, Bright Hope has ways for you to serve, support, and impact the poorest of orphans:

• Make a donation: You can donate online at BrightHope.org to support Bright Hope's work serving orphans in Haiti and Africa.
• Run a Hope Pack Campaign: Hope Packs are hand-decorated boxes full of school and hygienic supplies plus a Bible in the child's native language. Bright Hope distributes these through their local indigenous partners. Filling and decorating Hope Packs is a fun and meaningful activity that has a direct impact on a child. It costs $30 to sponsor a box. The cost to fill a box with your own supplies is $15 per box. Supplies include: pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, memo notebook, crayons, soap, tissues, toothbrush, toothpaste, Band-Aids, T-shirt, and a small toy.
• Orphan Day Offering: Dedicate an offering, or have a special collection toward serving the needs of orphans.
• Sponsor a Feeding Program: As a long-term partnership, your church or group can adopt one of Bright Hope's numerous feeding programs that serve orphans in some of the poorest regions in the world.
• Engage Friends and Family: November 6 is Orphan Sunday, but Bright Hope is using the whole month to serve as Orphan Awareness Month. Join them using Facebook and Twitter to share information about orphans around the world.
• Take Immediate Action: Text BHOPE to 85944 to instantly give $10 towards helping these children.

To learn more about any of the above, please visit the Orphan Day tab on the Bright Hope Web site. For more information on Bright Hope and how you can help those living on less than $1 a day across the world, visit BrightHope.org, or call 224.520.6100.

The campaign is aimed at raising awareness for the plight of the 140 million orphans across the globe. Orphan's Heart hopes that their 40 Days campaign will encourage churches to get more involved with caring for the fatherless as Christ commanded.

"We're not all called to adopt a child or to be foster parents, but we can all do something to help lift up these special children," notes Brian Gilpin with Orphan's Heart.

This year, the two ministries are providing a way for believers to help these children which is as simple as a drive to the store–or the click of a mouse.

Orphan's Heart needs diapers. During these next 40 days leading up to Orphan Sunday, they're hosting drives all across Florida — which could potentially be across the world with your involvement — to collect diapers.

"This diaper drive will benefit our foster parents in Florida, as well as our international childcare ministry in Guatemala," explains Gilpin. "Our goal is to collect at least 30,000 diapers, which is the number of diapers required to fulfill our domestic and international childcare needs for one month."

Orphan's Heart is hoping to defray a significant cost for these parents, especially for the Malnutrition Center is Guatemala. They are so passionate about the cause that they're even offering a special incentive to get involved.

"By participating in the diaper drive, people have an opportunity to win a free mission trip with Orphan's Heart to the malnutrition center in Guatemala," says Gilpin.

So here's how you get involved (especially if you live in Florida within reasonable distance of the Florida Baptist Children's Homes): host a drive at your church. Tell your believing community about the orphan problem around the world and get them involved with sharing Christ's love to these kids by providing a practical need through a ministry passionate about spreading the Gospel in this way.

If you don't live in Florida, you can still host a drive if your church is willing to raise money for shipping costs as well. Learn more about hosting a diaper drive.

The easiest of all options involves clicking a computer mouse. Just visit orphansheart.org and give online for diapers.

As you host a drive or give online, you'll have the chance to enter to win a trip and be the hands and feet of Christ in Guatemala. As you give, pray for the orphans who will benefit from this simple but meaningful gift.