A young girl finds herself alone in the world after her parents die. A poverty-stricken family abandons their baby with the hope that someone else might be able to give him a better life. An earthquake separates a family from their children who are left to fend for themselves.
War, famine, natural disasters, poverty and illness create a vulnerable population of children without an anchor. Kinship United’s church homes, created nearly 20 years ago, provide a loving and nurturing place for those vulnerable children, who might otherwise end up in institutional care, or be on their own.
At the very heart of Kinship United’s mission is the Bible verse, James 1:27: “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.” Church homes connect orphans and widows—people who have suffered excruciating loss and pain—to create unique, loving environments.
Guided by God’s love, all Kinship Projects begin with a local church that makes room, within its place of worship, to create a loving and caring home for orphans and widows. Children and the widows who care for them live in separate dormitories. Along with the pastor and his or her family, they build a loving, family atmosphere, which long-term studies have shown is crucial for normal growth and development. Rooted in His love and through His grace, we deliver orphans from food scarcity to food security; from a life without basic healthcare to access to health services; violence, neglect or abuse, to a safe haven.
Research has shown that a lack of loving, responsive care can stunt a child’s brain development, affecting the ability to focus, think, and study. When children live in adverse conditions without consistent, loving adult care, it creates a state of toxic stress, which can stimulate heart rate, blood pressure, and the secretion of abnormal levels of stress hormones, interrupting healthy development of the brain.
The Kinship United church home model, which brings people together through the love of Christ, provides physical, spiritual and emotional healing and growth. It’s designed with a high caregiver to child ratio (each home can accommodate 25 to 30 children) that makes it possible to foster a loving, family atmosphere that even institutional care with the best intentions is unable to do.
God continues to bless us with generous supporters who help make our mission possible and have transformed many lives, like Alex and so many others like him. Become part of our community to help children reach their full potential. There are so many ways to make a difference and change the trajectory of a child’s life.
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