Orphan Relief and Rescue’s mission is to be a voice with action for orphans that no one else will help. We are advocates for every child living in an orphanage in Liberia--usually that means supporting orphanages that are doing their best for the kids. Sometimes, however, that means finding a way out for children caught in bad orphanages.
As an organization, God has blessed us with a strong relationship with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the arm of the Liberian government that oversees and monitors orphanage homes. Our partnership means Orphan Relief and Rescue is actively participating in the Social Welfare Policy and Plan (the big picture, 5-year plan), and we sit on the appropriate task forces. We come alongside the government to support their efforts in promoting advocacy and justice, along with our shared goal of promoting the overall well-being of children.
The Ministry of Social Welfare has been very busy over the past year rewriting policies, procedures and laws affecting orphanages, foster care and adoption. The government is beginning the new deinstitutionalization process--closing selected homes, reunifying children with family and relocating children to better homes. The process will be long and tedious; proper time is needed to accurately and diligently collect information for every child living in all the 140+ institutions in Liberia.
Orphan Relief and Rescue is committed to supporting the government throughout the deinstitutionalization process. We will be working closely with the Department of Social Welfare, along with their social workers, to document all of the children living in orphanages, beginning with the homes on the government’s closure list. After the child documentation is complete, family tracing and the reunification process will begin. Finally, for those children without family, we will explore non-institutional care. This process reflects Orphan Relief and Rescue’s vision that every child should be cared for, protected and loved.
Please join us in praying for the deinstitutionalization process--that the government will stay motivated and act in the best interests of each individual child, for guidance and direction as we determine our involvement in the process, and that everyone involved would have patience with and faith in the process, and keep the end goals in mind.
