The orphanage stood beyond the rusted fence, across a dusty, grassless yard filled with concrete blocks, old tires and a broken down bus; the playground adorned only with a small sandbox and one squeaky swing.  Tears filled my eyes as we approached the ramshackle building; the environment so gray and oppressive I could scarcely breathe.  My child lives here!  My heart breaks as I imagine all he has suffered in his young life.

Nothing prepared me for the children; their faces a mixture of longing, sadness and hope.  Reaching out to us, each seemed to question, ‘Are you here for me?’   Unfortunately, we were only there for one—our son!  One little girl, ~7, flung herself into my arms,  before being dragged away in tears by one of the caregivers.  I could barely let go of her!  Who will give these children a second chance I wondered?

As we were leaving the orphanage that last day, our 6 year old boy, with tears rolling down his face, pressed himself against the rusty fence and cried, ‘You promised you would never leave me!’  How many times had he asked that question only to be failed by someone?  How many times had the other children suffered this same loss—torn from their parents, but now too old for a new family?   As he turned to walk slowly away, shoulders hunched in despair, he softly said, ‘But, I do not even have a toothbrush’.

I knew then our lives were forever changed.  Our son was coming home, but who would open their homes to the others?  How could we leave all of these children without a voice, a name?  So began our journey to help these forgotten orphans find their place in the world…in a REAL family.

We know we can’t help them all, but ONE by ONE, we are making a difference—saving lives.