"Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked."
The current population of the United States is just a little over 300 million.
The current population of Russia is 141 million
- It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide (recent UNICEF report).
- Every day 5,760 more children become orphans
- 2,102,400 more children become orphans every year in Africa alone
- Every 15 seconds, another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan
- There are an estimated 14 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- A number higher than the total of every under-eighteen year old in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland combined)
- This figure is estimated to reach 18 million orphans in Africa alone by the end of 2010
- 8 out of 10 children orphaned by AIDS lives in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but ...
- Each year 14,505,000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen
- Each day 38,493 orphans age out
- Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out with no family to belong to and no place to call home
- In some parts of the world studies have shown that 10-15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen!
THIS IS A REMINDER
TO PRAY ...
TO GIVE ...
TO ADVOCATE ...
In a perfect world, there would be no need for orphanages. Obviously, these statistics illustrate that we do not live in a perfect world. As we see the overwhelming need, how dowe bring solutions to the roots of the issues. How do we make a difference? How do we stop the cycles that turn innocent children into orphans?
It's very difficult to REALLY THINK ABOUT THESE STATISTICS.
But we must allow ourselves to become personally involved. These are real children. These children need advocates. They need men and women willing to make a difference. People willing to stand in the gap and act on their behalf.
Go to www.foodfororphans.org and make your advocacy known by making a monthly pledge of $15 to feed at least one orphan every day of every month of every year.
It's the least you could do for the least of these.
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Sources: www.hfgf.org/statistics.pdf ;www.unaids.org/epi/2005 ;
UNICEF’s Childhood Under Threat: the State of the World’s Children, 2005 ; www.unicef.org/uniteforchildren/;
http://skywardjourney.wordpress.com/orphan-statistics/
