What is the definition of an orphan?
A -The traditional meaning of the word "orphan" was a child that had lost both parents. The more
modern accepted definition and a term that is slowly taking the place of the "orphan" label, is
"children without parental care." Because of the fragile conditions in many countries as well as
disease, war, natural disasters and religious and social inequality, there are millions of children
that may have a single parent or a relative, that is unable or unwilling to care for them. They are
still an orphan...or a child "without parental care." They are still subject to hunger, abuse,
slavery, prostitution, neglect and ultimately a very high rate of mortality. Orphan's Lifeline does
not distinguish between a child with no parents and a child with parent(s) that do not care for
them.
How many orphans are there in the world?
A- The sad truth is that an exact number is not known. It seems that even the statistics have
abandoned these children. That being said, there are several sources that provide estimates
based upon information provided by the governments of the world and N.G.O's that are on the
ground in countries that cannot or will not provide the information. The accepted number in
2009 is 143 million. Unfortunately, that number grows by thousands in the time it takes to read
this paragraph.
Can $30 per month really provide proper care for a child?
A - Not counting the costs of the facility itself? Yes! Orphan's Lifeline's program model is very
efficient. There are no layers between Orphan's Lifeline and the children's home receiving the
aid. That coupled with leveraging the power of the American Dollar and tight budgetary
requirements and monitoring allows Orphan's Lifeline to provide a high level of care for the
orphan children in the home. For more on this see Programs. The costs of the home itself are
provided through separate sponsorship that cover elements associated with the facility.
Orphan's Lifeline's General Fund and I.O.C.F provide a safety buffer and provide for special
needs should children or homes not be completely sponsored or lose sponsorship
