Digging In

Written by Amanda McGinley

Written by Amanda McGinley

Our mission at The Archibald Project is to end the orphan crisis. To do so, will take all of us working together, with our unique skills and passions. It will take families saying ‘yes’ to foster care and ‘yes’ to adoption. This is needed and necessary, but alone, it will not end the orphan crisis. We must address the root causes of the crisis to end it for good.

Over the next couple of months, we are thrilled to share the incredible stories of individuals and organizations who are working in the trenches to put an end to this crisis at the source. Their work is liberating millions of future families and children from vulnerability.

What are these dubious causes? One of the biggest culprits is poverty. In fact, poverty is the number one cause of the orphan crisis. Families living in poverty struggle to provide the most basic needs, they are vulnerable to personal and physical hardship, and most often unable to afford education. The children of impoverished families face many struggles, notably the lack of access to education, which in turn, exponentially increases the likelihood that they themselves will grow to be a parent in poverty, perpetuating the cycle.

Poverty is man made and completely possible to eradicate. And although it is not an easy road, people are doing amazing work to fight against poverty. We are excited to learn from those we know in the field and share with you their inspiring journeys and most important work.

Looking forward, our friends at Justice Rising will share how conflict exasperates conditions of poverty and leaves families and children with little care or resources. Education proves to be a lifeline to these families and children, and the school community serves as an essential support system. Cassandra, Founder and CEO, shares her experience in Syria and the work that they are doing to address the needs of kids who have lost their parents in the crisis. Justice Rising is taking the long view, looking to shape the future by pouring into the current generation.

We are inspired by this long view and that of many others.  We will share the wild and wonderful stories of Shaping Destiny, Restore Elikia and I Pour Life, who all work to holistically address the orphan crisis and poverty. We are motivated and in awe by their creativity and ingenuity that is leading to real change.

Restore Elikia has seen maternal mortality rates decrease by half due to their educational radio campaign! I Pour Life has kept countless families together through their childcare and job training programming. It is allowing mothers to develop their family finances, while caring and providing for their children. Upon completion, mothers are armed with the skills that they need to provide for their children and in turn families stay together. Shaping Destiny builds lasting relationships and sponsors those most in need, so that children are able shape their own future and grow into thriving parents, families, and community members!

We are honored to share their stories with you. We are humbled by their action. These, my friends, are the men in the arena.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt

May you be as inspired as we are by our dear friends working to end the orphan crisis at the cause.  And may you know that, for this crisis to truly end, we need you.  We need your unique passions and skills. Join us in the movement to end the orphan crisis.

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