Today, as we prepare to leave on the first leg of our trip, I ask for prayer... from you... for us.  As I mentioned earlier, we are not afraid.  We trust in Him.  We are asking for prayer for the ability to make the right decisions.  Below are some terrible statistics.  Statistics that paint a small part of the picture of what we will encounter.  I humbly request your prayers that we will choose the right child or children.  I ask that you pray that God will make it very clear to us which child or children He has prepared for us.  I envision a sea of little faces, each of them deserving of a better life.  Each wonderful in their own way.  How can we possibly choose one or two on our own?  And what criteria would we be using?  I would have thought that I would have a better chance of being chosen from a line up myself than to have to choose a child from one.  Please pray for our decision and pray for the child or children.  THANK YOU!

Consequences of being raised in an institution

Only 16% of orphanage graduates have families 

Only 25% of orphanage graduates have stable employment

Only 1% of orphanage graduates obtain higher education (University)

Only 44% of orphanage graduates receive some kind of technical training (completion) 

What are children afraid of when they graduate from the orphanage?

76% of children are afraid to leave their institution

70 % believe that they will not be able to get a good education and obtain the profession of their dream 

52 % are afraid that they will not have a place to live

54 %  are afraid that they will not have enough money for transport, food, and other necessities.

50% think that they will not be able to find a job

30%  are afraid that they will remain alone and have no support

27% are afraid they will succumb to bad influences

26%  are afraid of the negative attitudes towards themselves in comparison to “home” children 

10% are afraid to live with strangers (even if they are their relatives)

18%  have no clue what it is to live independently

Each day 38,493 orphans age out of the orphanage system

Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out of their orphanage with no family to go to and no place to call home

In Ukraine studies have shown that 10% – 15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen

These same studies also show that 60% of the girls become prostitutes and 70% of the boys become hardened criminals

An estimated 15,000 orphans are aging out of state-run institutions every year:

10% of these orphans committed suicide, 5,000 were unemployed, 6,000 were homeless and 3,000 were in prison within three years

 

Every year, more than 2,000 mothers abandon their babies in maternity hospitals. Between 6 and 7 thousand more are abandoned at an older age or removed from home due to crime or neglect.

* Many social orphans have experienced abuse and violence from parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics.

* Orphans typically grow up in large state-run homes, which may house over 200 children.

* Many children run away from these homes, preferring to live on the street.

* Children usually graduate from these institutions between 15 and 16 years old and are turned out, unprepared for life outside the home.

* About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday.

* 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution. Those who run prostitution rings target orphaned girls, who are especially vulnerable due to their lack of options and lack of people who care what happens to them. Though promised good jobs, they end up on the streets and brothels of cities across Europe.

* 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reTJ_28J6K0