Guatemala (MNN) — Guatemala's child welfare system has seen both good and bad. In the past, many orphaned children were placed in loving homes abroad. However, the money associated with that created a black market for babies, and international adoption quickly came to an end. It's still on hold, and more and more children are ending up in orphanages and on the streets.
This week, Mission Network News teamed up with Radio Station 91.3 WCSG, and Orphan Outreach to take a team of 23 to love the forgotten kids. The team will be visiting street children, children at a school in the dump, and kids who just need to know that God loves them.
According to Amy Norton with Orphan Outreach, "There are approximately 370,000 orphan children in Guatemala. There are also thousands and thousands more children who are living in extreme poverty and who are not living in a family setting."
The team will be working with local ministries all this week to tell them about something that will last eternity.
They do that by holding vacation Bible schools — playing games, telling stories, doing a craft and sharing the Gospel through local interpreters. As part of the outreach, they'll also be handing out humanitarian items like over-the-counter medicine (for caregivers), toys, and badly-needed socks. The goal is to show the love and compassion of Christ to kids in need.
If you'd like to see what's happening each day, click here.
