International (MNN) — There are over 143 million orphans worldwide. What many don't realize is that only about 15 million of these orphans have actually lost both of their parents. Many of them are social orphans, who have been put in orphanages because their parents no longer have the finances to take care of them.
Buckner International is working hard to help lower the number of orphans worldwide by keeping these families together.
"When we're talking about helping children, we're always going to be in support of keeping children in their families and homes," says Buckner vice president Randy Daniels. In order to do so, Buckner is working on preventative programs to keep families together.
One key way to engage orphans as well as entire communities is through Buckner's Community Transformation Centers. These centers are designed to impact an entire community by providing them with a number of resources including job training, social services, food and education.
The centers are also hubs for spiritual development. Most community centers are paired with local churches, effectively engaging communities not only with resources, but with the Gospel and love and Jesus Christ.
Buckner already has community centers in Guatemala, Kenya and Peru, and is raising support for six more centers. A center in Addis Ababba, Ethiopia is already starting up.
If you would like to help support these effective community transformation centers, call Buckner at 214-758-8050. To learn more about other Buckner projects, click here.
