What do you think of when you hear the word “orphan?” To the average person, the word “orphan” means a child who has lost both of their parents to death. While this case scenario is an absolute tragedy, did you know that some orphans still have a living parent? You read that last sentence correctly, some orphans may still have a living biological parent.
According to Cornell Law School ((Click here for more)), a child who has only one living parent may be considered as an orphan if that parent can not properly care for them. For example, it is possible that the parent is living in poverty and is unable to provide a safe place to live or food to eat. In this case, the parent may surrender the child to an orphanage or choose to abandon them.
According to the Christian Alliance for Orphans, in 2023 there were reported around 150 million orphaned children worldwide and 17.6 million had lost both parents (Read More Here). That means there were around 132.4 million orphans with at least one living parent who surrendered or abandoned them in 2023. Unfortunately, it is estimated that there are more than 2 million orphans in the Philippines. Most of these orphans were either surrendered or abandoned by their parents due to the high levels of poverty, natural disasters, lack of education, and preteen/teen pregnancy in this third-world country.
While it is beyond tragic that so many children become orphans through abandonment, there is still hope. Even though their earthly parents have abandoned them, they still have a Father in heaven who will never leave nor forsake them. Psalm 27:10 (NIV) promises that “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” We at the Philippines Orphanage Foundation are determined to remind our orphans of this by providing them with safe shelter, life necessities, love, and faith until God matches them with their new families.
A special “THANK YOU!” to Paige Slatton for this guest post!
