Introduction. Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) was
founded by Jim Luce in 1999 as a response to the
global crisis facing orphaned children. OIWW
has established a network of locally incorporated homes to house and educate
children orphaned and abandoned after the Tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia,
and the 2004 hurricane in Haiti.
OIWW provides aid to the world's most
disadvantaged children with the donated services of 100 volunteers, on an
annual budget of less than a half-million dollars. OIWW is associated with the United Nations
Department of Public Information and is headquartered in New York City.
In 2008, OIWW will begin to move orphaned
children into more permanent family settings by arranging foster care for
Tsunami orphans in Sri Lanka. In this "Family Care" model, OIWW will
arrange for donors to provide on-going, monthly stipends for the financial,
health and educational support of the poorest families. OIWW also provides school oversight, after
school tutoring, enrichment programs, health checkups, and monitoring of the
child’s well being.
OIWW believes the greatest number of kids can be
served when neighbors, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are provided with the
means to care for orphaned children after a crisis has passed. This plan for orphans' care requires intensive
work by OI’s local staff, dedicated volunteer teachers and committed donors. Orphans International is uniquely suited to
manage "Family Care" details, including stipend payments, because we
have many computer services at our projects to make communicating easier with
the kids, foster parents, teachers and staff.
Mission. Our mission is to help orphaned or abandoned
children grow into solid citizens of the world through a sound structure that
is simultaneously Interfaith, because there are many paths up the mountain;
Interracial, because there is but one race - the human race; International,
because our neighbors are our family; Inter-generational, because there is much
to learn from our elders; and Internet- Connected, because the world today is
at our fingertips.
Family Care. Beginning with OI Sri Lanka at Kathaluwa, we will
begin in 2008 to introduce OI Family Care.
Realizing that OI cannot build enough housing
to meet the pressing need, we will begin to work with extended families -
aunts, uncles, grandparents - offering training and support to take care of
orphans in their care.
All children in the care of Orphans International
must be given the same love and security that each of our team members would
give to their own children. The rule is
named after OI founder Jim Luce's adopted son, Mathew.
In 2008, OIWW will begin to move orphaned
children into more permanent family settings by arranging foster care for
Tsunami orphans in Sri Lanka. In this "Family Care" model, OIWW will
arrange for donors to provide on-going, monthly stipends for the financial,
health and educational support of the poorest families. OIWW also provides school oversight, after
school tutoring, enrichment programs, health checkups, and monitoring of the
child’s well being.
