Why Family Reunification?

In 2012, we started the orphanage we call The Hopestart Children’s Home to respond to a need for a safe, loving home for children. However, we understand that a family is a better setting for healthy child development than an institution. Over time we have been able to locate biological relatives of these children. Doors opened for us in 2020 to start a program of “Family Reunification” to reunify relatives of these children or identify foster families (where the former do not exist) that are willing and able to take these children into their existing homes/families, and raise them lovingly as their own. We have hired a psychologist and a social worker to help prepare both the children and the receiving families for this important transition. 

Hopestart staff provides support for the families over three years to ensure a healthy transition by providing each family with: 

• Regular check-ins of well-being by our psychologist and social worker
• Pastoral care to promote the development and growth of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
• Economic training and support for starting and growing a small business/microenterprise 
• Ongoing involvement from our staff to assure the placed child is protected from abuse, neglect, and exploitation 
• Financial assistance for items the “new” family cannot afford such as education expenses, medical care, rent, food, clothing, and other basic needs

Give today to help give hope and support these children and families in this journey!