Imagine a place where children go to bed each night without being
tucked in. Where babies cry and no one comes. A world without “Mom”
or “Dad.” Image at age 15 or 18 putting a child out on
the street with no place to call home, just because that’s
the age when a child in most countries must leave foster care or
the orphanage.
Nobody knows the actual number of kids growing up in orphanages
or foster care, but estimates range from 33 million to more than
200 million. These children are abandoned, neglected and forgotten.
Most are over-looked for adoption simply because they are older (more
than six-years old) and people don’t believe they want to be,
or can be adopted. These children are often stigmatized and discriminated
against. Their futures are bleak at best, and without a caring adult
in their lives, the outcomes are not good.
- 1 in 10 forgotten children will commit suicide as young adults
- Less than half will finish high school
- Many will end up incarcerated or will fall victim to prostitution
The Need in the USA
In the United States more than 140,000 children are waiting to
be adopted. Each year, nearly 25,000 of these youth will end up leaving
the system when they turn 18 with no family to support them for the
future.
Studies have shown that four years after aging out of foster care:
- 25% have experienced homelessness
- 42% have become parents
- Less than 20% are completely self supporting
In the District of Columbia there are approximately 200 children
in foster care who have a goal of adoption but do not have an identified
adoptive family. Sixty-percent are age 13 or older.
In Los Angeles County, over 35,000 children receive child welfare
services; 23,000 of them live in out-of-home care. Over 2,000 of
these children will never be able to return home because they reside
in long-term foster care with no alternatives. More than 600 children
in foster care who have a goal of adoption but do not have an identified
adoptive family.
It’s NOT okay.
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