A Rousing Success

Is it abuse if it’s one of your classmates that is touching you? What if the person who is touching you is your father? Will the police arrest him? What if your mother knows it’s going on but is doing nothing? What kind of help will you get if you call the hotline and tell them you’re being abused? These …

Hope for the Weary

By Stefan Lako – Programs Director The Christmas season got off to an early start in my house this year – my wife’s birthday was on Thanksgiving and one of the things she wanted to do to celebrate was to spend time decorating the house as a family. The long weekend was therefore filled with tree hunting, cutting, decorating, emptying …

Celebrating Milestones

As many of us are celebrating our high school and university graduates here in the western part of the world, we as Orphan Relief and Rescue are also celebrating equal milestones in the children’s lives who, without your help, some would not be alive today. Tim and I returned on May 17th from our Africa travels. The day we flew …

Kids Helping Kids Summer Challenge 2017

It’s that time again when we as parents, grandparents or childcare providers, work hard to keep our kids busy with fun and meaningful activities over the summer. It’s also a great time to expose our children to the needs of other kids around the world, and help them understand that they can make a tangible difference from their own homes. …

Bursting with Life – April 2017 Newsletter

With springtime comes visible evidence of new life all around us. As the buds of flowers begin to burst open, the colors that show forth in every plant is a reminder that beauty comes with new life. Seeing our children and families thriving on our programs in both Liberia and Benin is also evidence that new life is taking place …

Unexpected Encounters

By Rebecca Pratt, President & Co-Founder While in Liberia this last month, a 22 year old single mom with a four month old baby girl showed up at our office door.  She asked me to please take her baby because her breast milk was all dried up, due to a lack of money to buy food for herself. She said …

Looking Beyond Ourselves

Children learn more from what you are, then what you teach. W.E.B. Dubois By: Deb Baliko As a parent, I want to teach my children to look beyond themselves and be moved with compassion for children who are suffering from starvation and slavery. This desire brought up the question: am I purposefully and intentionally fighting to end horrific injustice against …

Love with Action

Tim and I (Rebecca) are in Benin and Liberia this month checking on all our children, staff, partners, and programs. It is always incredible to see the many success stories of so many children and families who are thriving due to these efforts thanks to many of you who give towards this work. You have all heard numerous stories of …

Sleepwalkers

By Rebecca Pratt, President & Co-Founder The little boy around five years old looked up at me with a blank stare, with no life to his eyes. When talked to, he looked at me with no expression or emotion, and gave no response. He seemed unable to engage in anything that was happening around him.  If you look close, you …