Giving Tuesday

By Stefan Lako, Programs Director Giving Tuesday started 5 years ago as a way to counteract the patterns of consumerism that follow Black Friday and the post-Thanksgiving shopping tilt so many of us experience. The Christmas season for so many people is a time of stress and anxiety, filled with checking off gift lists. For most of us, we don’t …

The Hero Among Us

We want to introduce you to one of the Platinum Corporate sponsors of our 8th Annual Seattle Gala this year. Viet Ly is a local business man who is striving to help not only Orphan Relief and Rescue’s many needy children, but is also working to help bring a cure to cancer.  Viet is a husband and father of three …

Mercy and Sacrifice Brings Freedom

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel checking on our children, staff, partners, and programs that we have in Benin and Liberia, West Africa. I always come away from these trips more humbled and more motivated! Being face to face with children who have endured incredible abuse and pain at the hands of those who were supposed …

Creating Opportunity

By Rebecca Pratt, President and Co-Founder This week I got a phone call from our Anti-Trafficking team in Benin saying that the two girls whom we rescued from slavery in January will be ready to attend school in October. This is an incredible miracle. Evie and Anna who are 10 and 11 years old have spent the last 5 years …

Child Development: Strong Bodies, Minds, and Hearts

By Deb Dezutter Two small groups of children gather around open Bibles, their hands are up and ready to go when the next scripture is called. Crowded around them, their friends are cheering them on. The girls are winning and this is the last round. As the next verse is called chaos ensues—paper shuffling, giggling, dust flying. A boy jumps …

Summer Challenge: Kids helping Kids

Orphan Relief and Rescue has an exciting Summer opportunity and challenge for your Kids these next eight weeks! We want to connect your kids to the children in Africa who need help going to school this Fall through our Summer Kids helping Kids Challenge. With your help, hundreds of children in both Liberia and Benin, West Africa will be able to …

Creating an Identity

By Rebecca Pratt, President and Co-Founder Claude is a little boy who we recently prevented from being sold as a slave in rural Benin, West Africa.  Upon rescuing Claude and attempting to get him enrolled into school and on our feeding program, we realized he had no birth certificate. This is a necessary piece of paperwork for a child to …

Mary: Mother to Many

By Deb Dezutter It was a hot, sticky day, just before Christmas last year. Children were running around, screams of delight could be heard—sounds of celebration. Our staff had just made the much-anticipated Christmas bundle delivery. I sat back a little from the group taking it all in, which is when I saw Ma Mary. She had been given a …

Financial Accountability

What does it mean to utilize every dollar and remain financially transparent? Our Office Administrator shares her thoughts in this video about Financial Accountability.

A Mother’s Heart

By Rebecca Pratt, President and Co-Founder As Mother’s Day is approaching I am reflecting on the many conversations I have had with mother’s recently in Benin, West Africa. Conversations I never imagined I would be having in the course of my lifetime. Mother’s who have sold their children into slavery, mother’s who are contemplating selling a child, and mother’s who are …