This August, in partnership with Together for Adoption, World Orphans will be bringing a time of spiritual refreshment and encouragement to the church in Nicaragua by hosting a conference for pastors, church leaders, and caretakers working with vulnerable children.
We have a wonderful opportunity to link arms with 100 pastors and leaders who are already making a difference in their communities by caring for children in need. The task is not easy, but the power of God is mighty to see the church mobilized to bring help and hope to the world.
Against the darkness of hunger, disease, poverty, injustice, abandonment and sin, shines the bright light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope of redemption for those who believe.
The most common circumstances behind Nicaragua’s orphans are: abandonment—parents have left them without explanation or intention of returning; and social orphaning—parents are unable or unfit to raise them, due to financial, physical or emotional inability. The end result is children being locked up at home, uneducated, abandoned, and roaming the streets, left vulnerable to abuse, trafficking, exposure to drugs, and with no hope but to repeat this cycle when they become adults.
Our conference time together will include:
- Encouragement and hope through the proclamation of God’s word
- A deeper understanding of God’s heart for the orphan
- Holistic Care training to include:
- Microenterprise Development
- Grace-filled Communication
- Grace-filled Instruction and Discipline
- Child Protection – ‘A Child’s World in the World of Adults’
Our hope is to offer refreshment and renewal, as we invite pastors and leaders to breathe in the continued hope and promise of Jesus Christ.
The Numbers in Nicaragua
- Nicaragua is the poorest Spanish-speaking country in the world. It is the 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The country’s poverty most severely affects women and children.
- Nearly 50% of all Nicaraguans are either unemployed or underemployed.
- Distribution of income in Nicaragua is one of the most unequal on the globe. Over 2 million Nicaraguans live in poverty. The majority of Nicaraguans live on less than $2/day and more than 800,000 live in extreme poverty, on less than $1/day.
- 1 of every 3 Nicaraguan children has some degree of malnutrition.
- 1 of every 4 Nicaraguan children is born to a teenage mother.
- Less than 30% of all Nicaraguan children complete an elementary education. On average, Nicaraguans complete fewer than 5 years of schooling.
- 95% of all disabled children in the country receive no appropriate support.