Photo credit: Lynne Dobson
The Problem
As you read this, millions of children are separated from their families, living in institutions or on the streets. Many survive with substandard care, unloved and at risk – all of them dreaming of a family. In the worst cases, the orphanage environment exposes children to devastating abuse and psychological trauma, creating adults who are 10x more likely to become sex workers and 50x more likely to be in prison.
But, we are also in the midst of a profound paradigm shift. Efforts are being made to reform foster care systems, support families before separation occurs and reunite families where preventable separation has occurred. We all know kids everywhere deserve better.
The movement has begun and Miracle Foundation is on the front line.
Our Solution
Our work in the past was grounded in helping orphans in need to have a better quality of life but has evolved to also ensure that every child has an opportunity to grow up in a family. We’ve learned that children who are separated from their families yearn to go back and feel the love and belonging a family can offer. At Miracle Foundation, our vision is a family for every child in our lifetime.
In order to ensure a family for every child, we have three core initiatives:
We unite children with families
We transition children from institutions to families by giving them the proper support to stay together. We always choose biological families and kinship care to institutions whenever possible through support to government bodies and institutions.
We prevent child separation
We ensure children stay with their families by partnering with governments and activating community-based mechanisms that keep children safe.
We stabilize families
We are committed to reducing the number of placements children have, whether in foster homes or institutionalized care. Miracle Foundation provides tools and resources to help stabilize children by assessing and measuring families and children across five well-being domains and connecting them to the resources they need most.
How We Measure
Our proprietary Thrive Scale™ methodology allows us to measure progress and assess risk at every stage of our work. Developed over the past two decades, this one-of-a-kind tool is taking the guesswork out of child care…and has propelled Miracle Foundation into a global nonprofit organization for children.
CASE STUDY
Aarambh: From Orphanage to Family-Focused Program
Sixty years of research suggests that children without families have a lower IQ and a higher chance of ending up trafficked or incarcerated. We all know there is a better way. Here’s a story of how one orphanage is addressing the problem. Read More >
Children’s lives improved
Social Workforce Trained
Foster Children reached through FosterShare app