Families for
Orphans Act
For a one page PDF
summary of the Families for Orphans Act, please click
here.
To watch
Senator Landrieu introduce the Families for Orphans
Act in the Senate, please click
here.
The Need
UNICEF estimates 143 million children live as
orphans. Some have lost both parents; others are at
risk of being orphaned. Millions more live outside
the
scope of available census data; on
the streets, in
temporary care
or unregistered
institutions. Deprived of a basic of human right,
these unknown children are denied the nurturing
needed to thrive as children and later as members of
our global society. They lack the physical and
emotional safety that only a permanent family can
provide. Perhaps most importantly, they are
deprived of the love needed to realize their full
human potential.
A Gap
Exists
Efforts by the aid and development community are
currently focused on survivability: nutrition,
housing, education and medical care. Community
development programs only indirectly prevent family
dissolution and do not appropriately address the
needs of children living outside of permanent
parental care. A continuum of care is needed to
ensure that children mature into productive members
of the world community. This continuum lacks the
programs, funding, focus and leadership needed to
move these children from survivability to permanent
family life. The focus on survivability creates a
gap between surviving in temporary care and thriving
in a permanent family.
This gap only increases the world orphan crisis and
leads to the continuing deterioration of the world’s
social fabric. Evidence based research, in the U.S.
and internationally, clearly supports the need for
permanent family life in preventing incarceration,
suicide, mental health disorders and deterioration
of physical health. In addition to assuring the
human right to a permanent family, this research
also points to the validity of expanding aid and
development efforts to include permanent family
life.
Within U.S. strategies, four hurdles impede efforts
to ensure a permanent family for every child.
-
Currently U.S. programs are disconnected, are
without an overriding policy or goal and
discount the basic human need of a permanent
family. Programs exist in a ‘silo’ structure,
which often results in counterproductive and
mutually exclusive programs.
-
·A
lack of proactive diplomacy results in
reactionary initiatives, which address problems
and not the cause. Further, U.S. agencies and
officials lack the authority and resources
needed to engage foreign governments.
-
While developing countries are actively seeking
assistance with the development of sound public
policy and support for permanency programs, U.S.
expertise, leadership and support are restricted
by current U.S. mandates and structure.
The
Solution
The Families for Orphans Act overcomes these
barriers by establishing the Office of Orphan
Policy, Development and Diplomacy. The office,
headed by an appointed Coordinator will promote
and support the preservation and reunification of
families; and the provision of permanent parental
care for orphans. The primary functions of the
office as related to family preservation and
permanent parental care are:
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