Facts and Figures

Some people see the world in black and white, concrete terms and this post is for those people.

 It is estimated that there are 147 million orphans throughout the world.
 Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest population of children who are orphans (49 million or 12% of all children)
 Roughly 500,000 children live in the U.S. foster system. About 1/4 of these children are legally available for adoption.
 There are over 1.5 million adopted children in the United States
 Every 18 seconds another child becomes an orphan
 Children who age out of the foster care system at age 18 face a sad future. By their mid-20s less than half will be employed, more than 80% of the men will have been arrested, 68% of the women will receive food stamps, and only 54% will have earned a high school diploma
 Children who age out of the orphanage system in Europe at age 14, 15 or 16 face equally bleak futures. 60% of girls will turn to prostitution just to survive; 70% of the boys will end up on the streets or in jail; and 15% of these children will commit suicide within 2 years of leaving the orphanage.
 Research has shown that adopted children “consistently thrive in loving homes” (CAFO, 2011, para. 2). Parenting any child is full of challenges, but adopted children are just as likely to thrive as biological children

And for those of you who are not so concrete, I offer this.

One little boy who is waiting for his Mommy and Daddy. Just one of many.