Our Process
The simple answer is we evaluate them and verify them in different ways. Our process is designed to make it easy for people to trust. First, our team performs a Qualifying Assessment to evaluate the quality of the leadership and care at the orphanage. Then, we work together on a small project to see what it’s like to work with them. If the project goes well and there is good communication, we then propose a commitment letter that asks them to join the path to becoming Certified.
Our regional team communicates consistently with orphanage directors to ensure their needs are met and to coach them. They perform a Thrive Assessment of each partner orphanage every six months. In the near future, we will also have auditors verify their finances, therapy programs, and spot check various items on our Thrive Assessment.
With our service trips, we are able to bring additional hands to complete projects that would otherwise take 10x longer to complete. Additionally—thanks to your donations—mentors and therapists have been hired to aid the children in overcoming trauma and seeing a hopeful future.
Why do we care?
We understand that orphanages are usually not great places for children to grow up. We want to improve the quality of care given to these children and provide them with opportunities to have a successful future. Through our partnerships with the orphanages, we can focus on specific areas in a child’s life that may go unnoticed. Skills like riding a bike, cooking, reading, solving math problems and building character are all important aspects of a child’s development that need to be supported.
We also know that there are many caring individuals out there that want to create impact. It can be difficult for them to know where to donate their time and resources to make the biggest difference. We are passionate about building trustworthy relationships and transparent reporting so that resources can flow confidently between donors and the children who need them most.
Who runs the orphanages?
The orphanages we work with have a variety of people as their directors. Many of the orphanage directors grew up in orphanages themselves and have decided to spend their lives serving children in similar circumstances as they were as youth. Most of the directors are married couples who are able to provide a mother and father figure for the children. Caregivers are often hired in couples so that smaller groups of children can have “house parents” that allow them a more family-like environment.
We partner with orphanages that already have good leaders and caregivers that are invested in each child’s future. When an orphanage already has a good foundation of adults who love and care for the kids, it makes it easy to verify they are worth investing in. Each orphanage that pledges to follow the certification process ensures the care of each child is regularly evaluated.
Our Goal: Thriving Children
By having close contact with each orphanage and the directors—thanks to our auditors on the ground—we are able to help them address specific needs. From dental and medical care, to teachers and therapists, our goal is to make sure each child has the necessary tools to thrive. Our certification process creates checks and balances that create additional oversight for how each child is doing emotionally and physically.
How do we know orphanage leadership is trustworthy? We measure regularly and they demonstrate their trustworthiness over time. We start small and keep at it until the children are thriving!
You can help us reach that goal with every trustworthy orphanage we partner with by adopting a project tile to meet the most important needs that orphanage has.
