Let's elevate how the world cares for orphaned and vulnerable children.
Where it All Began
In 1997, Paul and Carolene Cook adopted their beautiful daughter, Megan, from China. In 2001, Megan’s adoption agency came to the Cooks and asked them to donate to improve an orphanage in Haiti. They donated some money and didn’t think much more of it.
A few months later, the agency returned to the Cooks and asked Paul if he would take a trip to Haiti to see what his donation really meant to the kids there. Paul said, “It was only then, when I saw the desperate plight of orphans in Haiti, that I knew I needed to do more than just donate money. I needed to personally get to work on this problem and help save the lives of these kids.”
In 2002, Paul Cook, Perry Bratt, and Paul MacArthur joined forces to create A Child’s Hope Foundation. They named the charity A Child’s Hope Foundation because they believed every orphan’s hope is to belong to a loving family. They started by building an “Adoption Orphanage” in Haiti—a short-term home for orphaned and abandoned children.
Hundreds of volunteers traveled at their own expense to help in construction efforts. The goal of the orphanage was to help those children get adopted into families who would care for them. Those efforts resulted in over 1,000 children being adopted from Haiti.
Security issues arose in Haiti, so A Child’s Hope stopped taking volunteers there and began partnering with orphanages in Mexico. Since 2002, more than 12,000 volunteers on nearly 300 service trips have brought resources and skills to improve the living conditions of orphaned and vulnerable children.
Why care for caregivers?
In the course of over two decades working with children's homes we learned that the best possible way to care for children is to have a person fully dedicated to care for them. Not only present, but well trained, equipped, and connected to best practices.
This means that, in order to really make a difference in the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children, we need to support the people already doing the work. Instead of focusing on a single child, we offer caregivers the tools, connections, and funding they need to consistently show up for children.
We are constantly meeting with children’s homes directors, organizations, and government officials. This constant exchange of information, best practices, and resources is building a large community around orphaned and vulnerable children care, the Thrive Collective.
With your help, we can ensure that there's someone in every child's corner and safe places for them as they begin the path toward stable families and a stable future.