Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We’d love to. First, know that you have unique gifts and talents that can change the world- all it takes is an idea and a little determination.

• •  Make a multi-year pledge
  •  Give monthly
  •  Leave a legacy: Put us in your will
  •  Host a fundraiser
  •  Introduce us to your media connections
  •  Be our spokespeople
  •  Invite us to speak at your workplace, professional organization or place of worship
  •  Introduce us to your friends and family

Need some help brainstorming how to share your world-changing gifts? Send a note to Steph at info@helporphankids.org

We’ve always prided ourselves on being transparent and innovative in our fundraising efforts, so we’re happy to answer. Simply stated, 85% of all funds go directly to the children.

First of all, thank you for your willingness to help! Since one of our main goals is to try and reduce the number of children in orphanages, it’s actually no longer appropriate to build orphanages.

To illustrate why, think of the phrase “if you build it, they will come.” When poor parents see a nice building like a new orphanage, they think their kids will be better off growing up there. They try to get their kids to live there so they’ll get good food and a quality education. But, in the end, the children end up deprived of the loving family they need.

That’s why we train, educate and equip orphanages in their transformation process from orphanage to Center for Excellence. Centers for Excellence offer community support in a variety of ways, creating a path for children to remain or reunite with their birth families, or to find a loving home through kinship care, foster care, adoption and other family care options.

One of the best ways to engage with our organization is as a fundraising advocate for our kids. It can easily be done in your own time and it makes a huge impact in their lives. Grassroots programs like these help us in so many ways. Don’t get us wrong; the additional funds are fantastic but more than anything, it’s just awesome to have an extension of our Development team out spreading the word about what we do and why it’s important.

This is a really sweet thought, but it actually ends up doing more harm than good in the long run. While many volunteer programs allow orphanages to expand, our goal is to shrink institutions, which is why we work with orphanages and help them place children into family care whenever possible.

Despite their best intentions, volunteers at orphanages unwittingly support children living in institutions. How? A constant stream of volunteers to orphanages, showing affection to children and then leaving, disrupts the attachment process. This can leave children with many, many problems in their emotional and psychological development.

You rock! Thank you so much for your passion and desire to help.
While clothes and other items are greatly appreciated, the absolute best way to help is to donate money. Let us explain. The needs of the children we support change over time. Sometimes, they do need clothes. But what they must have every single day is nutritious food, clean water, healthcare, a quality education and loving care. To provide that support, we need monetary donations.

Another consideration about clothing donations: Transportation costs are high. Getting in-kind donations from one country to another is astronomically expensive. That’s why we support businesses in the communities where we work by purchasing what the kids need locally.

Finally, one of the Rights of the Child is the right to dignity and freedom. Being able to take pride in what they’re wearing because they know the clothes are their very own plays a huge part in that for the children.