Humanitarian Aid: Our Unsung Heroes

By Janice Hoffman, Chief Operating Officer

There are many wonderful traditions during the holiday season. For WHFC, one of our most important seasonal initiatives is our Annual Appeal for humanitarian aid. We reach out to our large network of friends and families each year and ask them to join us in our mission to help some of the world's most vulnerable children. The generous response we receive year after year - always uplifting -is now, more important than ever. With adoptions declining around the world, there are fewer resources available for orphaned, abandoned and other at-risk children. Historically, fees paid by adopting families have helped to subsidize the cost of caring for children who will never be adopted, including special needs and older children. With the steep decrease in placements we are faced with a double-edged sword: no funding or less funding is available to caregivers in developing countries and more children need institutional care because fewer options are available.

This is a tremendously sad scenario and while it might be easy to lose heart, instead I am struck humble by the generosity and vision of our parent volunteers who have stepped in to partner with us to make change happen. This year we sent two medical missions to Ethiopia, completely staffed by volunteers who donated their time and paid their way. They worked in extremely difficult circumstances to save lives, train local doctors and begin community healthcare programs. Our Guatemala families have rallied around the deteriorating situation for vulnerable children and have raised and contributed enough funding to keep our two private hogars open and operating for another year. I am proud to say that WHFC is one of only a small handful of agencies that have remained in Guatemala after international adoption closed. Rather than pulling up stakes, we redoubled our efforts to care for almost eighty Guatemalan children who call the orphanage home. A dedicated, die-hard group of parents with children from Moldova work closely with us to generate funding and implement an exceptional program for older orphans aging out of institutional care. Their single-minded focus for children in this poor forgotten country has undoubtedly saved children who may have otherwise fallen prey to crime or human trafficking.

Families run raffles, hold auctions, open their wallets and homes and call in their families and friends to join the cause. Their names are too numerous to list but each and every one of them has helped make life better for a needy child. In this time of economic hardship, our volunteers and donors have been an inspiration to us, demonstrating what can be done with a shared purpose and a generous heart. We could not do our work without them. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude and best wishes for a joyous holiday season.