Holistic Care

In seeking to provide holistic care to the orphans, we break down the care needed into quadrants. Holistic as a term may bring to mind some herbs from the health food store, but it is simply referring to treating the whole person.

The first quadrant is Spiritual. The spiritual nurture of the orphans is the primary responsibility of the indigenous church, but it is our privilege to serve along side them.

If the children do not know Jesus in a personal way, everything else we do to provide comfort and support would not matter 150 years from now, and they would be far worse off than if salvation had come and their life on Earth was painful and short.

World Orphans assists indigenous churches in providing outreach and evangelism. We use a variety of outreach methods including a games based approach called HisKidsSports that the children love. Once the children have become Christians, we provide materials and training to help with spiritual development. It is our desire that each of the children learn to read and understand the Bible. We know that God uses His Word to transform minds. The picture of the children praying is from a World Orphans project in Moldova.

The second quadrant is physical. The orphans receive ongoing care that is designed to prevent future problems and treat current ones. Some of the orphans need medicines regularly to treat incurable diseases they have contracted. Many orphans need assessment and nutrition plans that recognize what is available locally and help them avoid any deficiences.

As we equip and train the care providers to help the children physically it is a blessing to point them to the great Physician. While all the projects are designed to move towards self suffiency, there are many opportunities for outreach and evangelism in conjunction with medical provision in the communities where projects take place.

Aside from the basic hygiene that is taught to the orphans that helps prevent the spread of disease, the children learn through therapeutic recreation. This is a fun way for the kids to experience growth and learning in an area where measurable progress can be acheived relatively easily. It is also a way for western teams and indigenous care givers to provide support and encouragment to the children.
The above picture of a medical assessment is from a World Orphans project in Uganda.

The third quadrant is emotional. The orphans experience different traumas before they are cared for. We know that there can be long lasting negative impacts from neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse etc and that those impacts can be much worse if no counseling is offered.

In some shame based cultures it is considered best to not speak past traumas, that it is better to compartmentalize and pretend that nothing happened. What we seek to provide is training in Biblical methods of providing healing to areas of emotional damage.

Caregivers for the orphans also experience tremendous stress and it can be very helpful for them to be given counsel and a safe space to discuss the challenges they face.

This little girl in India where World Orphans is working needs the same type of love and support and assistance that we would want our own children to have.

The fourth quadrant is mental which deals with the intellectual/academic. This quadrant requires focus on radically different areas depending on the culture, the resources available and the specific child.

Even in the United States we have experienced difficulty as children are pushed towards college for the sake of college and end up with debt and a job in a field where their academic experience has little bearing.

In some cultures it may be helpful for some of the children to learn Latin and dissect frogs. One child may benefit most from graduating to becoming the apprentice to the successful Christian man in town who does small engine repair. Whether it is vocational training or traditional academics, we seek to recognize the gifts God has given each child and to help them use their talents and abilities for God's glory. What a blessing it is to know that Proverbs 22:29 is true when it says "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." (NIV) As these children grow up and learn to work diligently for the glory of God, we know that they will enter a workforce full of fallen and sinful people who are lazy and who give much less than their best. Whether they become chemists, doctors, missionaries, pastors, service workers, fishermen or farmers the important thing is that they are prepared to give their all for the glory of God. Many of them will be equipped to not only care for themselves but to help many more who God calls them to care for.