Orphanages – Schools - Day Centers

Many children in the world are without basic needs. HTLOT partners with 3rd world individuals and organizations that work with children all aroudn the world.   We walk beside those that are spending their life to help less fortunate children
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• Orphanages:  Orphans are prevalent in all 3rd world and most modern societies.  Many are created as result of the impact of diseases like HIV / AIDS, War, Family Situations, or Abandonment. Most of the time these children are not the cause of their circumstance.  Orphanages and Children’s Homes provide a safe, accepting, loving, place for children to develop with supervision and direction.
• Schools:   Every family wishes that their children would be able to attend to achieve success in attending a good school.  In hopes of a brighter future, poor families sacrifice meals to provide their children an education.  Many times, even forgoing meals, it is still not enough to cover the cost.  HTLOT partners with schools because of the importance of giving less fortunate children opportunity in life.  Education is one of the most powerful means to break the cycle of poverty. 
• Day / Community Centers:   Day Centers and Community Centers provide a safe place for children, youth and adults to be lovingly cared.  All types of services such as Food, Medical Care, Women’s Empowerment, Youth Development and Safety are provided. These centers cover many different needs that individuals would otherwise do without.

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Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Adoption

• ​OVC Adoption:  HTLOT partners with orphanages in Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Belize. The ultimate goal for children without parents, grand-parents, or extended family (called “Total Orphans”) is to find a proper, permanent home with loving parents. The vast majority end up aging out of the Children’s Home and are left to the streets without resources. The goal is to stabilize the child until they may be able to rejoin their healthy family unit or be adopted by other family members willing to take on this responsbiity.     In the miracle of His provision, we see private families prayerfully choosing to adopt OVC children into their homes as adopted sons and daughters. 
• Current Adoptions:   Currenlty we have several families working to complete adoptions of children based in Belize.   You can vist these partners and learn more:
  • Click to ​​Learn about Team Charleworth and their adoption needs
  • Click to Learn about Team Mooney and their adoptoin needs
  • Click to​ Learn about Team Tubinis and their adoption needs

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Foster Care:

• ​Foster care is a regulated intermediate family-style home for Orphan and Vulnerable Children ( OVC). There is  normally a primary set of guardians that parent the children; this is compared to the over-crowded, under-funded "institution" style government faciliteis that are common. In many countries, there is a movement away from institutional style orphanages to Foster Care in private homes

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Aged-Out Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

• OVCs many times age out of institutional style orphanages and children’s homes.  This means that they have reach the age of 18 or have finished high school.  It is a transitional time when a lot of children find themselves without a place to go or a path to follow. Foster Care and prrivate residence availability is important as they join the work force, continue their education or study a vocational trade

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Water – Food - Healthcare - Sanitation

• Water: The benefits from having a clean water source includes more than just better health for the resident community.  Did you know that one of the largest benefits is that young ladies get to attend school? It is common that young girls must bring water back to the family.  ecause water sources are sometimes so far it takes a whole day for a young lady to go and carry back home a typical 5 gallon, 40 lb jug.In the mean time she cannot attend school.   By locating a water source near a community these you ladies get the opportunity to attend school and develop the life-changing capabilities that good education provides
• Food: The most expensive reoccurring cost for HTLOT and our ministry partners is food.  Food expenses never end when operating a School, Orphanage, or Day Center. It may be only simple portage or rice and beans, but this is the only meal many of these children receive consistently. Feeding programs also require staffing for the organizations which increases operational costs.  Cooking conditions are typically basic; most programs use large pots and firewood for heat
• Healthcare: With widespread poverty, HTLOT receives many requests for medical assistance from our ministry partners and their families. Healthcare can be public (provided from the government) or private facilities, but both charge for services.  HTLOT arranges Medical Teams from the USA to Kenya and Uganda
• Sanitation: As you drive through communities with high density populations like the Kibera Slums, you can see the open sewer ditches beside the main road. The ditches allow waste to make its way to the nearby river without any filtration. Most of HTLOT partner schools, orphanages and day centers use old-world pit latrines for toilets. Unlike septic tanks, pit latrines collect waste that must be removed. Septic systems filter waste and redistributes mostly clean water back into soil 

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Community Awareness and Empowerment

• Special Needs:  Special Needs children and adults are often ostracized from society.  They are hidden by their families and viewed as curses, left alone during the day while the others find work.  The Special Needs Community in Africa are more than 50 years behind in USA programs, assistance and support.  There are no provisions for access to public buildings or restrooms. Medical Equipment is unavailable and no financial assistance from the Government is provided. Training and Awareness are important to change misperceptions and stigma that comes from fear and lack of understanding. Special Needs Community Connections and Networks need to be organized and funded.  Public provisions need to be made available to assist.  HTLOT Partners and Volunteers work with dedicated, skilled community leaders and trainers who take education and care plans to families, caregivers, pastors, teachers and communities;  shattering the myths and bringing new insight and hope.  Through events at schools, churches and community centers they connect special needs families with the invidual and community support needed for healthy, loving growth. 
• Volunteer Community First Fighters and First Responders:   Not all communities have organized first response (911) services. Communities from one million to one hundred lack the proper training and equipment to respond to medical emergencies or fire. Fire is feared and very dangerous in the high-density populated slums of Kibera. The sheet metal and wood post homes are connected like card houses with a maze of walk paths. When fire breaks out many homes, belongings and lives are lost. Imagine no one responding to our medical emergencies in the USA. We think 10-minute response time is unacceptable.  Consider waiting on an ambulance or fire truck for 2 hours due to traffic jams.  Because high volume water is so scarce people throw buckets of water to fight fire. 
• Vocational Skills and Training: Using your professional, career, or job talent is a great way to have an impact on disadvantaged communities. Developing a mentoring relationship with similar careers on the other side of the world allows you to use your experience to help one or many. It’s very satisfying in both directions. We learn as much as we teach. HTLOT, for example, does business seminars to develop the economic managment experience of churches and small businesses.  We send educators, musicians, farmers, mechanics, firefighters and first re-responders to work with their peers to train and foster and mentor.  The goal is "train the trainer", who will then have the skill and will to to train others.

• ​Women's Empowerment Groups: Strong, capable women can create major change in their church, families and communities.  Women's groups provide skills training and emotional assistance in the 3rd-world male dominated societies. Uplifting women that are abused, victimized and mistreated enables them to overcome the shackles of their circumstances.   Providing job training and a career path allows them to provide for themselves, building a path for a future.  HTLOT assists Empowered Women and Partners that , in turn, serves the Kingdom and the less fortunate others in their countries. 

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Self Sustaning Projects

• Agriculture and Livestock:  One of the best ways out of poverty is through developing a sustainable Agriculture and Livestock business.  The unemployment rate is incredible in 3rd world countries with 30-50% not being uncommon.   Producing revenue from land and labor is an option in many regions, especially if you have a water source. You can easily find fruit and vegetable produce kiosks around cities and along the highways. Food cost are high for families, schools and orphanages. High yield farming methods are advancing the ability to cut the cost of food and to provide more food for families and organizations.  Food production, beyond that of growing to consume and offset food costs, becomes an income opportunity as the surplus is sold.  Pig and chicken farming have proven to be an effective way to produce an income. The demand for pork, chicken and eggs is strong in many societies.  These types of livestock can be grown in smaller spaces with controlled costs; providing a clear mini-business opportunity.
• Rental Kiosks:  Each Ministry Partner has a unique opportunity for self sufficiency. For some, we have found that developing the street front of our partner facilities with retail kiosks is a good way to produce reoccurring revenue with a low operational cost. Where access to street frontage is available, we have successfully developed and rented retail space. One program involves re-purposing a 40 ft shipping container to multiple "mini store" kiosks. These are leased out to local merchants for rent.  The revenue generated helps cover the operational cost of the children's home. The return on investment is typically 45% per year. 
• Widows Catering Kitchen: This program successfully assists women who are in abusive circumstances, or have lost their husbands, to provide cooking and catering for events.  By supporting the widows through provision of catering necessities like tables, chairs, tent and cooking equipment they can produce their own income and sustainable lifestyle
• Group Savings and Loan: Many organizations, like churches or schools, have small groups that learn the skills of personal savings. Individuals attend group meetings on money management and small business strategy. The group collects money from the members to pool enough resources to loan to one of them in the group to be used to make more money. That individual pays back the loan and then it is re-loaned to someone else. They are called "merry-go-round loans" by the locals.  Investment into these groups allows for faster economic elevation of the group.

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• Beads - Crafts:  Some of our Ministry Partners produce crafts that are brought back to the USA to be sold for fund raising.  Items like beaded necklaces or bracelets, ceramics, pottery, carvings and paintings are carried back from Mission Trips and marketed through the internet, at church events and craft fairs. The money goes back to the individual or organization that produced the product. 
• Sewing Programs: Sewing skills and tailoring is still a strong small business opportunity in the 3rd world. Training people to sew allows them to have a personal skill to generate income. Sewing programs include money management as well.   Many programs provide the graduate their own sewing machine. Graduates make items like school uniforms, suits, clothes and crafts.