1001 Orphans

1001 Orphans is an opportunity to reach out with Christ’s love to orphans and disadvantaged children. The goal: to reach 1,000 children, "plus one lost sheep" – a reminder that there is always one more child who needs care and that the church’s work is never done.

In its first phase, there is a special emphasis on orphans and disadvantaged children living in Kenya. We hope the Kenya program is so successful that 1001 Orphans can expand into other regions of the world.

1001 Orphan partners are:

Coordinated by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS);
Supported by Concordia Lutheran Ministries (CLM), an LCMS Recognized Service Organization in Pennsylvania; and
Carried out by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), an LCMS partner church.

About Kenya

About 1.4 million children in Kenya are orphaned by AIDS, and an estimated 8 percent of Kenyan adults are living with the HIV virus. Poverty (65 percent live on less than $1/day), drought (three years) and negative attitudes among communities exacerbate the orphans’ situations. Most drop out of school because they cannot pay the country’s mandatory tuition and are forced into child labor or sexual exploitation.

Through 1001 Orphans, ministry partners aim to guide at-risk children into the homes of loving families and under the wing of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK) congregations to help youngsters become educated, responsible Christian adults.

Your support to a Kenyan orphan or disadvantaged child provides one year of:

Family and spiritual-care support, by placing each child with a Christian family with ties to a local Lutheran congregation;
Economic support, by providing money or food to supplement the already stretched-thin resources of families caring for an orphan; and
Education support, by providing funds so each orphan can attend school.