Orphan Prevention
There are times when birth moms very much want to keep their children, and are even well-equipped to do so, but things like financial challenges or the inability to obtain medical care leaves them feeling that they have no choice but to make an adoption plan for their child or children. This breaks our hearts. Can you imagine being forced to be separated from your child because you aren’t able to meet his needs!? It is our desire to help biological families remain together if this is what the families want, and when it’s the best choice for the children.
As of December 2019, we are helping three little girls and one boy remain with their biological families. Click below to find out more about each of them:
Families in South Asia
For years we have been supporting Little Bethel, a ministry that works with at-risk children and families in South Asia. These families face economic hardships that have led some of them to accept so-called “work contracts” that are nothing more than slavery agreements. This is obviously a dangerous situation for these families, and so we are raising funds to send to Little Bethel for the express purpose of helping these families stay out of slavery.
Jhannel
TSC is working hard to try to obtain U.S. permanent residency for a Bolivian birth mom and her daughter to make it possible for them remain together. They are living in Spain but are in great need, and there is quite a bit of urgency concerning their current situation. We are attaching a photo of this little girl, named Jhannel, and her mother who loves her dearly—who has already worked so hard and sacrificed so much in order to continue parenting her baby. Because of their specific circumstances, we believe permanent residency here is the best solution for them, and a generous donation to TSC, as well as the donated services of a kind immigration attorney, have made it possible for us to move forward with this plan. We are moving toward the final stages of the process, and we are in need of significant additional funding for all of the final steps. Please pray for this process and, if you are able, click the link below to contribute to the completion of this important project.
Nixie
We have just learned of another situation that we have decided to take on as our second project, and we do need help with this one. This very young birth mom is in the Philippines: three months ago she gave birth to a baby girl named Nixie. Nixie was born with a hemangioma that is significantly affecting one of her eyes. She has been able to get some treatment in the Philippines, and there was a remarkable difference for her after that treatment. However, she will need frequent and ongoing medical care, as well as some MRI’s and other possible testing to determine just how deep the effects of her hemangioma reach. Nixie’s young mommy has family here in the U.S. who are in the process of bringing the two of them here to live. They will arrive in about three weeks and will probably be residing in the Louisville area. We are working with a contact at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to try to get them connected with the right doctors there, and possibly help them get some financial assistance for Nixie’s medical costs. At the moment, TSC is trying to raise funds to help them start their new life here. Their family here in the States is already struggling to get their own life in a new country underway and aren’t in a position to provide everything needed now to also help Nixie and her mom. Nixie and her mom will have a place to live, but they will be in immediate need of bottles, clothes, and any and all baby items. Because we aren’t sure about sizes or what types of bottles and pacifiers work best for Nixie, we are trying to raise money to purchase gift cards so the family can help choose the things she will need.
Sbusiso
Sbusiso, who is five years old, was born with sacral agenesis, a condition in which the sacrum—the lowest section of the spine—fails to develop, or fails to develop completely, resulting in significant impairment of normal function. His legs are paralyzed, so it is very difficult for him to get around on his own. Sbusiso’s mom is working very hard to take care of him and meet his needs, but it would be a really big help to both of them for him to have a wheelchair for mobility, especially as he is growing bigger now. But getting a wheelchair in Zimbabwe is a much more difficult undertaking than it is here in the States; in fact, it has proven impossible for them.
The Shepherd’s Crook has been working with Sbusiso’s mother to try to get a chair for him. After initial, unsuccessful attempts to ship a used chair to him, to be modified for his needs, we managed to contact an organization in neighboring South Africa that has agreed to cover the full cost of a chair for him, partnering with a wheelchair company in Johannesburg. We are all very excited about this, as a custom-fitted, brand new wheelchair will be a far, far better solution for Sbusiso’s needs. To make this happen, though, he and his mom will have to make several trips from their home in Zimbabwe to Jo’burg, for the fitting(s) and for the final delivery of the chair. We are working now to raise funds to cover the cost of these trips for Sbusiso and his mom.