Isolated. Unprotected. Afraid.
At Orphan’s Tree, our mission is to bring orphans out of isolation and walk shoulder to shoulder with each of the orphans we serve.
A Holistic Strategy
Mirroring the educational experience of a family setting, Orphan’s Tree extends physical, emotional, and spiritual education to orphans. In all that we do:
We believe no one volunteers to be an orphan.
We believe when we serve orphans we are joining the heart of God.
We believe orphans can attain family life and develop healthy relationships.
We believe love never fails, regardless of geography or politics.
What We Do
Most of the orphans we encounter are not prepared for life on their own. From cooking to conflict resolution, personal hygiene to work ethic, they are missing so many of the skills needed to be a part of their community. Statistics show that without help, most orphans end up taking their own life or living in prison or prostitution.
Starting the first days they leave the orphanage, Orphan’s Tree reaches out to orphans to set them on a healthy course—away from becoming a troubling statistic and toward healthy relationships.
Our priorities include:
Supporting physical safety and well-being
Enabling maturity and productivity
Preventing future generations from becoming orphans
Orphan’s Tree recognizes that becoming a healthy adult doesn’t happen during an afternoon seminar. Instead, our programs deliver lessons in a variety of settings and use an array of voices:
We have country houses where we cook, garden, and build together.
Young mothers come to ministry centers to learn parenting skills and receive encouragement.
Older orphans connect with younger orphans in peer-to-peer mentorship for mutual benefit.
American volunteers travel and share their own struggles and strategies.
It’s an educational model designed to encourage learning at key stages—from living on one’s own to being in community and raising a family.
Where We Work
Orphan’s Tree focuses 100% of our efforts on Russian and Kazakhstan orphans. Some question why we go so far or why we don’t serve in other countries. To us, the answer is simple: We have been called to meet the specific needs of orphans who have aged out of their orphanages in these two large countries.
Members of our Russian and American staff have been working with orphans in Russia since 1993. More recently we have begun ministry in Kazakhstan, which has many similarities to Russia. Both countries have experienced many changes throughout the years, and we have adapted our models of ministry to their changes. We continue to believe that love never fails, regardless of geography or politics.
Because Russia is a massive country with 144 million people spanning 11 time zones, we focus most of our efforts in the capital cities of four central regions: Ivanovo, Kirov, Kostroma, and Vladimir. In each of these regions Orphan’s Tree has a ministry center and full-time staff. Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world by landmass, and we are focused on the southeast portion, Almaty and Taldykorgan.
Ivanovo | Kirov | Kostroma | Vladimir | Kazakhstan
