Choice Can Make a Big Difference
I was a Social Worker at an orphanage that was turned into a Residential Treatment facility. The change was due to the changes taking place in society in re: a change in need. Children were not simply given up, they were: found alone in filthy conditions, at risk in juvenile detention centers, rescued from living in cages. I don’t know whether having access to counseling for the option of adoption or abortion would have been helpful for the parents or not because those resources didn’t exist at that time.
I can say that our program provided the structure, stability and love that enabled many of these youth to find their way in society with productive meaningful lives.
I also know that programs like ours were not sustainable financially. The staff to student ratio was 4:1.
The part that impresses me most is the growth that took place in children’s lives
was both measurable—most grew 6-12 inches in their first year with us, and immeasurable (the sense of gratitude we felt for having been a part of this. The success of our program was allowing the children to have a say in their outcome.
They needed to be able to invest in their lives. It made all the difference for them.