What’s in a Name?
If you follow Global Orphan Foundation on social media, I'm sure you recognize some of our kiddos and how they've grown. However, you've probably noticed that we don't post highly recognizable, close-up photos of our kids - specifically of their faces. Come to think of it - I bet you can't name the town that Bolingo Village is in, can you? What about one of our kid's names? You can't, can you? Those facts are by design. There are two reasons that we keep our kiddos' faces and many personal details under wraps: their privacy and protection.
Child Privacy
Imagine being adopted and waking up one morning to find your photo on the homepage of a website and promotional material for a nonprofit. Now imagine that your life story and personal details of your trauma were associated with those images. How would that make you feel? What if that was your child? Now imagine that you weren't adopted, but the place you called home and family used your story and images? How much detail does the public have a right to know about the children that they help support?
It's a question that GOF staff and board struggle with daily. There are so many harmful details of our children's pasts, parts of their stories that although we will offer to tell them when they're older, I pray they decline. Truly horrifying starts at life. There are so many heartbreaking stories, but the kids that call Bolingo Village home are so much more than their stories.We like to focus on who they are, what brings them joy, and keep their personal history private. They can share their stories; just because we provide them care doesn't give us a right to their past. To us, it feels exploitive. Although we sincerely want to share what's happening in the village, we don't want any child to look back and think that we took advantage of them.
Child Protection
I had the opportunity to volunteer for an international organization that I knew had a child sponsorship program. This was before Bolingo Village opened, and I was excited to learn how they administered their program. The more I learned, the more horrified I was. Anyone could go on their website and search for a child that met their preferences. You could sort by gender, age, interests, location, etc and a photo would pop up. The listed information gave people enough information that you could track a child down - it even listed the school they attended. Or - if you sponsored the child, this organization would set up a one on one meeting if you paid to go on a mission trip with them.
Here at Global Orphan Foundation, we know that there are countless people with kind hearts that genuinely want to do good in the world. But, unfortunately, we also know that there are people that have a desire to harm. We also understand that some nonprofits are willing to risk the safety of the children they serve to make themselves more attractive to donors. We are not those organizations. We have a responsibility to the children of Bolingo Village first and foremost. We are responsible for them; their safety, care, education, character development, grit and determination, and long-term success. We are lucky that we have donors that understand and support us, knowing that in exchange, they will get updates on all of our children - not just one that they select.
Global Orphan Foundation is committed to the privacy and protection of the children of Bolingo Village. We are proud to be an organization that helps our families grow and thrive. We couldn’t do it without the understanding and support of our donors and champions; thank you.