Orphans International

Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) is a charitable organization created to house and educate orphans and abandoned children. In response to the crisis facing orphaned children around the world, former investment bank employee Jim Luce founded Orphans International in 1999. OI's headquarters are in New York City.

Through its network of small "homes" for children, OI provides immediate aid to some of the world's most disadvantaged children. OI operates on an annual budget of less than a half-million dollars. OI houses and educates children orphaned and abandoned after the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia and 2004's Hurricane Jeanne in Haiti.

OI opened its first home in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2001. It became active in housing orphans in Aceh, Indonesia; and Galle, Sri Lanka after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Beginning in 2008, OI also supports foster care for tsunami orphans in Sri Lanka by supporting children living with members of their extended families. OI provides tutoring, English classes and jobs training, such as sewing classes and hospitality classes. In 2009, OI also served 27 Aids affected orphans in Moshi, Tanzania.

With the AIDS epidemic, natural disasters, low world health standards and widespread poverty contributing to a global crisis for children, OI's model of "Raising Global Citizens" seeks to make a difference in both the short-term needs of children and the long-term improvement of disadvantaged communities throughout the world by raising children as responsible citizens. OI's mission is interfaith, interracial, international, and intergenerational – that is, it discourages discrimination on the basis of faith, race and nationality and seeks to utilize the experience of senior volunteers. OI seeks to benefit orphans through education and vocational opportunities that are coupled with a nurturing environment, proper nutrition and healthcare. OI also monitors the children's education and provides after school tutoring, computer classes and English classes. OI intends to give each orphan support until graduation with a baccalaureat degree. OI does not place children for adoption, but rather seeks to help them live successfully in their native countries and cultures.

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