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About Kids Alive International

AboutKAI

For over 100 years, our mission has not changed: to provide Christian care for orphans and at-risk children. We believe in families, so we work to strengthen them; but when a child’s own home is no longer a safe option, we care for them in loving, family-style homes.

Kids Alive maintains the highest ratings with organizations that monitor nonprofits. If you are passionate about rescuing at-risk children, get to know us and find out how you can help!

Our Purpose

At Kids Alive International we believe every child, even those with the most challenging needs, is a priority to God and far too many are overlooked, unheard, exploited, and threatened.

Our mission is the call of Isaiah 1:17, to serve these children by constantly learning better ways to meet their needs, earnestly seeking justice for them, empowering them for a healthy future, and advocating for community change.

Our Goals

Accomplishing that mission means every child we serve will have a present and future where they:

  • Enjoy a vibrant, life-changing relationship with God
  • Experience emotional and physical well-being
  • Are equipped for a life of independence and service
  • Live life in family and community, free of fear and violence

Our Strategy for Implementation

Preventive Programs:

These programs provide early intervention through education, while also meeting physical needs and providing discipleship that promotes hope in difficult circumstances. Examples include:

  • Kids Alive schools in all of our countries serve as hubs for holistic care and provide a core of high-quality Christian education that sets children on a hopeful path.
  • Dominican Republic teams operate 7 schools, many with multi-disciplinary ministry teams, and provide college scholarships and mentoring through our Independence Fund.
  • Kenya schools, like schools in many of our countries, include technical and vocational training opportunities.
  • Clinics in our schools and care centers provide checkups, vaccinations, and medical and dental procedures.
  • Kids Alive addresses nutritional needs through school meals and food security help for families in crisis.
  • Students and parents receive discipleship and mentoring.

Strengthening Programs:

Many Kids Alive programs provide trauma-informed care for children and teens who are at higher risk or who have suffered abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual). Kids Alive staff create multidisciplinary teams, including Christian social workers, psychologists, counselors, and attorneys to address more challenging situations. Examples include:

  • Spiritual mentorship for refugee women and their children in Lebanon, including prayer, Bible studies, and discipleship, alongside meeting physical needs.
  • Abandoned children in Kenya are moved from unstable families and homelessness into temporal loving homes as permanent placement is sought.
  • At La Arquilla in Guatemala, teen and child moms learn to raise their babies and build a healthy family.
  • Kids Alive Haiti helps kids deal with the ongoing traumas of natural disasters and political and economic crises.
  • Across Kids Alive, our teams work with the families of children in our programs to improve parenting skills, help empower them economically, and bring the healing words of Jesus.

Restorative Programs:

In collaboration with child protection systems, Kids Alive provides restorative care if a child must be legally removed from family or has no family option. Examples include:

  • Our residential homes provide court-ordered protective custody for children, where kids can experience safety, healing, and discipleship as they await permanent placement solutions.
  • Kids Alive provides training and evaluation of the families of kids in our residential homes, with a goal of family reintegration, and then supervised family restoration.
  • We work with local churches to identify, train and support Christian foster families for permanent placement when healthy family reintegration is not possible.

Systems Programs:

We work with governments and like-minded organizations to create more just, responsive systems for children and to reduce violence and exploitation in communities. Examples include:

  • As Kids Alive forges paths of effective ministry and restoration for children in crisis, especially for children who have been abused, government agencies are taking notice and we have ever-expanding opportunities to collaborate, cross-train, and work together to improve in-country systems.
  • In Zambia, we advocate for the rights of kids born in prison.
  • In Guatemala, we partner with local authorities to serve victims of sexual violence, leading to many convictions, and work with child court systems to develop more pathways for family placement.
  • In Peru, we lead the San Jose Free of Fear and Violence initiative, a collaboration with local community and government to increase protection for vulnerable women and children, whose incidents of abuse usually go unreported.

We are currently caring for children in 7 countries with the redeeming love of Christ.
Our Work

Our Values

These values bring life to our teams and the kids in our care:

Faith: We act in faith and believe in what God has called us to even when it is unseen. Our faith is first placed in God and then in each other as we work together.

Integrity: We operate with transparency, accountability, and honesty in relationships, stewardship, and results.

Understanding: We humbly seek to understand before being understood. We listen, we learn, and we care.

Self-control: We focus on what we are called to do and partner with others to complement our ministry.

Perseverance: We are not defeated by trials nor circumstances as we focus on long-term change.

Devotion to God: We love God and worship Him in all things. We are committed to being members of faith communities, to connect with God daily, and do all to shine His light.

Mutual Kindness: We support each other with grace, respect, honor, prayer, and care.

Love: As God loves us, we love ourselves and others and we intentionally take time to refresh, renew, and strengthen our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits.

Our Identity

Regardless of our role in Kids Alive, we believe that in Christ we are all:

God’s Children: We are intrinsically loved by the Father, and we should reflect His love in thought, word, and action. (John 1:12)

Clean: God is faithful and just to take away our shame and forgive us as we admit our failings, forgive each other, and grow to be more like Jesus. (1 John 1:9)

Chosen for a Purpose: We are called to be God’s ambassadors as we represent Him in our homes, schools, work, and communities. (John 15:16)

Powerful: When we are united in honor, respect, love, and reliance on God, we can do all things He calls us to do. (Romans 12:10, Philippians 4:13)

Masterpieces: We are the artwork of God, created to do marvelous works that He prepares us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Read our Statement of Faith

Our History

Kids Alive International began in 1916 in Shantung Province, China, when missionaries Leslie and Ava Anglin began taking in homeless Chinese children.

From those humble beginnings, Kids Alive today has expanded worldwide, helping care for thousands of children through Residential Homes, Care Centers, and Schools.

And we reach even more children through medical clinics, community outreach programs, and – in special cases – disaster relief response. Through these various ministry efforts, orphans and abandoned children are being given education, clothing, healthy food, medical care, and – most importantly – the opportunity to know and serve Christ.

To reach children globally, Kids Alive has affiliate offices in the United Kingdom and Taiwan.

Financial Stewardship

We take seriously our responsibility to spend every dollar you give wisely and efficiently, in ways that honor the God we serve. Our commitment to accountability, transparency, and efficiency allows us to consistently maintain one of the highest possible ratings by Charity Navigator.

Learn more about our financials

Safeguarding Policy

Kids Alive International takes the protection of children very seriously. We believe children have the right to a happy, healthy, and secure childhood, and that child abuse in any form is an atrocity that is never acceptable.

For further information about our comprehensive Safeguarding Policy, please download our full Safeguarding Policy or contact us here.

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