Prayer request

Here in Korçë, the Kenedi Foundation runs a number of programs as the social outreach arm of the church, addressing the needs of the elderly, the disabled, street kids, those in need of medical care, and social orphans -- at least the girls. Currently there is not a home for the boys who need a home. By "social orphan" I mean children whose parents in essence don't care for them. Their parents may be absent or they may be abusive, either through direct violence or by exploitation. These are the kids that the state would remove from the home, if there were only somewhere to place them. From what I have been told, Albania's foster care system is largely undeveloped (and has no process to screen foster families) and so it is ineffective in actually protecting the children who need protection the most.

The need for a boys' safe house has been on my heart for a few months now, since hearing about the girls who most recently came to live at the girls' safe house. They have a brother. Because there is no safe place for him at this point, he is now living with extended family - who are abusive - along with his abusive father.

The need has been on the hearts of people at the foundation for much longer than that. One of the women I'm working with told me about some of the boys she would like to see at a safe house. "We have a girls' house," she told me, "but here it is the boys are who are more abused."

Everyday at the street kids day center, I'm reminded both of how much we are doing -- and how little. Some of these kids need so much more than a day center can provide.

I'm writing this to ask you to pray. Please pray for the boys -- and please pray that God would provide what is needed to start a boys' safe house. Those needs are financial, staff (a married couple willing to become parents to some very hurting boys), permission from the government (which is probably fairly simple to get based on the foundation's track record), and a house. The biggest need is financial. Please pray that God would provide.

In Him,
Lydia