If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him. - C.T. Studd
Children in Crisis / Crisis Reports
Crisis Reports
Children in Crisis An Introduction
What is your understanding of childhood?
While sitting behind my computer writing these words, I hear children laughing aloud outside. A child joyfully calls out for his dad and throws a ball to him. These sounds don't disturb me in my work. On the contrary, they are a source of inspiration to me. I see them as a symbol of what childhood should be like: carefree, sheltered, full of joy and free of great responsibilities -- just being a child and enjoying life in the safe surroundings of your parents. Unfortunately, millions of children in this world don't have such a childhood.
Daily they experience situations in which many adults would have long given up or not even have survived. They are alone, discriminated against, ill, without love, without hope and without the felt presence of God.
Children in this world daily struggle to survive on the streets, work as prostitutes, fight as child soldiers, beg as war victims, slave ten to twelve hours in factories, are discriminated against because they were born girls, have been infected with the AIDS virus or have lost their parents through this disease.
They take and deal with drugs, shoot at each other, are sexually abused, are starving and endure all these situations without the hope and love of God in their lives.
Although this report deals with situations of particular children's groups separately, this does not mean that all children are "only" street children or "only" war victims.
The definitions and boundaries between the different needy groups are not so clear. In most cases they blend together. For example, children who have become victims of war, who have perhaps even fought as child soldiers and lost their parents, live on the streets and work, perhaps as prostitutes. In these cases we are dealing with extreme traumas that can only be dealt with through much wisdom, patience, love and God's help.