Friends of the Orphans Canada is a registered nonprofit organization charitable # BN 118932730 RR 0001 that supports "Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos" (NPH, Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters) homes for orphaned and abandoned children, in nine countries in Latin America and Caribbean.
Our mission is to provide homes in which the children receive food, clothing, health care and education in a Christian family environment based on the principles of unconditional acceptance and love, sharing, work and responsibility.
We do this through fundraising and volunteer efforts that support Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. NPH is committed to assuring the best possible care for those children through direct programs, through service to other caregivers and support organizations, and through direct engagement with the community in which the children live. A worldwide community of donors, staff and volunteers enables NPH to help the children become caring and productive citizens in their countries. Over the past 20 years, several fundraisers have been held in Canada, primarily involving golf events, to support projects and construction work for the NPH Homes Orphanages. Many groups have raise funds, write grants, arrange tours to the homes, organize special fundraising events and join the sponsorship program to help the children.
After several years of being 'in transition', Friends of the Orphans Canada settle down in the spring of 2004. Our office was relocated to Woodstock, Ontario, approximately a 1-hour drive west of Guelph, and 2 hours from Toronto. One of our Board members, Bill Van Haeren, and his wife Antonia generously donated office space for our new employed at that time office administrator and sponsorship coordinator, Caroline Stefan. We were grateful for their generosity, and for providing us with a 'home'!
In 1954, a hungry, homeless boy was arrested for stealing from the poor box of a small church in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The young priest in charge, Father William Wasson of the United States, was unwilling to press charges; instead he asked for custody of the boy. By year's end, there were 32 children in residence and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), Spanish for "Our Little Brothers and Sisters," was born. Girls joined the NPH family in 1959 and by 1963 nearly 400 children called NPH home. As the NPH model demonstrated success and gained respect, social service agencies and advocates for children referred more and more orphans to the home.
If you would like to become a part of this worldwide network of supporters, contact us at info@fotocan.org