I’ll never forget the day I sat across from a sixteen-year-old girl named Hannah (name changed for child protection). She had been living in a children’s home for eight years, separated from her parents and brothers, even though they were alive and just 45 minutes away in a village. With sadness in her eyes, she looked at me and said, “Kristen, it’s hard being apart. I miss my brothers.” Her words pierced me. I couldn’t help but wonder—why was she here, away from her family, when her whole family was alive?
That moment changed me. It was the spark that led to the creation of Otem Collective and our mission to reshape the way the world cares for orphaned and vulnerable children. For too long, we’ve relied on orphanages and children’s homes to provide care. While children’s homes were started with good intentions, we’ve learned that children raised in families have better developmental and life outcomes. At Otem Collective, we believe children deserve the best—and that’s family. We believe in reshaping care by supporting families so that children like Hannah can grow up in the safety and love of their own homes.
As we work to shift the global approach to caring for vulnerable children, we need your help. This work requires a movement of people—people like you—who are committed to moving away from how things have been done and toward something better for children. With your support, we can bring more children home, reunite families, and make orphanages the last resort—not the first option.
Would you join us in reshaping how we care for vulnerable children by making a year-end gift today?
Your gift will support initiatives like:
- Family Strengthening: Providing support and training to keep families together in Uganda.
- Reunification Efforts: Transitioning children from orphanages back into loving homes.
- Trauma-Informed Care : Equipping caregivers to support children who have experienced trauma.
Together, we can reshape the future of care—one where every child grows up in a safe, stable, and secure family.