Observed on the second Sunday in November, Orphan Sunday is a holiday that encourages everyone to campaign for orphans. It’s a day that encourages people to give their time and their money to help orphans.

It’s also a day during which people are encouraged to give the thousands upon thousands of caregivers all around the world who work with orphans the thanks they deserve. And, people are also encouraged to spread the word about this holiday and help the cause of helping orphans. If we all come together on this day, then we can give more orphaned children a better chance at a better life.

The History Of Orphan Sunday

The roots of this particular holiday can be traced back to the end of the 20th century and an American missionary to Africa named Gary Schneider. It was based on an appeal by a pastor in a local community in Zambia encouraging people to get involved with the orphan crisis in the country.

Even though the residents were impoverished, they still managed to show their support by gifting their clothes and shoes. Schneider was touched by the gesture and decided to help Zambian leaders in caring for Zambian orphans by spreading the news about it.

In 2003, this initiative would end up spreading to the U.S. Up until 2014, this holiday was observed on the first Sunday in November. This was changed to the second Sunday in November, and it was observed on this date for the first time in 2015. It’s been observed on this day ever since and will probably continue to be observed at this time into the near future.

Facts About Orphans

Let’s take a look at some of the facts and statistics that we’ve found about orphans. We hope the following facts prove to be informative to everyone reading them.

• A child can be an orphan not only if they have two deceased parents. Orphans are categorized as being without parental care.
• In 2014, over 140 million children in the world lost one or both of their parents.
• In 2016, U.S families adopted approximately 5,300+ children from other countries.
• Americans adopt the highest number of children from China, Congo, Ukraine, and South Korea.

Observing Orphan Sunday

On this day, people can take the time to observe this holiday by finding out what they can do to help orphans. And each person is going to celebrate this day in their own way. Some people find it better to donate their money, while other people feel like they should donate their time. No matter how a person observes Orphan Sunday, they should take the time to spread the word about it using the hashtag #OrphanSunday on social media.