Our Why
The Heartbeat of Our Mission
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Marlene Maina
The Heartbeat of Our Mission
“As my mother’s casket was being lowered into the ground, I watched in slow motion as my father threw his hands up in a rage and stormed off—for good. My broken heart could not be comforted. My eyes stayed on my younger sisters only 11, 12 and 15, weeping uncontrollably, their weak knees giving way. Nothing could describe the dread that gripped me as we slowly walked away from that grave into what felt like a black hole of a future. We were homeless, trapped in hopelessness, successfully silenced by the shame of losing—EVERYTHING. Two things I simultaneously longed for: death, or a place—a place where seeds of hope could stand the chance to grow against the darkness of my young broken heart.”
MARLENE MAINA - CEO & Founder, JosiahKids Inc.
The Problem In Context
THE SOCIAL PROBLEM JOSIAHKIDS SEEKS TO ADDRESS
Children and youth are the most vulnerable of our mounting social ills. Sexual assault, emotional abuse, human trafficking, homelessness, broken families, terminal illnesses, food insecurity, anxiety, depression, global wars, and fear are all terrorizing and destabilizing the safely and security of our precious young people. As such, many children and youth are not crossing the finish line of childhood, or crossing it gravely equipped to make a meaningful life, let alone a meaningful difference. Rather than wait until children are silenced by suicide, trapped in risky behaviors and costly interventions, JosiahKids has taken the preventative approach prescribed in the words of Orator, Writer and Statesman—Frederick Douglass who said: “It is much easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men.”
Why you should care
"We will use every tool a creative God is willing to put on the table to fight for the prosperity and future hope of our children."
—Marlene Maina, Founder JosiahKids
Every 9 Minutes
Child Sexual Abuse
Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. Meanwhile, only 25 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison.
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2nd Leading Cause of Death
adolescent suicide
In 2017, there were more than 6,200 suicide deaths among adolescents and young adults ages 15-24, making it the second-leading cause of death for that age group.
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hhttps://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of-women-and-children/measure/teen_suicide/state/ALL
One In Five
Teens
prescription drug abuse
1 in 5 teens have abused prescription medications, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Approximately 21 percent of high school seniors have reported using marijuana in the past month, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
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One in Twenty 8th Graders
middle school drug use
Rates of drug use in middle school and the number
of 11- or 12-year-old kids doing drugs in the United States is alarmingly high. More than 1 in 20
8th-grade students reported using alcohol, marijuana, or illicit drugs in 2018.
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https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/middle-school-drug-use/
140 Million Children
Orphaned
worldwide
It is estimated that more than 140 million children worldwide, ranging from infants to teenagers, have lost one or both of their parents. Nearly 13 million orphans — who have lost both parents — are now living in orphanages or on the streets.
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https://showhope.org/2015/09/10/7-statistics-you-should-know-about-orphans-and-adoption/
400,000 Children
In the Foster Care system
In the United States, there are almost 400,000 children living without permanent families in the foster care system.
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https://showhope.org/2015/09/10/7-statistics-you-should-know-about-orphans-and-adoption/
Every Year 700,000
homeless
youth
Each year, an estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness, of which 700,000 are unaccompanied minors, meaning they are not part of a family or accompanied by a parent or guardian. On any given night, approximately 41,000 unaccompanied youth ages 13-25 experience homelessness.
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https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth
15yr - Victim Average Age
child sex trafficking
Trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion a year. The average age of child sex trafficking victims is 15, according to numbers of children reported missing to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Many sex trafficking victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
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ttps://www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/child-sex-trafficking
One-Third
of Children
Physically assaulted
In 2014, more than one-third of children were physically assaulted within the previous year (37 percent) and about half had been assaulted during their lifetime (51 percent). In the past year, 15 percent suffered some form of maltreatment (25 percent during their lifetime) and 5 percent reported being sexually victimized (8 percent over their lifetime).
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https://www.childtrends.org/indicators/childrens-exposure-to-violence
Resources
Educate . Empower . Equip
Nursing Education
Homelessness Services And How To Help
How Drugs Impact The Adolescent Brain