Orphan Adoption, Reconciliation & Restoration Services
Placing abandoned children with extended family members and adoptive parents
Who we are
Orphan Adoption, Reconciliation & Restoration Services
OARRS, Inc is a Christian nonprofit founded in 2013 under the laws of the state of Missouri in 2013. Skip Ritchie the co-founder is a licensed attorney who graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in professional mental health and Christian counseling. He is a licensed professional counselor in Missouri and focusing on orphan prevention and care.
Since 2004, Skip and his family have visited orphanages and ministries in Mexico, Peru and Zimbabwe. After living in Zimbabwe for a short time and attending classes at the Theological College of Zimbabwe, he was burdened to support Isaiah’s Babies Home with orphan care training for the staff.
Since 2004, Skip and his family have visited orphanages and ministries in Mexico, Peru and Zimbabwe. After living in Zimbabwe for a short time and attending classes at the Theological College of Zimbabwe, he was burdened to support Isaiah’s Babies Home with orphan care training for the staff.
The need
During their time in Zimbabwe, which does not allow U.S. Citizens to adopt children from their country, we discovered a need to support, train and equip orphanage stage, potential adoptive and foster parents, and local social workers.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." — James 1:27a
Our mission
Our mission is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Holy Bible through education, training, evangelism, discipleship, Bible teaching, humanitarian aid and relief projects. We aim to live out God's commandment to care for orphans in need by providing relief, support, training and counseling to orphans, caregivers, and potential adoptive parents and foster care providers.
How you can help
OARRS works with Isaiah’s Babies Home in Zimbabwe to train orphanage staff and church leaders in foster care and adoptive parenting techniques that promote family reunification efforts. Through your prayers and financial support, you can help us accomplish our goals:
* An online donation platform will be available soon. Until then, if you would like to lend your support, or just learn more about the ministry, please contact Skip Ritchie at 540-421-7003 or through email.
- Raise funds for family tracing support and foster/adoption parent and caregiver training
- Travel Costs for orphan training and Bible based leadership training with local pastors and for educational support through MINTS.EDU sponsors seminars
- Delivers medical and dental supplies to needy children
- Facilitate training sponsorships for care givers in the U.S. through Empowered To Connect and TBRI Training
* An online donation platform will be available soon. Until then, if you would like to lend your support, or just learn more about the ministry, please contact Skip Ritchie at 540-421-7003 or through email.
Additional resources |
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In the news“Lawyer branches into nonprofit ministry” (Archived – The Journal)
Covenant Magazine Daily News Records, Harrisonburg, VA |
Mission trips
OARRS's goal is to support local caregivers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and provide training for orphanage staff and volunteers on interventions and behavioral techniques that promotes attachment bonding and help children regulate their emotions and make positive choices. Also, orphan prevention is vital to this orphan care ministry. We have used Bible seminars to help build relationships and partnerships to strengthen the family and ministries of the local churches. We have found it helpful to provide pastoral and leadership training through MINTS.EDU bible courses and networking referrals to help promote effective and supportive orphan care.
Stories of the children we serve
These boys and girls represent some of the many orphans OARRS supports at Isaiah’s Babies Home in Zimbabwe:
T, was being abused by a family member who had been asked by his parents to look after him while they were working in a neighboring country. We looked for his parents' contacts and phoned them. They are very grateful, and the mother quickly came back home. He was reunified with his parents after being with us for a week.
N, 3, recently came to us after being abandoned by her mother at a lodging place. The baby card showed that she was born in a rural hospital about 100 miles outside Bulawayo. We have attempted to locate the mother's relatives by contacting the social welfare officers in her birthplace.
K, claimed she had come from a rural area and got lost in town. In reality, she had run away from home after her parents divorced — the mother had left, and the father had disappeared to a neighboring country. She lived with her grandfather, and her school fees were paid by Isaiah's partner organization, Mind the Gap.
A, lived in our home for older children. Her mother, who had departed for a neighboring country and was not communicating, had left her in the care of her stepfather in a one-room apartment. The situation was not healthy, so we took her in.
Updates 2019:
Our Neighbors Ministry and Isaiah’s Babies Home are continuing to provided needed care and support for the abandoned children in Zimbabwe. Currently, they are caring for 15 children and have a full time counselor/social worker caring for and working with the children in residence.
Fruitful Harvest - I followed up with Tammy recently for an update. We talked at length about the Time with Jesus and egg food ministry as well as the worsening economic situation there in Zimbabwe.
Over the past several years I focused in on trying to provide helpful counseling techniques to caregivers through the research-based work of Christian psychologist Dr. Purvis and Empowered to Connect for young children who have been abandoned and neglected. For the most part the economy has been fairly stable but strained. Currently, they have made some economic changes as to currency and supply of electricity causing costs to increase and inflation to increase. Tammy is starting to notice more signs of malnutrition.
The Fruitful Harvest egg ministry is an effective means to delivering the Gospel to youg children with her Time with Jesus program. Fruitful Harvest has helped with protein and food for needy children in remote areas. Please prayer for her egg production and this Gospel ministry as we look to support her efforts there. We also are praying about helping her offer dental supplies to these same children in 2020 and would like you to join us.
Supporting Pastors to promote effective orphan care. In the past, we have promoted orphan care by making connections with local pastors through Miami International Seminary MINTS.EDU courses on the Book of James and Hebrews. Please pray for relationships to be strengthen as we look to build more partnerships that will bless vulnerable children and families.
Fruitful Harvest - I followed up with Tammy recently for an update. We talked at length about the Time with Jesus and egg food ministry as well as the worsening economic situation there in Zimbabwe.
Over the past several years I focused in on trying to provide helpful counseling techniques to caregivers through the research-based work of Christian psychologist Dr. Purvis and Empowered to Connect for young children who have been abandoned and neglected. For the most part the economy has been fairly stable but strained. Currently, they have made some economic changes as to currency and supply of electricity causing costs to increase and inflation to increase. Tammy is starting to notice more signs of malnutrition.
The Fruitful Harvest egg ministry is an effective means to delivering the Gospel to youg children with her Time with Jesus program. Fruitful Harvest has helped with protein and food for needy children in remote areas. Please prayer for her egg production and this Gospel ministry as we look to support her efforts there. We also are praying about helping her offer dental supplies to these same children in 2020 and would like you to join us.
Supporting Pastors to promote effective orphan care. In the past, we have promoted orphan care by making connections with local pastors through Miami International Seminary MINTS.EDU courses on the Book of James and Hebrews. Please pray for relationships to be strengthen as we look to build more partnerships that will bless vulnerable children and families.
ANSWERED PRAYERS:
KUDA:
Kuda: He has been placed into a special school that supports him through physical therapy and specialized services for his medical condition. Please continue to pray for him.
Click individual photos to view their Facebook link:
KUDA:
Kuda: He has been placed into a special school that supports him through physical therapy and specialized services for his medical condition. Please continue to pray for him.
Click individual photos to view their Facebook link:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
AFRICA (and other areas):
Identify persons who would benefit from specialized TBRI Training through Show Hope at Texas Christian University (TCU). Show Hope is offering a scholarship to a qualified person connected with OARRS, Inc. Applications are being accepted starting April.
AFRICA (and other areas):
Identify persons who would benefit from specialized TBRI Training through Show Hope at Texas Christian University (TCU). Show Hope is offering a scholarship to a qualified person connected with OARRS, Inc. Applications are being accepted starting April.
OARRS board of directors
- Skip Ritchie, St. Louis, MO
- Robert Wheeler, Nashville, TN
- Patrick Kahng, Federal Way, WA
- Janet Kadoga, St. Louis, MO / Uguanda, Africa
- Pastor Sidney Nkala, Kadoma, Zimbabwe, Africa
Support/ Give /Contact Info
Prayerfully consider supporting this project in Zimbabwe and the greater mission of orphans, adoption, and family preservation work in Africa. You can give by donating through the link below or by sending a check to:
OARRS, Inc.
OARRS, Inc. (Nonprofit # MO – N01361844)
P.O. Box 179342
St. Louis, MO 63117
P.O. Box 2266
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
OARRS, Inc.
OARRS, Inc. (Nonprofit # MO – N01361844)
P.O. Box 179342
St. Louis, MO 63117
P.O. Box 2266
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
