We are passionate about children being in families. We are equipping churches to lead the way in family-based care. We are replacing orphanages with lasting solutions.

FOSTER CARE

and practical support for families serving vulnerable children. Additionally, we host family support events that offer encouragement, guidance, and practical aid, empowering foster families in their essential roles. Our partnership with the Honduran government allows us to advocate for policy and system improvements, helping us ensure children are raised in safe, nurturing family environments. Together with the local church, government, and community, we work to provide hope and healing, creating a sustainable solution where Honduran, Christian families are able to step into the role of caretaker for vulnerable children, and children are prevented from entering orphanages.

Until 2012, foster care in Honduras was extremely limited, with few families primarily serving children with special needs. Guided and equipped by God, Identity Mission has since expanded foster care into a robust program now active in three regions. Through our dedicated team of caseworkers, including social workers and psychologists, foster families receive holistic support—covering everything from training to access to essential resources. We partner closely with local churches who embrace the vision of family-based care, creating a network of spiritual and practical support for families serving vulnerable children. Additionally, we host family support events that offer encouragement, guidance, and practical aid, empowering foster families in their essential roles. Our partnership with the Honduran government allows us to advocate for policy and system improvements, helping us ensure children are raised in safe, nurturing family environments. Together with the local church, government, and community, we work to provide hope and healing, creating a sustainable solution where Honduran, Christian families are able to step into the role of caretaker for vulnerable children, and children are prevented from entering orphanages.

FOSTER CARE

FAMILY PRESERVATION

At Identity Mission, we believe in keeping families together. Our Family Preservation Program identifies at-risk families, stepping in to prevent the trauma of family separation before it occurs. Our family preservation team evaluate each family’s situation and address immediate needs, stabilizing crises to avoid child displacement. Once the urgent needs are met, we continue to walk alongside the family, providing them with resources and support to develop long-term, sustainable solutions. Partnering with churches, local businesses, and the government, we pull together outside resources creating a collaborative approach that helps prevent families from falling into crisis and promotes resilience, allowing children to thrive within their biological families. By investing in family preservation, we strengthen the community, ensuring that children grow up in loving, stable homes surrounded by their families and culture.

Rooted in James 1:27, Solución 1:27 is Identity Mission’s church development initiative, equipping Honduran churches to fulfill their Biblical mandate to care for orphans and vulnerable families. Through a culturally adapted, translated training program, based on resources from Backyard Orphans, we empower churches to identify and equip orphan care team leaders within their congregations. These leaders then establish support teams for foster and adoptive families, as well as for at-risk families in their communities—offering practical support and helping families rise out of poverty. The program trains churches to engage in multiple models of support, creating a sustainable, church-centered approach to orphan care in Honduras. This partnership empowers the local church to step into its God-given role, building a foundation of family-based care that strengthens the entire community. By working together with churches, local government, and our technical team, we are creating a movement where every church member finds their unique role in supporting vulnerable children and families.

CHURCH DEVELOPMENT

But WHY do any of this?!?

Honduras, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, faces extreme poverty, with nearly two-thirds of the population living below the poverty line. Factors such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the rise of AIDS, crime, and violence have contributed to a large number of orphans. In response, many organizations created orphanages as an emergency solution, leading to a system heavily reliant on institutional care.

While these orphanages provided shelter, food, and education for thousands of vulnerable children, they became a permanent solution rather than a temporary one. This institutional approach limited efforts to support struggling families and develop family-based care options like foster care. As a result, poor families often felt forced to give up their children in hopes of a better future. For years, there were few reintegration or adoption efforts.

Today, hundreds of residential homes still operate in Honduras, many in an institutional style, with numbers ranging from 7 to 600 children. Unfortunately, this system results in low success rates for children once they age out and transition into society.

After more than a decade of working in orphan care in Honduras (2006-2014), we saw firsthand that many young adults were still struggling with poverty and crime after leaving orphanages. While we and other organizations focused on helping orphanages, it became clear that this wasn’t enough. Many children needed more than just food and shelter; they needed family-based care. We hadn’t fully realized the importance of reintegration or adoption until 2014 when God opened doors and led us to broaden our approach. With the creation of the new government agency DINAF and the founding of Identity Mission, we were able to begin promoting foster care and family-based solutions. God is using His people to transform the entire orphan care system in Honduras, fulfilling His vision of a family for every child, as declared by both UN standards and His word.

So what did we do?

60% OF YOUNG ADULTS AGING OUT OF ORPHANAGES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO RETURN TO A LIFE OF POVERTY OR CRIME, CONTINUING THE ORPHAN CYCLE...

Our journey in orphan care in Honduras showed us that vulnerable children needed more support than we had been providing in our first eight years. Through research and field experience, we realized that children in orphanages often face developmental delays due to a lack of individualized care, like what a family provides. Despite receiving food and education, many young adults still struggled with their sense of identity and belonging. This led us to shift our approach to family-based care, grounded in Psalm 68:6, "God sets the lonely in families." At Identity Mission, we now focus on connecting children to family environments where they can thrive and develop a strong sense of self.