Mom Uses Divorce to Help Orphans of the World

April 23, 2007 — -- While many people might struggle to get out of bed after the end of a marriage, Karen Gordon got a divorce and then decided to fix one of the world's most pressing problems.

In 2003, newly single and taking care of her two daughters, Gordon saw a video of an orphanage in Hungary famous for its high-quality care. It inspired her to look at the state of orphanages around the world. She found that while many provide food, shelter and basic necessities, they lack a simple yet crucial element -- loving care.

Gordon made it her mission to change the lives of the more than 16 million abandoned children. Using her $1 million divorce settlement, she started a foundation: Whole Child International.

For more information on Gordon's organization, please visit: http://www.wholechild.org/home.html.

"Why did I not take the money and just live off of it? I would have been bored, wouldn't I?" Gordon said. "This is rewarding work. I work with the best and brightest in our country. That's priceless."

Whole Child International is dedicated to training orphanage caregivers to be involved and interact with babies, even through mundane tasks like changing their diapers.

"There are millions of children living in institutions, and if we can shift this one piece of relationship in their development their long term outcome can be staggering," Gordon said.

Experts agree that training caregivers to interact with children can be hugely beneficial in the long run.

"It's the individual actions with the children that are literally laying down the pathways for their brains to develop," said University of Southern California child welfare professor Jacquelyn McCroskey. "It's probably one of the most important investments we can probably make."

Of course, finding ways to create relationships in cash-strapped, crowded orphanages is no easy task. By breaking orphanages down into small groups of children and making sure each child sees the same caregiver on a regular basis, Gordon's organization tries to foster a loving environment.