The mission of Arms of Love is to give abandoned and abused children in Nicaragua and the Philippines a home, a family, and a future, with the hope that they will become the leaders of tomorrow in their communities and churches. In 2013, our mission expanded in both countries and now also focuses on helping vulnerable children in our local neighborhoods who are highly susceptible to illness, hunger, lack of education, trafficking, and exploitation due to extreme poverty.
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A Home of safety and security. We believe every child has the right to a home of safety and security. By the time they come to us, our children share one thing in common- they have nowhere to live and no one to care for them. Arms of Love creates a loving enviroment for children who experiancesevere trama and a place they may always call home.
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A Home of healing.
We believe our family is a source of healing for children who have survived abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Local Christian couples serve as parents in each home, and have an extraordinary capacity for guiding, loving, and restoring hope in the lives of our children. Typically, our families are large, and can range from 8-12 children living in one home. To help raise and provide the multi-dimensional care needed, house parents are helped by support staff skilled in teaching, social work, and psychology.
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A Future of wholeness.
We believe our children are the future leaders in their countries, and that God heals brokenness to live a life of freedom and wholeness. We are committed to helping them develop into confident and productive members of their communities, healthy in mind, body, and spirit. By providing opportunities for higher education, vocational training, Christian discipleship, and the development of other life skills, we are opening doors to future success and stability.
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A Community of hope.
We believe in working alongside communities to empower families, serve as a resource in times of great need, and to provide hope in times of suffering. Through our Community Care Program, we work with families who are living in extreme poverty, struggling to feed their children, and identified by the local school as vulnerable to making desperate decisions.
How it all began
How it all began
The seeds of our ministry were planted early in the life of Robert Benson, the founder of Arms of Love International. Himself a child of abandonment and abuse, Robert was welcomed into a new family that prayed for him, cared for him, and gave him the foundation in life that was necessary to later become a loving father and a successful attorney.
Robert was surprised during a business meeting to sense the call from God to build homes for abandoned and abused children. He quickly recognized the many ways that God had been uniquely preparing him for this undertaking, and Robert began to develop the relationships that would make the first children’s homes possible.
The first step, towards what would become Arms of Love International, was a short-term mission trip with a volunteer team from the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of San Jose, California in 1998.
The relationships built on that trip enabled us to establish the children’s home in Nicaragua, and in April 2000 we took in our first 8 children. The Arms of Love Children’s Home in the Philippines began receiving children in January 2001.
Since these beginnings, Arms of Love has partnered with other non-profit organizations and over 50 churches in the U.S. and around the world, some just down the street from our children’s homes.
What We Do
At Arms of Love, we provide a home and a loving family for children who desperately need a safe place to live and grow. Additionally our young adults have the access and opportunity to change the legacies of their families through higher education … and we are empowering vulnerable local families so our communities are healthier and stronger.
Residential Care Program
Arms of Love has established residential homes for abandoned, abused, and orphaned children in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, and on the island of Bohol in the Philippines. Our homes provide children with a home, a family, and a future. Our kids not only receive food and shelter, but also comprehensivecare like education and healthcare, while living in a family environment with house parent couples. In addition, we intentionally accept sibling groups whenever possible in order to maintain any biological family bonds.
One of the essential investments for our children is their education. This investment recognizes the importance of a holistic approach to their learning, by addressing their multi-dimensional trauma, breaking the progression of poverty, and educating both the mind and heart.
To learn more about our Residential Care Program, click here.
Independent Living Program
As in any family, we want our children to succeed in life, and to ultimately be able to support themselves and have their own healthy family. At Arms of Love, our ministry goes beyond meeting the immediate needs of children in poverty. We seek to break the cycle of poverty itself. Arms of Love hopes to grow youth into adults who will make a difference in their communities, and change the legacy of their families. Each of our children are given educational opportunities according to their aptitude and unique abilities. They are encouraged to discover their passions and giftings, and are provided with an opportunity to pursue higher education by attending college or trade school programs.
Basically, our Independent Living Program picks up where our Residential Care Program leaves off. For those who want to continue their education, Arms of Love offers grants and scholarships that share the cost of tuition, books, lodging, and food. Students are mentored through this process, and the program teaches students to be responsible young adults through part-time employment, budget training, and discovering what it means to make their faith their own.
To learn more about supporting our Independent Living Program, click here
Community Development Program
For over 15 years, Arms of Love has been a home and a family for single, double, and social orphans. However, just outside our doors, we discovered families struggling to feed and clothe their children due to severe poverty, unemployment and under-employment, and the residual effects of natural disasters.
In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan brought unprecedented destruction to the Philippines (which averages 20 typhoons annually). Similarly, Nicaragua has been battered by earthquakes, most recently receiving 6.1 and 7.3 magnitude quakes in 2014. Such circumstances eliminate safety and create extreme susceptibility for children.
In 2013, we opened our “arms of love” a little wider to come alongside families who are struggling and vulnerable. Our goal is to prevent families from needing to make desperate decisions, by providing supplemental programs and care that focus on meeting their most essential needs, and thus strengthening the family, and the community overall.
To learn more about the Community Development Program in each country, click here
We believe prayer is powerful! Get involved by praying for children who are orphaned, abused or living in extreem poverty around the world. Learn more about being a partner in prayer!
