In recent years, many filmmakers have turned their lenses towards the global orphan crisis. Each film carries an important message, highlighting the need for awareness and action in caring for orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. Here are five documentaries about caring for orphans:

 

1. The Drop Box tells the story of South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rak and his incredible efforts to embrace and protect the most vulnerable members of society. The Drop Box is a tale of hope, reminding the viewer that every human life is worthy and deserving of love.

 

2. Faultless: The American Orphan is meant to inspire and equip Christians to care for hurting children in America. Faultless introduces people to orphan care in the United States by providing an overview of the challenges facing children in foster care, an introduction on how the Bible instructs us to act in light of those challenges, and some hopeful examples of men and women across the country responding to these present needs in ways that honor God.

 

3. Paper Orphan features the work of Action for Child Rights, a Belgian organization led by Jurgen Conings, which seeks to address abuses that occur often in orphanages across Nepal. Their main focus is stopping the creation of paper orphans — children designated as orphans and placed on the adoption market, while in reality they still have their biological parents.

 

4. Mother India is a compelling documentary narrated by Rebecca St. James, which captures the stories of 25 orphaned children living along the railway in southern India. Filmed over the course of two weeks in early 2012, Mother India offers a glimpse into how these unaccompanied children seek to survive on a daily basis, giving the viewer an opportunity to understand life through the eyes of these precious children.

 

5. In “China’s Lost Girls,” Lisa Ling examines the consequences of China’s one-child policy, wherein the government limits most families to one child, or in certain circumstances, two children. Due to cultural, social, and economic factors, traditional preference leans toward boys, so girls are often hidden, aborted, or abandoned. As a result, tens of thousands of girls end up in orphanages across China. Today, more than one quarter of all adoptions from abroad by American families come from China. Ling joins some of these families as they travel to China to meet their new daughters for the first time.

 

Have you seen any of these documentaries? Let us know by commenting below!