Concerned people around our world will soon be compelled to support thousands of children left with no parents after the devastating Indian Ocean earthquakes and tsunamis.
We already have neighbors who know all about caring for orphans overseas.
One Camano Island resident stepped up after a firsthand look at the plight of Romanian orphans. He could have come back to America and moaned about the sorrowful living conditions he saw, but instead he took action.
Herbert Burkart, 37, was invited to visit orphanages in Romania two years ago by Kidstown International. God led him to the organization, he said. Burkart saw more than 200 orphans at six locations.
“Visiting each one of the orphanages made me realize how fortunate we really are, but what broke my heart was seeing the little boys and girls in the state-run orphanages,” Burkart said. “Seeing room after room filled with the little children in their beds starving for human touch was my breaking point.”
For children in Romanian orphanages, AIDS is the No. 1 cause of death, said Burkart, who owns a real estate office in Smokey Point.
“I picked up one child after another as my heart cried out for them,” Burkart said. “One little boy in particular didn’t have enough physical strength to stand up on his own. His sad eyes looking at me changed my life forever.”
What could he do to help?
Overwhelmed with all that he saw, and how insignificant his wants and needs were in comparison, the father of three young boys decided to support Kidstown International.
Kidstown, a nonprofit formed in the late 1990s, aims to move children from state-run orphanages in Romania into private, Christian orphanages.
After coming home from Romania in 2003, Burkart sponsored a 17-yearold boy named Florin. He sent $35 a month and wrote to Florin as often as possible to show him that he had a family in America who loved him very much. When the teen turned 18, he left the orphanage to work as a carpenter.
The Burkart family also supports Sami, 8, and Alina, 12.
“Sami was dropped off at Casa Spirante (orphanage) years ago after the death of his mother,” Burkart said. “Alina has been at Spirante for about one year. Her mother is a prostitute and unfit to care for her.”
He mentioned Kidstown to his friend, Rebecca Boylan of Arlington. Boylan said she researched sponsorship opportunities on the Internet and decided to sponsor Constantin, 6, through Kidstown.
“Constantin’s mother died, and his father was unable to care for him because of alcoholism,” she said. “So some of his relatives took him to Casa Dorca (orphanage), where he seems to be thriving.”
The mother of two said Kidstown also helps children get eye operations. The organization is helping 10 Romanian orphanages and needs 40 more families to adopt children. For more information, go to www. kidstowninternational.org.
Boylan also supports her local food bank, church and Everett Gospel Mission. She said $35 a month spent overseas is not missed in her community.
There are needy children all around the world, Burkart said.
“The scary part is that lots of people don’t even know how great the needs really are,” he said. “It is our job, or calling, to spread the news. I’m hurting for the tsunami victims. My heart cries out to all the little children.”
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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