Atlantic

The
Atlantic
April/May 2014
The Real Heroes:
Orphans Of The World
By Ana Garduno

T
By Ana Garduno
here are just so many
things that are taken for
granted in life, and not only
in the United States, but
in the entire world. Its simple things,
mostly; things like hanging out with
friends, having your parents drop you
off at a friend’s house, having a nice
family dinner, or even having a lazy
Sunday. But what people don’t seem to
understand is just how fast these things
can all but vanish from their lives. One
second, they’re planning a night out
with the family, and the next, it’s all
The Real Heroes:
Orphans Of The World
gone. This is what Monica Roldan had
to experience when she was just fifteen.
Her father died in a car crash and after
that, her life spiraled out of control. She
went from being a carefree teenager to
having to stay home to help care for her
four younger siblings. And then, a few
years after losing her father, Monica
lost her mother to a brain tumor, leaving
her as the sole guardian of her brothers
and sisters.
Orphans make up a big percentage
of the world population, and
UNICEF estimates that there are be-

tween 140 million and 190 million orphans
in the world, equal to nearly two thirds of
the United States population. The reasons
for there being so many orphans vary from
natural causes or catastrophic events, but
sadly, losing their parents can happen to anyone,
no matter their economic or social
standing. It is estimated that 153 million
children all over the world, ranging from infants
to teenagers, have lost one or both parents—in
Latin America, 10.2 million children
are orphaned (5% of the children population
in the region), Asia is home to the
largest number of orphaned children in the
world (60 million, at the last count), and in
Zimbabwe, 66% of children in SOS Families
(SOS Families provide stable and consistent
care to children who cannot remain
with their biological family, and for whom
family-based care is considered the best option)
have lost both their parents (UNICEF).
In America, there are over 120,000 orphans,
while another 400,000 children live without
permanent families, and it is common for
children in foster care to age out, leaving
them with little financial or emotional support,
and 27,000 children age out of the system
every year (HHS; AFCARS).
Orphaned children don’t only have to
deal with losing their parents, but like Monica,
they must also tackle all other obstacles
life throws at them (Roldan). They must
learn to be responsible and get jobs in order
to get money to support themselves, and in
Monica’s case, her four younger siblings.
But meeting such needs can be a little more
than complicated, since they usually have no
money or any form of support whatsoever,

Orphaned children don’t only have to
deal with losing their parents, but like Monica,
they must also tackle all other obstacles
life throws at them (Roldan). They must
learn to be responsible and get jobs in order
to get money to support themselves, and in
Monica’s case, her four younger siblings.
But meeting such needs can be a little more
than complicated, since they usually have
no money or any form of support whatsoever,
and it is because of things like this that
over 1 billion children suffer from at least
one form of severe deprivation of basic
needs such as water, food, and sanitation
(Holt International). After losing her mother,
Monica and her siblings lived with their
aunt and uncle, and Monica started to work
for her uncle as a secretary, in order to help
earn some money. She still had to go to
school every day, and drive her sisters and
brothers to school each morning (Roldan).
She had to make many sacrifices in order to
keep what was left of her family together.
She gave up the rest of her childhood, and
like she said during the interview, “I wanted
to live my life like the teenager I was, but I
couldn’t, so it was really hard”. She spent
the next few years of her life juggling with
her job and being the main caretaker of her
siblings. But despite these circumstances,
she attended college and got her Bachelor’s
in Tourist Management. She became a very
successful businesswoman, and later on
married and had three daughters, before
moving to the United States. Monica had a
good life, considering, and did the best she
could with the cards she was dealt. But sadly,
not all orphans are as lucky as Monica.
Each year, 14,505,000 children grow
up as orphans and age out of the system by
age sixteen, and each day, 38,493 orphans
age out. Every 2.2 seconds another orphan
ages out with no family to belong to and no
place to call home, and in Russia and
Ukraine, studies show that 10% to 15% of
these children commit suicide before even
reaching the age of eighteen. The studies
also show that 60% of the girls become
prostitutes and 70% of the boys become
hardened criminals. A different study re-

Each year, 14,505,000 children grow
up as orphans and age out of the system by
age sixteen, and each day, 38,493 orphans
age out. Every 2.2 seconds another orphan
ages out with no family to belong to and no
place to call home, and in Russia and
Ukraine, studies show that 10% to 15% of
these children commit suicide before even
reaching the age of eighteen. The studies
also show that 60% of the girls become
prostitutes and 70% of the boys become
hardened criminals. A different study reported
that of the 15, 000 orphans aging out
of the system, 10% committed suicide,
5,000 were unemployed, 6,000 were homeless,
and 3,000 were in prison, all within
three years (UNICEF). Life can be hard
enough with the support of family and
friends, but most orphans are not as lucky
as Monica and have no one to turn to for
help, no one to rely on.
Orphans have to deal with their lives
turning upside down in a matter of seconds,
and they have to learn to live with what
they have. They have to work hard and sacrifice
a lot, and also have to get used to losing
their families and all support and comfort.
They lose their sense of security, and
besides the few that are adopted, orphans
have to endure a harder life than most, and
the worst part of it all, is that they do it all
alone.