In the beginning (2007), Cherish operated more or less as a traditional orphanage, with children living on-site in family-style homes. At the time, we thought this to be the best way forward for abandoned HIV+ children. We started to realize the very limited success of this model as children started to “age out”. This challenged us to look for a better way. As we started looking deeper into the lives of the children in our care, we found that many had family members. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, and in some cases even a parent. Very quickly we realized a new way forward. A way that moved kids out of an institution and into a family – their family. As good of an institution as we strived to be, we were not a family.

The Family Strengthening Department was birthed to walk alongside these families. We endeavor to resource families as they take up their responsibility to raise the children God gifted them.

Partnership is the lens we look through in every situation. We do not exist to raise children. We exist to partner with families as they raise their children. We want to promote dignity and responsibility, not dependence.  We work with families, teaching them how to disciple their children. We desire families to know God deeper, parent well and manage their resources responsibly. We truly cherish life and yearn for families to do the same as we encourage and strengthen them through the process of raising children that learn to live out the gospel in their world. We have reunified almost all of the children that used to call Cherish home with a blood relative. There are some family situations that are just not safe, and in some situations there is not a family member to be found. In an effort to give those children the best opportunity to grow up as healthy as possible we have placed those children in a foster family.