We, the undersigned, request that the U.S. Congress pass the Families for Orphans Act, which would provide a diplomatic authority, with technical and coordinating capacity to keep children in their birth families whenever possible and move orphans and other children without parental care into permanent families (either through kinship care, domestic adoption, or intercountry adoption).

Very little of current U.S. funding and focus is dedicated towards finding permanent families for children in need of parental care. Developing countries lack the resources and expertise necessary to establish sound systems to provide for the care of the rising number of children living outside of a permanent family environment.

We support the Families for Orphans Act which is designed to overcome these barriers by establishing the Office of Orphan Policy, Development and Diplomacy, a specialized office within the U.S. Department of State.

This new office would be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy to support the preservation of families and the provision of permanent families for orphans. We urge the members of the U.S. Congress to pass the Families for Orphans Act.