While these arrangements typically do not offer much in the way of luxuries, the children are well cared for and loved by their foster families and caregivers. Most children in these countries are placed for adoption due to extreme poverty suffered by their birth mothers and extended families. In Ecuador, Peru, and Honduras there are government subsidized orphanages often run by missionaries or local churches and charities. Children are brought to these orphanages through the child welfare system where birth parents have abandoned or relinquished them. The orphanages are often family style, with older children helping out with the babies and community volunteers bringing clothing, food and medical supplies.
Adoptive parents can ususally visit the orphanages during their stay.
Children's Home Society of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota.