Children of the Nations (COTN) is a Christian nonprofit organization that exists to provide care for orphaned and destitute children in poverty-stricken areas of the world. Operating in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

, and Haiti, COTN helps nearly 7,000 children on a daily basis. COTN's stated goal is to "Raise children who transform nations." Children of the Nations is a Christian nonprofit organization headquartered in

Silverdale, Washington Silverdale is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 19,204 at the 2010 census. Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale remains an unincorporated community. Silverdale ...

, US.

History

Children of the Nations (COTN) was founded in 1995 by Chris Clark, a fifth-generation missionary raised in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and his wife, Debbie Clark. On assignment in Sierra Leone, Chris and Debbie encountered orphans and refugee children in dire need of assistance and started COTN with the desire to meet the needs of those children. Today, COTN is operating in

, and Haiti to provide holistic care for orphaned and destitute children.

Organizational structure

Children of the Nations International operates as a non-governmental organization (NGO) within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

with its headquarters in

. COTN also operates regional offices in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

; Orlando, Florida; and

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. Each COTN country office is set up as its own NGO with a local board of directors overseeing operations within that country.

Operations

COTN's main area of focus is providing care for the most desperate children in each of the geographic areas where the organization serves. They do this through a two-pronged approach, by providing full-time care for orphaned children and by partnering with communities to care for orphaned and destitute children living with caregivers who are unable to provide for them. All children enrolled in COTN's programs receive food, education, medical care, and mentoring, depending on their specific needs. COTN's main goal is to raise these children to become future leaders of their communities. This is accomplished through

child sponsorship Child sponsorship is a type of fundraising in which a charitable organization associates a donor sponsor with a particular child beneficiary. The sponsor receives updates from the child, typically including photos and translated letters, which help ...

as well as the donation of funds, resources, and volunteer work related to the construction of children's homes, schools, medical clinics, vocational skills centers, farms, and feeding centers. This assistance is intended to lead to self-sustainability, not dependence. The organization also puts a large emphasis on short-term mission trips in the countries where it serves. More than 400 individuals traveled overseas with COTN in 2016.

Ratings

Children of the Nations currently holds a four-star rating (the highest possible rating) from Charity Navigator, and is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

References

External links

Children of the Nations Homepage

COTN Charity Navigator Entry

ECFA Entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Children Of The Nations Organizations established in 1995 Christian charities based in the United States Charities based in Washington (state) Children's charities based in the United States