Orphan Relief and Rescue (ORR) held its Open House Wednesday, Sept. 1, at its new headquarters, 1416 SW 151 St. Burien, next to Lake Burien Presbyterian Church that renovated the space for ORR, which moved from eastern Texas. Orphan Relief and Rescue calls itself “a voice with action for orphans and vulnerable children in West Africa.”

Tim Pratt and his wife Rebecca founded ORR with Matt LaPage, and moved here from Texas, but once lived in this area. The Pratts met at South Whidbey High School, on Whidbey Island. They now live in Normandy Park with their three children, Joshua, 15, Desiree, 17, and Brianna, 20. Their kids lived in Liberia for almost three years, starting about seven years ago. Tim and Rebecca were with Mercy Ships where Tim was renovations manager. Mercy Ships operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development, agriculture and water projects, and mental health programs.

“It was there on that ship in West Africa where we met some of the poorest children in the world,” Tim recalled. “We saw the suffering, saw them buried with no death certificates. In Benin and Liberia these children are looked at as nothing. They have no value. That’s why we started ORR, to bring relief and rescue them from death. We are creating safe homes for these children to not be sold into slavery, to not be used as sex slaves. Some were once soldiers at age 8. So many Westerners go over there and take pictures and say they’ll come back to help but never do. The first orphanages we went to we saw children dying and a graveyard in the back with unmarked graves. Know what? No more.

“Our goal is to take young health care professionals, engineers, construction workers, and give them an experience of helping people help themselves by volunteering at the orphanages,” said Tim, 44. ORR is currently involved with improving 22 orphanages in Liberia and Benin that house about 1,000 children. They have a staff of seven in Seattle, seven in Liberia. Some volunteer. They also hire Liberians as needed in the field.

Tim and Dr. Don Clark, ORR chief financial officer, said they take the occasion to talk to the public about their goal when they work out at West Seattle Runner and walk Alki regularly.

“We’re becoming one world with people joining together, getting closer and closer,” said Tim. “Some serve two years and come back and are a better part of this community. What I love about Seattle is that we are a whole bunch of social entrepreneurs who want to do our best.

“Lake Burien Presbyterian Church is more community based than (just) a Sunday message,” said Tim. “It is a homeless women’s shelter and has a disadvantaged kids program. We see that we are a good fit as a partner, while not necessarily affiliated with the church. Yes, we are a faith-based organization, but our focus is to share about a God of love because these kids are looked at as worthless. We do believe in a creator who does love and value you, but we want to do the work, not just speak about our faith. We bring hope to them, things they do not see, but we also bring things they need, like mosquito netting to prevent malaria. I don’t want to complain. I want to be a solution.”

“They don’t have electricity and it’s very hot and the food isn’t very good. so it makes me appreciative of my life,” said Desiree who will attend the Running Start College program. “They’re spoiled, definitely, here,” she said of teens in general. “I am spoiled too. I was spoiled because I traveled the world and most don’t have that chance.

“I love babies, and used to hold the babies a lot,” said Desiree of her care at the orphanages. The babies would calm down. The little kids braded my hair. They were really sweet. I wanted to take them all home.”

“These kids are the worst of the worst, where children are so bad off they shouldn’t be called orphanages,” said Rebecca referring to their living conditions. “Half of the orphanage directors are corrupt in my view, and are using the kids as a business. They don’t work hard to get the children food because they want the white people to come through and say, ‘oh you poor thing, we’ll help you.’

“The other half are amazing mom’s and dad’s who usually have their own kids and have taken in a community of kids because no one else would help. There is no way to tell the corrupt orphanages from the good unless you build relationships with them. The large organizations don’t have time. I have not found an organization that does what we do. We give their social welfare office evidence to close down the corrupt ones, which they appreciate since their resources are limited.”

The Pratts admire Liberia’s new president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, have met her a few times, and both believe she is interested in reforms including helping the lives of children.

“Wherever we live, Seattle, Texas, Africa, we get involved in the community and want to see people become givers of themselves to others,” said Rebecca. “A life unto ourselves is no life at all. We have nothing in our life that is significant if we don’t give of ourselves to others. That’s when we come alive.

Added Rebecca, “If somebody comes to me and says ‘I want to adopt one of these Liberian kids’ I say, ‘if you want to adopt, the local social welfare office has pamphlets on kids in your own community desperately wanting parents, like sibling pairs they want to adopt out.’ Don’t ignore the kid sitting next to you. Let them know they are valued, and not ignored. Africa opened our eyes to a whole other world. Now that we’ve come home we are still looking with our eyes wide open.”