Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you didn't have a place to call home? Or two people you could call Mom and Dad? Or just something you could call your very own? Unfortunately in such a wealthy nation as ours there are many children who do not have any of these things because they are either foster children without a foster family or because they are orphans who are being put up for adoption. Not only is it present in our country but it is something that is prevalent throughout the world.

I used to be one of these children. When I was six months old, I was put up for adoption, not knowing my name, who my parents were, or why they gave me up. I had no sense of identity or any sense of belonging to this world. However, I was one of the lucky ones because when I was a little over a year old, arrangements were made for me to be adopted by a family in America. Following these arrangements I found myself aboard a plane to the Unites States. I was now beginning a new life with an identity and a sense of belonging. I had a place that I could call home: a mom and a dad, and things that I could soon call my own.

Although my story ended "happily ever after," there are still many children out in the world who are "homeless" and feel like I first did when I had no sense of belonging. And they too may feel as if they have lost their own identity. Imagine if you had no place to call home, no mother or father or something you could call your own.

These "homeless" children reside in over-crowded buildings where things that we often take for granted such as food, medical facilities and other bare necessities as well as education are not readily accessible. Some of these children are at these places because their mothers became pregnant and had kids without being able to provide for them.

Of course there is another reason why these kids end up in these places which isn't too dismal a reason: some parents did the best job they could in order to raise their child but due to certain conditions such as unemployment or lack of food, the parents were unable to do their job correctly so they gave their child up in order for him or her to attain a better future than they could provide.

We have acknowledged that there are "homeless" children and why they are "homeless," but what happens to them? Luckily there are some kids like myself who find homes because there are caring people in the world who want to help less fortunate kids. Yet still, not all stories end as happily and the fact remains that there are unfortunate children. We often take for granted little things such as our home and our parents, but remember to think about the "homeless" children who would do anything for a sense of belonging and love. Just think what it would be like if you had no home, mom, dad, or just even something you could call your own. Think about those less fortunate children, the foster kids and the orphans and what we can do to help make their world just a little bit brighther.n