Description
About
The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare, founded in February, 2004, is a national non-profit Christian ministry and family advocacy. CAICW has ministered with music and teaching at churches in the U.S. and Canada as well as a children's home and street ministry in Mexico. CAICW's family advocacy is both judicial and educational, as well as a prayer resource for families and a shoulder to cry on.
Overview
The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare is a faith-based organization that minsters the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as advocates for families that are at risk of or have been hurt by the Indian Child Welfare Act. CAICW was founded by a family that had the courage and faith to stand up to governments and court systems that allow federal law to be used against the best interest of children. All children deserve to feel safe and to have their rights protected. We are committed to helping families, educating others about the law and advocating for change..
History
The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare was founded in Feb, 2004 by Roland Morris, 4/4 Minn. Chippewa Tribe, and his wife. It was established as a Christian org because Roland was a Christian, loved Jesus from the bottom of his heart, and had served JC faithfully since 1988, when he was 43 yrs old.
Roland led his wife to Jesus in 1989. Together, they decided that whatever they do, it will be in the name of Jesus Christ.
At the same time, Roland was very politically active. He had come to realize that much of the despair, pain, abuse, violence, and even suicides in his extended family had more to do with the way the system is today than anything that had happened 150 years ago. He was tired of watching his siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces die tragically, violently and despairingly. His wife watched as he would go out on the porch and quietly cry at the news of another death.
In reaction to the deaths, he became politically active. Out of love for his family, he made the decision to stand up against corrupt tribal leaders and point out that the emperor has NO clothes. He went to DC nine times to talk to Congressmen about how the whole welfare system and the current reservation system were destroying people, not helping them.
He also told them that there was no way he wanted tribal government to have any jurisdiction over his children should he die. He spoke against ICWA each of the nine times he went to DC. After a time, some of the Congressmen began to listen. Roland's testimony before a Senate Select Committee is on record for all to see. To his dying day, his extended family loved and respected him for what he was doing. This org is his legacy - and his family WILL NOT let his voice die.
MOST of all - he wanted his family and others to know that Jesus is ALIVE, loves you - and DOES answer prayer. In the Holy Name of Jesus - all those who are heavy laden, come to Him! And He will give you rest! Amen, Amen!
We Thank Roland for his leadership - and the Lord Jesus for true Salvation. Amen!
Christian Ministry
CAICW is currently in the planning stages of a long term (24 months) Christian substance abuse program designed to keep the family unit together, allowing parents and guardians to bring their children with them during treatment while learning parenting and work skills.
Family Advocacy in relation to the Indian Child Welfare Act
Advocates of ICWA point to the devastation suffered by children of tribal heritage when, years ago, they were forcefully removed from homes they loved and forced to stay at boarding schools. The trauma those children and families experienced was, indeed, devastating.
However, ICWA has been used again and again to do the exact same thing: remove children from homes and environments they love and force them to live with people they barely know.
There is no inborn difference between persons of tribal heritage and other persons. Any emotionally healthy child, no matter their heritage, will be devastated when they are taken from their familiar homes and forced to live with strangers.
Even children of 100 percentage tribal heritage can be devastated if taken from the only home they know and love, even if it is non-tribal, and placed into a reservation or non-reservation home they have never known.
Though some argue that the act has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children have been negatively affected by it. The reality is that birth parents, grandparents, foster families, pre-adoptive families and children are being hurt, devastated and forever scarred by the Indian Child Welfare Act.
It is also argued that all children of heritage belong to the tribe, but US citizens are guaranteed certain Constitutional rights and some have chosen to live outside of the authority of federal Indian policy.
In the words of Dr. William Allen, former chair of the United States Commission on Civil Right, "... we are talking about our brothers and our sisters. We’re talking about what happens to people who share with us an extremely important identity. And that identity is the identity of free citizens in a Republic..." (Re: The Indian Child Welfare Act, September 20, 2008, Wahkon, MN)
CAICW was the first National organization to advocate for families affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Our advocacy is both judicial & educative, as well as a prayer resource & shoulder to cry on.
Read letters from parents, grandparents, foster families, & adoptive families telling how their children have been hurt by the ICWA
http://www.caicw.org/familystories.html
CAICW has been advocating for families affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) since 2004. A few Issues of concern:
-- 1) Some Children have been removed from safe, loving homes and placed into dangerous situations.
-- 2) Some families, Indian and non-Indian, have felt threatened by tribal government. Some have had to mortgage homes and endure lengthy legal processes to protect their children.
-- 3) Equal opportunities for adoption, safety and stability are not always available to children of all heritages.
-- 4) The Constitutional right of parents to make life choices for their children, for children of Indian heritage to associate freely, and for children of Indian heritage to enjoy Equal Protection has in many cases been denied. - -
