Becoming Stand by Me

In January 2025, Opens Arms became Stand by Me and now cares for 1,800 kids around the world. 

Becoming Stand by Me

In January 2025, Opens Arms became Stand by Me and now cares for 1,800 kids around the world. 

From Open Arms to Stand by Me

In 2003, Open Arms International was founded to provide practical help for vulnerable children around the world. Through God’s faithfulness and the dedication of generous supporters, short-term mission teams reached thousands of people around the world with the love of Jesus, providing medical care, education, feeding and community development programs. In 2006, the organization purchased land in Kenya and Open Arms Village was established. Today it is a thriving safe haven for hundreds of children, helping them become all God has destined them to be, including future leaders in Kenya.

After seeking God’s will for how best to  meet His heart for the poor, in 2022, God  led us to partner with another childcare organization, Stand by Me, enabling us to rescue more children in crisis in Kenya and  extend our impact to other countries beginning with Romania. In January 2025, Open Arms and Stand by Me became one organization, motivated by Jesus to transform the lives of 1,800 children in Kenya, Romania, Colombia and Ethiopia and helping them become everything God created them to be.

Rescuing and caring for 1,800 kids

Stand by Me is passionate about Jesus and transforming the lives of children throughout the world. They aren’t a large organization but we believe, together, we can do great things  We have spent the past two years getting to know one another. Their CEO, Ahmad, was a Stand by Me sponsored child and grew up in a children’s home. He understands more than most the quality of care that is needed to help children thrive and has established world-class child centered care in  the countries they work in. 

In Kenya and Romania, this means we can continue to build on the quality of care and also fulfill our dreams of reaching hundreds of children in our community who are in desperate need of love and quality education. It also means we can rescue children in two more of the poorest countries around the world, caring for 1,800 children in Kenya, Romania, Colombia and Ethiopia and helping them become everything God created them to be.

An exciting new era

While we recognize change can be difficult, we cannot put into words the excitement we have. This is the beginning of a very exciting new era as we join the Stand by Me family, knowing we can multiply our work and impact more lives for many years to come. We could not do this without you! We are so grateful for your support which enables us to care for children in need around the world.

Questions & Answers

We have tried to answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to call us at 503-296-9989 with any questions about this exciting transition.

  • Why is Open Arms becoming Stand by Me?

    Open Arms wants our work to continue for many more future generations and after careful consideration of the different options available we unanimously agree that joining with another organization is the best option. It means that not only do we secure the future of our work and the children within our care but it helps to accelerate us to a position where we can together meet the needs of more children in Kenya and around the world.

  • Why Stand by Me?

    Open Arms cares deeply about the children we support and we wanted to find the best organization to partner with that shares our Christian values, delivers the highest standards of child care and has the same desire to bring hope to children through the opportunity of an education. Therefore we have taken time and diligence in seeking an organization to partner with and believe that Stand by Me is the best choice to help us grow the work in Kenya and bring hope for many years to come. 

    Stand by Me is a wonderful Christian organization that has been rescuing and caring for children for over 29 years. Their years of experience in caring for children in desperate circumstances has helped them develop a child centered approach to care that is unique and delivers the high quality of care for children that you have come to expect from Open Arms International.

    What we love about Stand by Me is that for them, it is not about how many children they care for but about how well they care. They are big enough to offer transformative child-centered care to thousands of kids but still remain small enough to care deeply about every single child. The children they rescue come from complex backgrounds and key to their success has always been to treat each child individually and to recognize their need for unconditional love. 

    The children Stand by Me rescues have been born into the poorest communities and written off by society. But beyond their sadness, Stand by Me sees their potential. They tackle each and every obstacle their children face, from food and healthcare to loving parents and a quality education. They stand by children for the long term, to help them reach their full potential and become everything God intended them to be.

  • Does Stand by Me have the same Christian values as Open Arms?

    Yes, Stand by Me is a Christian organization and is motivated by Jesus to make lasting improvements to children’s lives, caring for them just as He would, by restoring their dignity and giving them a sense of self-worth. Stand by Me believe that as they demonstrate God’s love, they offer hope — the same hope that allowed Jesus to see not only people’s suffering and sadness, but also their potential. Stand by Me believes that faith is a personal choice and respect the children's identity and choices. They will never coerce them to change their beliefs. Their mission is to care for children who need help, no matter what their belief, ethnicity or social status.

  • How will this affect staff at the Open Arms Village?

    We have been working alongside Stand by Me at Open Arms Village in Kenya for over two years. Over these two years, Stand by Me and Open Arms International have worked alongside the staff in Kenya to develop and implement a plan with the management team that ultimately means both the children already within our care and those that are in need are given the best opportunity to thrive. 

    Stand by Me has always been passionate about employing local people and it is always their desire to build locally and invest in communities. For this reason, they establish schools, homes and care centers at the center of communities by identifying and building networks of trustworthy local people, motivated by the change they want to see in their communities.

    This allows Stand by Me to respond to challenges in a quick and culturally appropriate way, giving them unparalleled levels of child care wherever they work. Therefore, there will be no change for the project staff at the Village.

  • What will happen to the name “Open Arms International”?

    We are passionate about moving forward as one organization and we will adopt the name Stand by Me as an organization. The current site in Kenya will remain as Open Arms Village but will come under the umbrella of Stand by Me.

  • What work does Stand by Me do?

    The children Stand by Me rescues have complex backgrounds, so they take time and care in making sure each child’s unique needs are met. They know that one size does not fit all and for this reason, their child centered approach to care allows them to care for each child’s individual needs. Through their homes, schools, care centers and family support programs they are helping children become everything they were made to be. Read more about what we do.

  • Will you be offering child sponsorship and why?

    Yes, we will because we are confident that Stand by Me’s child sponsorship program is the best of any organization that truly benefits the children in their care. The safety and wellbeing of the children in their care is their top priority and they follow stringent safeguarding policies to ensure that children are protected. Like everything that Stand by Me does, their child sponsorship program is child-centred and is carefully managed by sponsorship staff who ensure the needs of the child are considered first and foremost.

    In fact, child sponsorship is an incredibly important part of how Stand by Me rescues and cares for kids. Stand by Me knows that it is exceedingly important to each child’s sense of value and stability that they’re raised by parents and teachers who care about them. Every child deserves a family that cares for them and so they make sure that their children have safe, stable families in the country they live in, either by supporting their own families or by providing them a family in a Stand by Me children’s home. Stand by Me’s child sponsorship program supports this further by giving children a relationship with a sponsor who loves them and helps to transform their life. It is much more than a monthly donation providing for a child’s food, clothes, medical care and education; it means a child feels loved, cared for and part of a family.

  • How does Stand by Me’s child sponsorship work?

    Child sponsorship is so much more than a monthly donation meeting a child’s individual needs. Stand by Me believes a relationship with a sponsor is an essential part of a child’s development, self-esteem and wellbeing. Being part of a wider family will help a child know they are loved and accepted for who they are. Stand by Me sends child sponsors an information pack in the mail including their child’s story, photo, interests and dreams. Annual progress reports, regular photos and communication from the child keep child sponsors updated of their child’s development throughout the year. Stand by Me knows the emails, photos and gifts from a sponsor become treasured possessions for their sponsor child and let them know that they are cared for and loved. Stand by Me encourages sponsors to have a great relationship with their sponsored child and provide them with the tools to communicate with them regularly. Find out more about sponsoring a child.

Stand by... almost there...