SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. — The COVID-19 pandemic is causing another tragedy — children being orphaned after losing a parent or primary caregiver to COVID-19.
- An estimated 142,637 children under the age of 18 have lost a parent or secondary caregiver as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Institutes of Health
- More than 11,500 children are currently in foster care in North Carolina as of Sept. 2021, according to the Management Assistance for Child Welfare, Work First and Food and Nutrition Services
- The Pope Family adopted their great-nieces in July 2020
One child loses a parent or caregiver for every four COVID deaths, according to the The National Institutes of Health.
More than 140,000 children under the age of 18 have lost a primary or secondary caregiver from April 2020 through June 2021.
These staggering numbers are sounding the alarm for the importance of foster and adoptive parents. But for some children, that need has always been there.
Kathy and Arnold Pope adopted their two great-nieces in July 2020.
The parents of two adult sons, grandparents and great-grandparents, never expected to be raising two young children during retirement. But when their great-nieces were in need, they said there is absolutely no other option.
"Never would have dreamed it in a million years, that we had young children that had to depend on us, it's been different but it's not been that difficult," Kathy Pope said.
Kailyn Pope, 14, and Aubrey Pope, 8, moved in with their great aunt and uncle in 2018. At that time, the sisters were in foster care. According to Kathy Pope, the girl's father recently passed away, and their mother suffers from substance abuse.
"When we found out they were homeless, we were sending them food, helping them stay in a hotel and everything. When it finally got to a point where their parents couldn’t take care of them at all, they went into foster care, and when they went into foster care, we started taking foster care classes so we could get family placement with them," Kathy Pope said.
Since taking the girls in, Kathy Pope says their entire family has played an important role in raising them.
"They all live within walking distance. We all just work together and help each other," Kathy Pope said.
The Pope's said the adoption process through the Durham County Department of Social Services has been a positive experience.
"It was a lot more simple. We had so much support and so much help. They handled everything," Kathy Pope said. "There are a lot of subsidies, you still get support from them, talk to them, if you have any needs, they are still there, they have support groups for the children, for the parents if you need it."
Kathy Pope says the foster classes provide advice and teach future adoptive parents how to make the children in the foster care system feel nurtured and cared for.
"If anybody feels in their heart that they want to take care of children, do the fostering, get them into your home, because every child deserves to be loved, deserves to be protected, and deserves to feel safe," Kathy Pope said.