It began with children walking barefoot in the snow.
Twenty-five years later, the same friends are still there, and a second generation is growing up with school, food and hope.
A faith-based 501(c)(3), established in 2000.
Kids in Crisis International, Inc. is dedicated to changing the lives of impoverished children around the world with the love of Jesus Christ. We consider it a joy and a privilege to demonstrate the love of God by helping children and their families to break out of illiteracy, poverty, hunger and hopelessness.
The name Kids in Crisis came from what our founders, John and Suzanne Fenlason, witnessed in the late 1990s in Gypsy communities in north-west Romania. They saw children truly in crisis: children so impoverished that it was not unusual to see them walking barefoot in the snow. All were illiterate, and hopelessness was everywhere you looked.
This endeavor is close to the Father's heart. Luke 18:16 reads, “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” This is our call and our commission: to bring the love of Jesus to children in need.
Lasting hope, healing and transformation through the love of Jesus Christ.
Our mission is to bring lasting hope, healing and transformation to children living in extreme poverty through the life-changing love of Jesus Christ. We believe that every child, no matter where they were born or what circumstances they face, deserves to know they are seen, valued and loved, not only by others, but by God.
We work in some of the world's most overlooked and underserved regions: the marginalized Gypsy communities of Romania, the war-torn villages of South Sudan, and the remote, unreached rural communities near Cheyyar, India. In each of these places children face daily struggles: lack of education, food, clean water and medical care, and in many cases even the security of a safe home. Many are surrounded by hopelessness and survival-based living.
God has opened doors for us to partner with local leaders and officials in these regions, bringing not just temporary relief but long-term impact. Our approach is highly relational. We listen to local voices, build trust, and work hand in hand with communities to establish Christian schools and outreach centers. These centers become places of refuge and restoration, where children receive a Christ-centered education, a nutritious daily meal, and critical necessities such as clothing, shoes and access to medical care.
But our work goes deeper than meeting physical needs. We understand that true transformation comes from a heart changed by the love of God. That is why our ultimate goal is to introduce children to the gospel and nurture their understanding of God's Word and his character. Through this, we believe they can grow into spiritually strong, emotionally whole and purpose-driven individuals who will one day bless their families and transform their own communities.
We envision a world where children living in crisis are no longer defined by their poverty or pain, but by the hope, identity and future they find in Jesus. Every school built, every meal served, every smile shared is part of a larger story, one where God redeems brokenness, and where children rise to become carriers of his light.
Small, relational, and long-term.
- Local leaders lead. Every ministry is directed by people who live in the community: George and Alina in Lazareni, Dr. Alex in South Sudan, Pastor Jeremiah in Cheyyar.
- We stay. Our partnership in Romania is in its third decade. Former students now bring their own children to the kindergarten.
- Schools and daily meals first. Education, food, clean water and clothing, delivered through Christian schools and outreach centers.
- Volunteer-led at home. Our board serves without pay, so more than 95 cents of every dollar reaches the field.
- 2000
Kids in Crisis International is founded by John and Suzanne Fenlason after they witness the conditions in Roma communities in north-west Romania.
- 2001
The Caleb Foundation is established in Lazareni, Romania, with George and Alina Galea.
- 2013
Dr. Alex Bolek visits Terekeka County, South Sudan, and shares his vision for a “Rescue Mission” school. The community later gifts 988 acres for the school.
- 2016
Timothy School opens in Mundari Bura with four classrooms, and 750 children register. Eight more classrooms follow in 2017 and 2018, taking the school from kindergarten to eighth grade.
- 2019
The partnership with Pastor Jeremiah Daniels in Cheyyar, India, begins: churches, village outreach, and care for orphans, widows, lepers and the visually impaired.
- 2020
A bore-well, water tower and water yard bring clean water to Timothy School and the community of Mundari Bura.
- 2023
In Cheyyar, 225 days of prayer for every village are completed and twelve pastors are ordained. Churches are dedicated for Pastor Vijay Yohan and Pastor Lawrence. In Juba, Dr. Alex opens the Rock City Medical Centre.
- 2024
Vacation Bible School in Cheyyar reaches a record 494 children, and a new church is planted at Perumballam.
- 2025
In India, a ministry vehicle, a new church in Keezhmattai, a water well at Perumballam, and a VBS reaching 654 children. In Lazareni, the newly completed mission house is ready for its first teams.
- 2026
Vacation Bible School in Cheyyar draws 536 children on its final day, and a new children's ministry begins in Perungattur, a village reached for the first time through VBS.
The people who make it happen.
With us since the beginning. Directors of the Roma ministry and of the Caleb Foundation, established by Kids in Crisis in 2001.
Born in Sudan, trained as a doctor in Romania, and home again after the civil war to build Timothy School and the Rock City Medical Centre.
Our partner since 2019. Church planter and pastor serving orphans, widows, lepers and the visually impaired across the villages of Cheyyar Taluk.
Volunteers, all of them.
Based in Edgewater, Florida. The board serves without compensation. Kids in Crisis was founded by John and Suzanne Fenlason; John went to be with the Lord in 2017, and the work he began continues in everything on these pages.
Suzanne and her late husband John founded Kids in Crisis in 2000 after their first trips to the Roma villages of north-west Romania, where they saw children walking barefoot in the snow and could not walk away. Together they served there as full-time missionaries and built the first school those children had ever had. Since John's passing in 2017, Suzanne has carried the work with the same conviction: she manages the finances, keeps the board informed, still makes the trip to Lazareni, and travels with George and Alina when they visit the United States. Twenty-five years on, her answer is the one she gave in the snow: these children are worth it.
Cindy is the one who answers when you write to Kids in Crisis, and she does it the way she does everything for these children: with her whole heart and without a paycheck. She has walked the village of Lazareni herself, and she has never stopped introducing the work to people who want their giving to count. The church partnership that brought a mission team to Lazareni in 2025 began with her networking. She keeps in touch with the partners on the ground and helps the board weigh every project at Timothy School. Her husband, Oon Soo, served on the board from 2006 to 2019; Cindy took his seat that year and has not slowed down since.
Jarred was there at the beginning: a young businessman in Florida whose parents kept coming home from Romania with stories of children in the snow. He built a business for thirteen years, sold it, spent eight years in study and church ministry, and earned a Doctor of Ministry. A month in the villages of India, watching people hear the gospel for the first time, never left him, and since 2019 he has led the partnership with Pastor Jeremiah in Cheyyar. He and his wife, Rochelle, live in the mountains of North Carolina, where he writes for Encounter Press. Ask him about Cheyyar and you will not get a short answer. More at jarredfenlason.com.
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