From One Ordinary Moment to a Global Movement

By Caroline Boudreaux

Founder of Miracle Foundation

When I boarded a flight to India 25 years ago, I had no idea my life and the lives of thousands of children were about to change forever. I was a successful television executive living what I thought was the dream. But a Mother’s Day visit to an orphanage in rural India transformed everything. I’ll never forget the moment a little girl named Sheebani wrapped her tiny arms around me, looked up with eyes full of light and longing, as I laid her on her wooden bed with no mother to tuck her in. That moment shattered me but sparked a movement that continues to this day.

That experience ignited the spark that became the Miracle Foundation. 5.4 million children live in orphanages around the world and 80% of them have a living parent that, if supported, could care for them. Our bold mission is: A Family for Every Child in Our Lifetime. Over the past two decades, we’ve worked to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable family. What began with one child in India has grown into a global movement transforming child welfare systems across India, the developing world and the United States.

But, how do we know they’re safe and cared for the way they deserve? We all know that transformation requires more than good intentions; it requires innovation and proof. That’s why we built ThriveWell, an AI-powered platform that tracks and improves child well-being across five key areas safety, health, education, family relationships, and emotional well-being. It gives social workers, caregivers, and policymakers the data and tools they need to make smarter, faster, and more compassionate decisions for children and families

In other words, we’re making love measurable.

We’ve supported more than 80,000 children so far and we’re just getting started. What makes this work truly powerful is collaboration. We partner with governments, NGOs, and lived-experience experts, people who grew up in the very systems we’re transforming. Their voices guide everything we do.

Together, we’re shifting the focus from systems care to family care. We’re moving away from fixing the symptom to preventing the problem in the first place. Through prevention, family reunification, and foster support, we’re proving that family is the most effective form of child protection there is.

As a leader, I’ve learned that impact isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being willing to ask the hard 

questions and listen deeply. How can we do better for children? How can technology serve humanity instead of the other way around? And how can each of us use our unique gifts to build a more compassionate world?

My advice to any woman reading this who feels that tug on her heart to make a difference: don’t wait until you feel ready. There’s no perfect time to start. You don’t need to know everything, you just need to care enough to take the first step. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the decision to move forward anyway.

Today, I look at the faces of children who are home, safe, and loved because of this work, and I’m reminded that one person’s decision to act can change thousands of lives. That’s the beauty of being unstoppable, it’s not about never falling down; it’s about standing up, again and again, for what matters most.

Because when we give children the foundation of family, we give them the world.

Connect With Caroline

www.miraclefoundation.org

Instagram: @themiraclefoundation