In my ongoing shamelessness, a particularly broad subject has come to my attention.

There is in the world an estimated 100 million to 200 million orphans across the world. While not all necessarily have lost lost both parents, many face a risk of early death, disease, famine, or, if they make it, age out of the definition of orphan to become an impoverished adult.

Now, a conversion bureau scenario would raise a slough of questions for everything, though for orphans, it would have its own questions.

Converted children would have access to Equestria, where (presumably) brighter circumstances would await them. Single parents would have access to a land of plenty, amidst a socially amicable species where they could go on and live their lives and be able to sufficiently care for their children. Children without any family would be able to be immersed in a loving and caring environment when converted and subsequently adopted by a pony family.

Of course, this all raises a slough of issues, childhood consent being a big one. What if a pony couple wants to adopt an infant?

One possible perturbing development would be countries of earth shipping off orphans and other 'undesireables' to Equestria. Would a country be justified in sending off the people for with it no longer (can) care(s) for? Knowing that there would be a better life for those people there?

What about telling foals about their origins when they are old enough to understand?

Please, by all means, discuss any thoughts you have on this.

well in my conversion bureau story i actually delve into it somewhat
1: most orphans would indeed die
2: with the usual "world setup" there is very few humans who would adopt.
3: equestria is vast and with the assimilation of earth it grows vaster still.

so with those facts the way i penned it is..
orphans are able to be converted and adopted with three proper signitures
1: from a guardian/operator of the bureau
2: from the mayor of the city the bureau is stationed in/near
3: from a equestrian ambassador or regent (the mane 6 or any of the (now 4) princesses)

2041843
That humanity likes to breed like flies, far beyond its capacity to feed or care for its own young is well established. Add war and abandonment into the mix and millions of orphaned children are inevitable.

As always, my opinions are concerned with whatever demonstrates the highest compassion and greatest kindness.

If there were Conversion Bureaus, orphaned children should get the second place in line, right behind the untreated sick, starving, and injured dying of horrible conditions.

In the case of children turned newfoals there would NEVER be a good time to tell them of their origins - it would be cruel to do so. Kindness would be served best by allowing them to grow up believing that they are native ponies, or, if they absolutely must know, to provide only the sketchiest of details - that they were rescued from a terrible universe, but now they are safe, and loved.

The fact that you need to even ask such a question is a greater indictment of the wretchedness of the human race than anything I have ever been accused of daring to write about during my entire time on Fimfiction. It is never misanthropy to state the truth. It is being factual that damns me here. Humans don't like facts. They get in the way of their delusions of grandeur and greatness.

If there were an Equestria - sadly a problem no person will ever have to face - ponification would be the greatest kindness that could be done to any human, or to the earth, or to all the rest of life-kind.

There shouldn't be two-hundred million orphans, period - much less the conflict, war, disease, famine and poverty that create the majority of them worldwide.

2042316

The fact that you need to even ask such a question is a greater indictment of the wretchedness of the human race than anything I have ever been accused of...

And yet I ask it all the same, call it wretchedness if you will, but I've taken time to think on the matter and consider it.

As to the issue of telling a child, I would, if only so they could understand how they got to their position. Ponies are, afterall, very much inclined to seeking to understand their friends, no?

I have explored exactly this subject in my story A Newfoal Nöel.

One of the issues a society in the throes of having most of the planet's population being converted under a time limit would mean that it would be impossible to wait for orphans to reach the age of maturity before having to convert (or be converted). In that case the decision would be in the hands of their legal guardians, and if these were also disappearing due to conversion, there would be increasingly fewer people to run the orphanages, so mass forced conversions or orphans would be inevitable.

BTW - There are ample examples of similar circumstances in human history. I based the premise of A Newfoal Nöel on actual historic events from the Great Irish Potato Famine of the late nineteenth century.

There would be severe consequences of this on the psychology of such newfoals, as explored in the first chapter of my story, and I think that it would be likely for the princesses to amend how they do things in the process of conversion, as I get into in the second chapter.

I plan to add to this series in the future, but I also offer anyone who would like to contribute that I turn the story into an anthology.

2042316
This!

2041843
I believe it's quite plausible
First they must assure the orphan kids that they will hook them up with parents in Equestria when allowing the process
After the process and later on the transport to Equestria (their new world), She or he will find their new parents awaiting his or her arrival