News : News Article

Are orphanages the answer? – 25 May 2011

Jessica was abandoned by her parents when she was a few weeks old. She was left to die on a rubbish dump. But, thankfully, her story didn’t end there. Chief Executive Reuben Coulter considers how the church can provide children with a hope and a future.

The challenge of orphanages

For every three months that a young child resides in an orphanage, they lose one month of development
In Zimbabwe, nearly 40 per cent of children in orphanages have a surviving parent and 60 per cent have a contactable relative. Poverty was cited as the driving reason for abandonment
Orphanage care is 10 times more expensive than family-based forms of care
In Eastern Europe it was shown that more than 60% of children who graduated from orphanages ended up living on the streets or involved in crime because there was no programme to help them transition to the real world.

Read the Families_Not_Orphanages Report for a detailed analysis.

Note: There are many good orphanages with dedicated staff who are doing their best to provide a safe environment for children who have been orphaned or abandoned. Tearfund does not mean to belittle or diminish their work in any way. However it is a short-term solution to immediate needs and longer-term solutions which are in the child’s best interests are desperately needed. If you are supporting an orphanage then ensure that they are following best practice and that children are not being put at risk.

Does the orphanage screen children to ensure that there are not other alternatives for the child? (ie there may be relatives who could raise the child if supported)
Does the orphanage endeavor, where possible, to identify foster parents where a child could be placed?
Does the orphanage have a ‘leaving plan’ for children who reach adulthood to help them enter the real world?
Does an orphanage have good child protection policies in place?
Are staff employed by the orphanage vetted?

‘I met Jessica in an orphanage in China when she was four years old. Jessica didn’t smile at me or grab my arm like the other children. She sat silent and alone, avoiding any contact. The staff didn’t know how to help her.

A few months later Jessica was fostered by a young Christian couple who were friends of mine. I wondered how the couple would cope with looking after a child who seemed so emotionally disturbed and withdrawn. That Christmas, I went to visit Jessica and her foster parents. As they welcomed me, a smiling girl rushed up the hallway and hugged my legs. It was Jessica. I couldn’t believe it. In the space of three months she had completely transformed into a vibrant young girl.’

Unsustainable & unsuitable

There are more than 100 million orphans worldwide. The number is growing rapidly, mainly because of AIDS, and there has been a massive rise in the number of orphanages as many organisations, including Christian groups, try to help these children. But are orphanages the answer?

In Ireland, the residential home model has had disastrous consequences for children, despite the fact that we’re a developed country with a social protection system in place and child protection laws.

In developing countries, orphans are potentially much more vulnerable. Many studies have also shown that children can develop physical and psychological abnormalities arising from institutionalism. Children are often abandoned by poor families who feel that they are unable to look after their own child.

In addition the cost of supporting a child in residential care is very expensive. Since orphan numbers continue to grow rapidly and outstrip available resources, residential care is not a viable option for caring for the majority of orphans in the developing world.

Many orphanages, like the one Jessica was in, are extremely well run and have a team of loving staff. However, even the best orphanage cannot replace the loving environment of a family.

So is there a better alternative?

I believe there is. Tearfund works with church partners worldwide to place children in local foster families where they receive the individual love and care that they need.

In Cambodia, our partner Little Conquerors has been able to rescue hundreds of children from the streets of Phnom Penh. Many of the local foster families are extremely poor themselves but, by receiving a low level of support such as help with school fees, they are able to take on an additional child. Little Conquerors’ care workers conduct regular family visits to ensure the child is properly cared for.

Jessica is now 11 years old. Her memories of life in the orphanage are distant. She smiles with joy as she walks hand in hand with her parents .

It’s an incredible example of the local church in action – of Christians welcoming vulnerable children into their home. With 100 million children worldwide in need of a family, it is going to take a determined effort – with all of us working together – to bring lasting transformation.

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Are orphanages the answer? – 25 May 2011

The challenge of orphanages

Unsustainable & unsuitable

So is there a better alternative?

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