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There is a growing global movement calling for a shift from the traditional orphanage model to more holistic and nurturing family-based care options for vulnerable children. Governments, international organizations, and child welfare experts now agree: children thrive best in safe, loving families—not institutions.

Yet, despite this progress, thousands of children are still being recruited into orphanages and group homes, and the debate continues in many communities and countries. Why is this happening? And what can we do about it?

As a child welfare advocate and educator, I believe it’s important to unpack both the progress we’ve made and the persistent misconceptions that keep children institutionalized.

Why the Shift from Orphanages to Families?

The evidence is clear. Decades of research have shown that institutional care—no matter how well-intentioned—cannot replace the emotional, social, and developmental benefits of family-based care. Children raised in orphanages often face challenges such as:
� Delayed cognitive and emotional development
� Poor attachment and bonding experiences
� Higher risks of abuse and neglect
� Limited sense of identity and belonging

Family-based care, on the other hand, promotes stability, love, connection, and long-term positive outcomes. Whether through kinship care, foster care, adoption, or supported reintegration with biological families, children need environments where they can be nurtured, guided, and feel they belong.

So Why Are Children Still Being Placed in Orphanages?

Despite the shift, many children are still being placed in orphanages—often for reasons that have little to do with being truly orphaned. In fact, studies show that 80% or more of children in orphanages have at least one living parent. Some key reasons include:
� Poverty: Families feel unable to provide for their children and see orphanages as the only option for education or food.
� Lack of support services: In many communities, there are no alternatives like community-based support or family strengthening programs.
� Cultural and societal beliefs: Some still believe institutional care is more structured or “better� for children.
� Funding and foreign donations: Orphanages often attract donor funding, creating an incentive to keep them filled.
� Disability stigma: Children with special needs are often institutionalized because families lack support or face discrimination.

�Some Children Can Only Thrive in Institutions� � Is This True?

One of the common arguments used to justify orphanages or group homes is that “some children will never do well in families”—especially those with complex trauma, disabilities, or behavioral challenges. While it’s true that some children need specialized care and support, this does not automatically mean institutionalization.

In fact, many countries have developed specialized family-based care models, including:
� Therapeutic foster care
� Small-group family-style homes
� Community-based disability care support
These models provide structured care while still allowing children to grow up in a nurturing, relational environment—not in isolation or institutional walls.

Religious Convictions: “But God Told Me to Build an Orphanage�

Another reality we must acknowledge is that some people feel deeply convinced—spiritually or religiously—that they’ve been called by God or a divine being to build orphanages. Their intentions are often sincere, rooted in a desire to help and protect children.

But even with good intentions, it’s important to ask:
Is this still the best way to serve children today?

If we believe that the heart of divine instruction is to care for the vulnerable, then we must also ask whether building an institution is the only—or best—way to fulfill that mission. In today’s world, we now know better ways to protect and care for children—ways that keep them in families, communities, and loving environments.

There Are Many Ways to Help Children—Beyond Putting Them Under One Roof

Let’s be clear: helping children doesn’t always mean building a home or keeping them under one roof. There are far more sustainable and impactful ways to support vulnerable children:
� Support kinship care and foster care systems
� Empower families through parenting education and economic support
� Provide access to quality education and healthcare within communities
� Fund community-based child protection programs
� Sponsor vocational training for youth and caregivers
� Partner with organizations focused on family reintegration
� Invest in mental health and trauma recovery support for children and families

These approaches don’t just meet immediate needs—they promote healing, stability, identity, and belonging, which every child deserves.

The global child welfare movement is not just about dismantling orphanages—it’s about restoring dignity, love, and belonging to every child. Children deserve more than shelter; they deserve connection, identity, and lifelong relationships.

Yes, it will take time, collaboration, and intentional effort—but it is possible. And it is necessary.

Let’s keep the conversation going, challenge outdated systems, and commit to creating a world where every child belongs in a family, not an institution.

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