Our Regional Advocacy Manager, Stephen Ucembe, reflects on the launch of General Comment No. 10 and what it means for Africa’s children. The guidance calls for three urgent shifts: preventing family separation, prioritising family-based alternatives, and reintegrating children from institutions back into families. Together, these pillars set a bold course towards reclaiming family care across the continent.
“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Africa is a continent of immense promise. Its youthful population, creativity, and resilience could power the future of the world. Yet beneath this potential lies a crisis that threatens to undermine it. Millions of children are growing up without parental care, and this reality is shaping the future of our societies in ways we cannot afford to ignore.
Current estimates suggest that more than 35 million children across Africa lack parental care. Even this number is likely understated, given weak data systems and poor oversight of care systems and structures. This is not just a statistic, it is a revelation of how we, as societies, are failing our most vulnerable members.
Family is more than a social unit. It is the moral fabric, the foundation of identity, belonging, and emotional stability. Research consistently shows that children thrive in families, and no other environment can substitute this fundamental unit of society. Family is the springboard to healthy cognitive, social, and physical development. It is the glue that binds communities together. Without family, children – and societies at large – face risks that extend far beyond childhood: poor health outcomes, mental health challenges, fractured relationships and identities, and diminished opportunities and abilities to contribute meaningfully to society.
We know the causes of family separation: poverty, disability and discrimination, health problems, and violence, among others. Yet too often, the response has been institutionalization – placing children in orphanages, children’s homes, or baby centres. But evidence is clear: institutions, no matter how well-intentioned or well-resourced, can never replace the proven nurture of a family.
In November 2025, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child launched General Comment No. 10 on Children Without Parental Care. This was not just another policy document – it was a wake-up call, a call to bring family back to over 35 million children and set them up for improved well-being and success. The guidance emphasizes three critical interventions: preventing separation by supporting families before crises occur, prioritizing family-based alternatives such as kinship care, guardianship, foster care, and local adoption when separation is unavoidable, and reintegrating children from institutions into families through investment in community-based support systems that make family care viable and sustainable.
Africa cannot afford to be known as a continent of rhetoric. The recommendations of General Comment No. 10 must be woven into system strengthening – into budgets, strategies, policies, and laws. And most importantly, into practice. Supporting families is not simply a moral obligation: it is the surest pathway to building inclusive and cohesive communities. Civil society must rise to this call, not only by offering support but by holding governments accountable for turning words into action.
This General Comment marks the end of an era of normalizing orphanages and related institutional settings that reinforce separation. It sets us on a journey to reclaim the family. General Comment No. 10 is more than guidance – it’s an accelerator for change. Investing in families isn’t just about children – it’s about safeguarding the soul of Africa and building the foundation for a resilient, thriving future.
Stephen Ucembe
Hope and Homes for Children Regional Advocacy Manager
