On the brink of homelessness, Paul’s family were forced to consider sending him and his siblings to an orphanage just to keep him fed and warm.
Tag: inclusion
Kaloyan and Maria spent the first five months of their lives in an orphanage. Poor health meant their parents could not care for them without extra help.
Vasilica was only four months old and his sister, Ecaterina, was just one when they were sent to live in the orphanage. For two years, their mother battled to bring them home home again.
Ivan was taken from his dad, Stoyan, when he was just three years old. Because he has cerebral palsy and his dad is a single parent, the authorities had decided Ivan would be better off in an orphanage. That’s when our social worker, Elitsa, stepped in.
When Georgi was born with Down’s syndrome, the doctors told his parents he would have to live in an orphanage.
The success of a groundbreaking project to close orphanages in Rwanda and Uganda, shows that all children can leave institutions for the warmth and security of a family, once they have the right support.
Tom was reunited with his dad, stepmother, grandmother and sisters by our partners in Uganda, Childs i Foundation.
A number of children with disabilities, reunited with their families through our work, are now calling on the UN to recognise orphanages as one of the biggest barriers to progress on creating safe, healthy and inclusive communities.
SMS technology has revolutionised the way we find and support children with disabilities
Our pioneering ‘No Child Left Behind’ programme piloted the closure of two orphanages for children with disabilities in Rwanda. Here, Innocent Habimfura, Hope and Homes for Children’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, looks back on an extraordinary journey to lay the foundations for inclusive childcare reform in Rwanda and beyond.