The world doesn’t need orphanages.

They harm children and they harm society. And shockingly, 8 out of 10 children in orphanages have family members who would care for them – but a broken system hoards money, makes false promises, and keeps children neglected and families exploited.

  • A child at risk of ending up in an orphanage, peeking their face over the edge of a cot

    The problem

    Over 5.4 million children are trapped within institutions. Many of these children have families who could look after them, if they had the right support.

  • Preethi, a community volunteer from our local partner, Children In Need Institute (CINI), helps Radha* (Sonia's* mum) to fill in the application form for government support schemes she is eligible for.

    How we work

    Our goal is to make orphanages history. Find out how we're working with families, local partners and governments, to achieve that goal.

  • A father holds his youngest daughter outside with mask on. We supported this family as part of our programmes in Romania

    Where we work

    We work in countries across Eastern Europe, South and Eastern Africa and South Asia to stop the institutionalisation of children.

  • Uwase and her Mother embracing

    Publications

    Over a hundred years of research proves institutional care is harmful to children, and that family and community care is better for children. We’ve produced and collated a range of publications relating to deinstitutionalisation, child care reform, and specific global regions. Browse our Publications here.